Of all the basic sewing and mending skills out there, the most basic is knowing how to thread a needle. If you know how to do it you might wonder how you could not know, but I’ve encountered plenty of people who weren’t exactly sure or had trouble threading a needle, so let’s get into […]
How to Make a Shirt Bigger
I have this button down shirt that I love but it also doesn’t quite fit, so I came up with this way to make a shirt bigger so it fits better. This is a technique that works for button-down shirts with folded over button bands, or you can add a different fabric to move the […]
How to Repair a Buttonhole
The buttonhole on my favorite pair of jeans recently started fraying, so it’s time for us to learn how to repair a buttonhole. Here I’m working on jeans but the same process works for a buttonhole on a shirt or anything else that has gotten frayed or the stitching is loose. Buttonhole Repair Supplies The […]
How to Fix a Hole in Jeans
After making the waistband bigger on an old pair of jeans, I needed to patch a few holes, so let’s learn how to fix a hole in jeans using a patch and simple sashhiko stitching. What is Sashiko? Sashiko is a Japanese mending/stitching method (that literally means “little stabs”) that uses running stitches to make […]
How to Make a Waistband Bigger on Jeans
The other day I was going through a box of clothes I’d saved for upcycling and I found a pair of jeans that almost fit, so I decided it was time to try this method to make a waistband bigger. These jeans are from Old Navy (thanks to their tag codes I know I bought […]
Darn a Sock: How to Mend a Hole in a Sock
I feel like all my socks got holes at the same time, so let’s look at a few easy ways to mend a hole in a sock. I have this set of fair isle style socks my husband bought me years ago, and it’s like the warranty just expired because it seems like every time […]
How to Replace a Waistband
Knowing how to replace a waistband on a pair of elastic or drawstring waist pants isn’t something that comes up every day, but it sure is satisfying to do if you need to do it. Saving the Best Pair of Pants I have this pair of pants (they’re old old Gillian O’Malley pajama pants from […]