Some of my favourite mending/alteration tips...

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I will be the first to admit that I do not love mending and doing alterations.

But I'm glad I know how to do most mending jobs and have the tools on hand to do it on my own. Otherwise, I'll tell you those tailor shops will charge you a pretty penny to get the job done. And I don't blame them.

Tip #1:

I like to keep a collection of small safety pins in my wallet.  You never know when you are going to lose a button.

And the safety pins will help keep you covered until you can sew your button back in place.

Tip #2:

Have you ever found a fabulous pair of tights that are the perfect pattern or colour but not the right size? Have you considered altering them?

I do this all the time since I only stand five-foot-one and there are not a lot of petite size tights to be found. Use your serger by taking off some length off from the foot area. It works, you can take my word for it.



Tip #3:

I picked up this part of the tip from a previous issue of Threads Magazine. A reader wrote in about hand-stitching hems. She would slip in a knot every seven stitches or so in case the hem came undone that it would be limited to a small section. Clever idea!

I like to carry with me basting tape in case this happens. Since I knot ever seven stitches or so if the hem comes down it only happens in a small section. Then I use a small piece of the basting tape which is double sided sticky so that it is not obvious that the hem is down until I can get home to repair the hem.

Tip #4:  

Lets get serious now. Mending and altering clothes is kind of boring when you're left alone to do it on your own. Sew, why not liven it up a bit? Good tunes are a must. This is not an occasion for Leonard Cohen. Hmm, maybe some Xavier Rudd or perhaps Ndidi Onukwulu. Invite some friends over and make an afternoon of it. Especially those friends who ask you to do mending for them with the promise, "I'll pay ya!" It's better to teach someone how to do it themselves. Otherwise you'll find yourself buried under a pile of mending/alterations. But I digress... Cocktails are optional. Maybe save the cocktail portion for after the job is done if you're going to be using heavy machinery or sharp tools. Cocktail for such an occasion. Mango martinis.

And those would be some of my favourite mending/alteration tips.

Happy sewing, mending, and altering!