Make Do and Mend

kittiwoz

I buy socks and knickers from Primark but I don't like their clothes much. I think they are just cheap rather than good value and they are the type of "trendy" fashion that goes out of date quickly and makes you look like a fashion victim. I also think they sixing is very odd - everything is always too big for me.

I try to buy high quality clothes in charity shops. Things that are made from good material and well cut. There doesn't seem to be any real price differential between the good stuff and what is really old tat. For example I bought a pair of Faith ankle boots, fully leather lined, with a wooden heel, in Cancer Research Amersham for £7.50 but they also had a pair of plastic Shoe Express boots for £5. And I bought a red, mid-calf, pencil skirt made form very nice leather (I think it may be 60's) for £4 in a charity shop in Watford but they would also have charged £4 for a worn looking polyester skirt. I sometimes splash out in Oxfam Originals in Manchester. That is quite expensive for second-hand. My criteria are will it last and do I trully love it? If yes to both then I tend to justify it on the basis of price-per-wear. I like to buy things that are a little unusual too, like my proper kilt(£14) (short skirt on me because it's a childs size) or my fushia/royal blue check 60's woolen wrap around skirt(£16). For the amount of wear and the pleasure that I'll get out of them I think that's good value.

Murtle

I loved this thread first time round, I love it still!!

I have had my boots mended again! I seem to go through the heels quite quickly, but cheaper and less hassle then buying a new pair.

A week ago OH managed to get a hole in a great jumper, I managed to darn the hole and it's as good as knew again, now I just need to darn two socks of his!! These take more time and I need more patience for them!!

I also was given a dress makers dummy for Christmas so along with the sewing machine and overlocker I'm hoping not to have to buy too many clothes this year, she says after spending the annual clothes allowance in Monsoon on a few items!!!

x x

HOLsale

i'm a big one on mending so much so that i asked for (and received) a sewing machine from my local freecycle group which has helped things all!

we buy most of dd's clothes from charity shops and i ignore the sizes and look at how big they appear. she is long armed and long waisted but skinny so i find myself having to 'adjust' much of her clothing. she'll start with a dress being down to her ankles and i may need to adjust the neckline a bit and maybe the length of the arms (fold neatly inside, then secure with a few tiny stitches) then she grows into it and i let out stitches etc. this works brilliantly because she does NOT have typical 4 year old tastes, she loves leather, animal prints and glittery things, and bob the builder

dh is very hard on his trousers so i'm constanly repairing them. he's also extremely picky and we have to buy beige trousers (usually primark, we make a special trip to glasgow to stock up on trousers, pants etc we use the £1.50bus thing ) then we have to tie dye them soooooooo i don't like the idea of NOT mending as the alternative is a bigger pain in the backside :rotfl:

i am overweight and due to this my thighs rub together as i walk. course this means that all my trousers become threadbare or develop holes along the crotch,thigh inseam so i've become a dab hand at either the 'roll and sew' (gently roll the fabric over the seam and sew with a few columns of tight zigzag stitch) or the 'funky patch' which means i use some durable material on the INSIDE of the trousers as a patch.

for example: my favourite black jeans are in the process of being repaired. i used patches made from an old outgrown pair of dd's 'leather' (vinyl) trousers as the patch. i made sure the leather looking side is what you'll see and that the side that was against her legs is against mine (otherwise, OUCH!) i then do a straight stich along the edges to hold it in place and then do columns of medium size overlocking stitch to fill the entire area. this gives it a kind of funky embroidery look (if for some reasons some one is looking at my crotch :eek: ) and it is very strong too. i make the patch quite large and i do the entire area with the stitches because it means i'm less likely to develop another hole/worn spot anytime soon

the reasons i'm still in the middle of it though is because i can't seem to get the bobbin casing to stay in place :mad: the bobbin starts riding up pressing against metal plate that covers it when i'm using the machine. the entire case came up with the bobbin last time i needed to change the bobbin and it's not been right since... any ideas?

another reason i have to adjust my own clothes is that i'm not built like your typical overweight person... i used to be just like dd is very very slim and very very muscular with long arms and a long waist with an hourglass figure (only a rather large hourglass) also i've always been small chested in proportion to my weight so most tops that fit me have to have the neckline adjusted so they don't hang off my shoulders or have a v neck to my bellybutton :rotfl: i have no end of troubles with waistlines, if it fits through my thighs it will NOT fit at my waist (same problem i had when i was thin!) so i HAVE to make my own tucks and 'pleats' of sorts at the waist unless i want my trousers hanging down off my backside (sorry, i don't DO that fashion statement!)

i don't know where i'd be without the sewing machine. i've done all this mending by hand but it's soooo much easier with a machine

if anyone can help me out on the bobbin casing thing i'd be very appreciative as i'd like to get back to my mending, i've loads of it! it's an old singer machine and i can't find anything helpful in the instructions :eek:

Sarahsaver

So glad to see this thread again! I am trying the 'make things match as little as possible' and it kind of works, well it works for Gwen stefani!
I have a few things which need mending and i am going to have to sit down and have a mending evening one night this week.
I do not need any new shoes as I have quite a collection and it's inevitable that i have something which is 'in'! But there are a few which need mending. I try not to put them away if they are not in good repair.
All my suits/jackets/coats/long dresses are on a rail in suit covers (cheap thin plastic ones so i can see what is in them) to keep the dust off and free up wardrobe space.
About time to test the timpsons watch battery guarantee too! Got it done in sep. and its already run out.
Got rid of a skirt and 2 bras on ebay, and am selling a couple of handbags too which I didnt use much.
Had a problem finding darning wool before, a smart jumper OH got me from muji a while back has developed a hole:(
DD has gone to school today with holey toed tights, with socks over them. That's my girl! Its because shes grown, if i mend them her toes will shoot through again LOL;)

Murtle

I have struggled with darning wool, I have recently used embroidery cottons instead. Not sure if that would work for your jumper. I was in a habedashery in a large department store, and the lady there didn't even know what darning thread or wool was. ah well, John Lewis might have some or a local habedashery?? I'll keep my eyes open for it next time I'm in a sewing place!!

x

equine_induced_poverty

bought a stunning black dress at xmas from charity shop - for my significant birthday next November!

ChocClare

HOLsale wrote:

the reasons i'm still in the middle of it though is because i can't seem to get the bobbin casing to stay in place :mad: the bobbin starts riding up pressing against metal plate that covers it when i'm using the machine. the entire case came up with the bobbin last time i needed to change the bobbin and it's not been right since... any ideas?

Hi HOLsale
When you say the bobbin case, do you have a metal case (with a sort of tongue) which your bobbin slots into and then you drop the lot into the bed of the machine and turn the case so the tongue clicks into place OR do you drop the bobbin just on its own into the machine and the case is the "bed" it sits in?
The reason I ask is because my machine has the latter and the "case" actually has two "dimples" that it needs to sit in otherwise the whole lot rises up. If it's the former, could it be that you have your thread bobbin in backwards/upside down? The thread should wind out clockwise, otherwise it will pull the case the wrong way.
Well, that's two ideas - HTH!

ChocClare

Sarahsaver wrote:

Had a problem finding darning wool before, a smart jumper OH got me from muji a while back has developed a hole:(

If you can't find decent darning wool (and your jumper didn't come with a nice little envelope of spare wool) then you could try crewel wool - loads of colours (Appleton's wool is particularly fine) and you can usually get it in your local haberdashers for not too much cash.

HOLsale

ChocClare wrote:

HOLsale wrote:

the reasons i'm still in the middle of it though is because i can't seem to get the bobbin casing to stay in place :mad: the bobbin starts riding up pressing against metal plate that covers it when i'm using the machine. the entire case came up with the bobbin last time i needed to change the bobbin and it's not been right since... any ideas?

Hi HOLsale
When you say the bobbin case, do you have a metal case (with a sort of tongue) which your bobbin slots into and then you drop the lot into the bed of the machine and turn the case so the tongue clicks into place OR do you drop the bobbin just on its own into the machine and the case is the "bed" it sits in?
The reason I ask is because my machine has the latter and the "case" actually has two "dimples" that it needs to sit in otherwise the whole lot rises up. If it's the former, could it be that you have your thread bobbin in backwards/upside down? The thread should wind out clockwise, otherwise it will pull the case the wrong way.
Well, that's two ideas - HTH!

mine has a plastic bit with a weird shaped 'tongue' that the metal bobbin sits in i put the metal bobbin in and pull the thread through the two guides (clockwise) i make sure to raise the bobbin thread as you're supposed to

in fact this is the SAME thing i've done everytime before BUT i'd never had the entire casing come out before... it appears to be sitting correctly when i close the panel over it to use the machine but somethings obviously not quite right... i've tried feeling about for notches and can't hear and clicks etc or anything to indicate it's in the right posistion other than it sitting level and looking correct

pollys

I don't tend to go overboard on buying clothes. As a stay at home mum I just wear jeans and tshirts. I will buy new if I'm going somewhere special. The boys (9,7 and 4) wear jeans and tops for playing out/playgroup which are passed down if still ok. They all have a decent outfit for family parties/friends parties. My teenage daughter is not too interested in clothes (she favours sports kit) but when she needs clothes I buy what she likes (tends to be baggy trousers and tops from River Island) there is no way I would try to inflict my frugal ways on her not that she would let me lol

good luck with the make do and mend.