This past weekend, I patched a pair of pants.
This is the first official "Patch" I think I have ever sewn in my life. It made a great deal of sense to do it: the pants - other than a long tear in the knee -were perfectly fine and given the price of things, there was no need to buy a new set (nor, sadly was I about to wear them as they were: for all of the young people's affection with "distressed jeans", I prefer mine without holes). So I watched a couple of videos online, gathered my patch, needle, and thread, and started patching.
It is not ideal of course: there is more bunching that I suspect should be there - but then again, these are intended to be worn around the house or away at The Ranch, so appearance is not the first consideration. Some of this I will attribute to the fact this is the first patch I have sewn; the rest I will attribute to the fact that being able to "check your work" on a tubular construction that you essentially have to re-unfold to see your progress is not ideal. Still, other than one leg being slightly shorter than another, I think they will work fine (and as an added bonus, if I really do not like it I will just rip out the seams and start over again).
In terms of an investment, it cost precisely nothing: the needle, thread, and patch were all already here on hand and the jeans I obviously owned. Had I gone to purchase a new pair at a lower end "Big Box" store, I would have paid $40 -$60 for a new pair. The requirement for this exercise was a little time and attention.
Although there is a great deal of way to go with the results (no bunching would, of course, be ideal) it does bring me back to the very relevant about managing purchases, costs, and consumerism.
Why is this the first time in my adult life I have done something like this? Yes, jeans are not necessarily "business casual" attire that I have had to wear for many years pre-Plague, but certainly such repaired items done by skilled tailors or seamstresses (not mine obviously; other people's) would appear almost as useful and acceptable as any other. Yet on the whole this is something I can tell you that you will not see in the business or larger world (except as a fashion statement). Unmarred, unrepaired clothes are the standard. Clothing with small imperfections or potential repair are just as often thrown away or shipped off to Goodwill.
Which is of course, pre-early 20th Century, a very rich thing to do. Prior to that time, so far I as I know and understand, clothing was used and reused until it could be used - as clothes - and then turned into something else: quilts, rags, parts for other clothes. It is only we, in our late 20th and early 21st century glory, that have determined that only the unmarred is good enough for making appearances in.
We will see how the patch holds out of course; the first test of these jeans may mean the "first patch" becomes "the first in a long line of patches". Which is also fine - practice, as they say, makes perfect.
Or at least for patches with less bunching.
Every repair has the same questions.
ReplyDeleteThe first question asks, What is the goal?
When the repair is completed you ask the second question, Did you achieve the goal?
There is much pleasure in using one's skills to make repairs.
I await the field test results.
John - What a succinct way to think of repairs. I have never heard it before (but will sure as heck being using it!).
DeleteI do like the feeling of having done anything myself, even if it is not quite "shop" perfect.
I intend to take them with me to The Ranch next week, so I will put them through wringer.
My dad was a big "home repair type." Unfortunately his repairs said, for the most part, "I'm cheap." Too many times his repairs left the repaired item barely functional or not functional at all; bailing wiring the rear window of the station wagon permanently closed is one that comes to mind.
DeleteI don't like broken stuff. If I can fix it right without replacing parts, that's what I'll do. Sometimes the repair will LOOK MacGyvered, but the item will function as it should. If I can't do that and can afford it, I'll replace the faulty part to restore proper operation. Only if I can't afford it will I truly MacGyver the thing. This usually results in a less than 100% operational unit, but it will get me through the night.
Your jeans; I grew up with patched clothes. Only the dress clothes were replaced when worn or torn. Mom kept pieces of my old jeans handy for patches. She tried to match the color and grain as best she could with one of the scraps, and then sewed it on. She also was big on the iron-on patches. These could be ironed on or ironed on and then sewn around the edges for added strength. If the tear in the cloth was really clean, the patch could be ironed onto the back side of the fabric. Then the bitter edges would be sewn down onto the patch.
...We should all be steering away from wasteful practices... The less we need to buy, the fewer hooks "the man" has into us...
Pete, you reveal one of my biggest gripes against myself trying these sorts of things: my repairs are not always as good looking as they should be, and maybe not work as well. I get frustrated easily at such things, and then will not do it - which is stupid, frankly: the only way one gets better at things is by doing them.
DeleteI grew up with the patches well, mostly the ironed on ones. I have flirted with them but I never really got the hang of them. I will see if this works okay.
The wasteful patches thing - I cannot like or remind myself of this enough. Every single thing we can do for ourselves or barter is a small piece of economic freedom.
I used to do that when I was a kid. I learned to put a "filler" in the leg to balloon it out so I could see what I was doing. Same idea as putting a light bulb in a sock when you darn it. Helps make a good repair.
ReplyDeleteIf you have some old blown out jeans, you can cut patches out of them. New cloth on jeans will cause puckering and may even rip out the sewing.
Good looking repair.
"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse."
DeleteMatt 9:16
Exactly what I remembered, and also mom mentioned it, too. Thanks Pete.
DeleteSTxAR - That is a good idea and was probably the piece I was missing. I will see if I can find something for next time.
DeleteI do remember the part about mismatch of a new cloth and old garment.
Pete - Funny how those proverbs actually come from real life situations...
DeleteWhen I was a kid, they came out with iron on patches. Essentially they were denim with adhesive on the back and when a hot iron was applied, they adhered to the old fabric. The result was no puckering but the patch material was often stiff like cardboard so it wasn't the most comfortable to wear. But it held up good to the wears of bucking straw bales up into the haymow which I suppose is why my mom used them.
ReplyDeleteAll this is background to why I just can't bring myself to repair a hole in pants anymore. On the rare occasion I get one, I just wear it around the house as work pants until it generally becomes too big to be comfortable anymore and toss them. Fortunately, I can't think of the last time I tossed a pair of pants due to a hole but it has probably been well over a decade ago.
Ed - my mother did the same. I have memories of the scratchiness of the patches as well. I would feel better (perhaps) about abandoned them, but it always seems to happen at the knees and it tears my heart to get rid of 95% of a good thing for the 5% that is ripped.
DeleteIf another time, perhaps use scissors and turn them into cut-offs!
DeleteExcellent work, TB!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Glen!
DeleteOne of the main skills I required of my 2 boys before they left the house. You must sew together and mend some clothes.
ReplyDeleteThe one "do it yourself" I strongly recommended against was changing your own oil. The shops are too cheap, quick, and effective to pass up, just don't buy any of the upsales.
Changing your own oil is really the only time you have the hood open on your car these days. It's the only time you'll cast your eyes on the engine to notice things like corroding battery terminals and fluid leaks. Speedy Lube won't do that for you... The only vehicle I outsource the oil changes on is my diesel pickup. It has two oil filters to deal with along with 16 quarts of oil to get rid of. I almost never open the hood on that truck. Lo and behold, my batteries started to die. I had to swap them out. Imagine my surprise when I saw that rats had torn off the insulation sleeves from around the batteries and created a cozy nest under the turbo... I rest my case...
DeleteJust So - Brilliant idea.
DeleteOil changes - for the cost, it makes sense to me - but I do take Pete's point as well; there is really no other reason to open the hood.
Pete - Great point, and something I did not think about until you said it. I suppose making the habit of a period "safety" check of the engine might fill the bill - and not a bad idea, considering at coming up on 12 years for my car with only 205,000 miles on it, I expect another 12 years at least if I can keep it maintained.
DeletePete, excellent point about opening the hood. My youngest sons first battery change came with me 600 miles east. Needless to say, we hadn't been under the hood enough. Over the phone instructions to a 19 year old with a dead battery and little understanding was daunting. I was in hostile territory myself, so we were both flying by the seat of our pants.
DeleteOh, that sounds like an unfortunate adventure Just So. And something that would take 15 minutes in person if one had a new battery.
DeleteOne of the few domestic skills I never mastered is sewing. But I will never forget a strong lesson from Basic Training in the military where we needed to sew on our insignia on our uniforms, and they had to be done to perfection. The DI said "If you aren't good at it, find the guy who is, and trade him for some of his chores." So, if you'll do this sewing chore for me, I'll be happy to cook dinner tonight.
ReplyDeleteMy parents were children of depression years, and their byword was "Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without". As we transitioned into the age of "remove and replace" instead of repairing, it deeply offended me and still does, but so much our our technology is such that replacing is so much cheaper than repairing. Planned obsolescence is an abomination.
Greg - Sounds like a very good lesson indeed if you remember it still.
DeleteThe Consumer Age is frustrating. There are things that I know I could repair, but the parts are either too expensive or simply it does not make sense. It is frustrating, and for a society that in theory deplores how much waste it creates, it makes it no sense to me that this has become our encouraged way of life. To your comment, it is offensive.
I learn so much from my blog friends. Cheers to you for your resourcefulness! I would love to try it myself, but my wife already things I hold onto clothes way too long. Were I to patch up some "holey" jeans to keep them even longer, she would not be pleased. On second thought, I might try it just to see her reaction.
ReplyDeleteBob, it is why I am a great believer in the power of the Social Internet. We learn things together.
DeleteGenerally, my jeans only wear at the knees, so this concept works (and the fact I would not likely take them out in public). Things like shirts may be less successful.
A technique I have used quite successfully is to catch the weakened knee fabric just before it wears a hole, and use an iron-on patch on the INSIDE. It's not visible in use, and it does extend the usable life of the jeans.
DeleteGreg, that is a brilliant idea! Thank you for sharing!
DeleteGood job, TB. As I read on in your post, I was reminded how much I admire crafters who scour thrift stores for the materials used in their crafts. As a person who has enjoyed sewing, it's practically become prohibitive to buy new fabric, so I rarely do. Fortunately, for me, I inherited quite a stash of craft-worthy new fabrics after my MIL passed in 2020. I don't know if I'm really ready to do it, but I've been giving thought to challenging myself to craft only using materials I already have, or using material (of all sorts) found second hand. Though, might have to make an exception for some tools that I've recently come to realize I need ;^) that are too new to have found their way to the thrift shop yet.
ReplyDeleteIf I could just get my house completely unpacked and everything finally in order and have finally found everything I'm still looking for, I might be able to think more seriously about such a challenge.