Sewing & Clothing Repair

Part 1

Threading, knots, and the two stitches that do everything

Learn these on a scrap of old towel before touching anything you care about. Twenty minutes here and the rest of the guide becomes easy.

1. 1

   Thread the needle

   Cut the thread at a sharp angle with scissors — a clean diagonal end goes through far more easily than a frayed one. Use a length about as long as your forearm; longer thread tangles and knots on itself constantly, which is what makes beginners give up.

2. 2

   Knot the end

   Wrap the thread end around your index finger twice, roll it off with your thumb so it twists into a small bundle, then pull it tight down the thread. That is a quilter's knot and it is far more reliable than tying a loop.

3. 3

   Single or double thread

   For buttons and anything under strain, pull the thread through until both ends meet and knot them together — a doubled thread is twice as strong. For hems and fine fabric, use single thread so it stays invisible.

4. 4

   The running stitch

   In and out, in and out, evenly spaced, about an eighth of an inch. The fastest stitch, used for gathering and temporary work. Not strong on its own.

5. 5

   The backstitch — the one that matters

   This is the strong one, and it is what you use for any seam that has to hold. Come up through the fabric, go back down a stitch-length BEHIND where you came up, then come up a stitch-length ahead. Each stitch reaches back to touch the last, so there are no gaps. It is nearly as strong as a machine seam.

6. 6

   Finish properly

   Do not just knot and cut. Make two tiny stitches on top of each other on the inside of the garment, then pass the needle through the loop before pulling tight, twice. Then cut. A finish that comes undone wastes the whole repair.

Part 2

Sewing on a button

The most useful fifteen minutes in this guide. The trick almost nobody is taught is the shank — the little stalk of thread under the button that gives the fabric room to sit.

1. 1

   Find the right spot

   Do up the other buttons and mark where this one needs to sit with a pin or a dot of chalk. Do not guess — a button half an inch out will pull the whole front crooked.

2. 2

   Anchor underneath

   Doubled, knotted thread. Come up from the underside so the knot hides beneath the button, and make one small stitch there to lock it.

3. 3

   Sew with a spacer

   Lay a pin, matchstick or toothpick across the top of the button and sew over it. This is the whole secret. Two-hole buttons: straight across, six passes. Four-hole: either two parallel bars or a cross, four to six passes each.

4. 4

   Build the shank

   Pull the spacer out. The button is now loose. Bring the needle up between the button and the fabric, and wind the thread tightly around the loose threads underneath five or six times. That stalk is what lets the button sit over the thickness of the buttonhole instead of straining against it.

5. 5

   Lock it off

   Push the needle through to the back and finish with the double-loop knot from the last section. Trim close.

Part 3

Hems — taking up trousers, skirts and sleeves

A dropped hem is a five-minute fix. Shortening trousers properly takes about thirty minutes and saves a tailor's fee every time.

1. 1

   Measure while wearing them

   Put the trousers on with the shoes you will actually wear with them, and have someone pin the fold where you want the bottom to sit. Do this in front of a mirror. Measuring flat on a table gets it wrong nearly every time.

2. 2

   Mark, then check the other leg

   Take them off, turn inside out, and make sure both legs are the same length before cutting anything. Legs are often genuinely different, and this is the moment to notice.

3. 3

   Fold twice

   Fold the raw edge up about half an inch, press it flat, then fold again to your marked line. The double fold hides the raw edge so it cannot fray. Press hard with an iron — pressing does more than sewing for a good hem. Pin it.

4. 4

   The blind hem stitch

   Working on the inside, catch just one or two threads of the outer fabric with each stitch, then pass through the folded edge. Because you are only catching a thread or two, almost nothing shows on the outside. Keep the stitches loose — a tight hem puckers.

5. 5

   The no-sew shortcut

   Fusible hemming tape works and is genuinely fine for casual clothes: fold, sandwich the tape inside, press with a hot iron. It survives washing but not forever, and it is not repairable once it fails. Good for a fast fix, not for something you love.

Part 4

Split seams, tears and holes

1. 1

   A split seam

   The easiest repair of all, because the fabric is not damaged — the thread just failed. Turn inside out, start half an inch before the split in the sound seam, backstitch along the original seam line, and finish half an inch past the end. Starting and finishing in intact seam is what stops it reopening.

2. 2

   A straight tear

   Bring the edges together without overlapping them. Use a ladder stitch: pass the needle along inside the fold on one side, then straight across into the other side, alternating. Pull gently every few stitches and the tear closes almost invisibly.

3. 3

   A hole in knitwear

   Do not sew the edges together — that puckers the whole garment. Darn it: run several parallel stitches across the hole, then weave more stitches over and under those at right angles, like mending a net. It rebuilds the fabric rather than gathering it.

4. 4

   A hole in jeans or workwear

   Cut a patch from an old pair, at least an inch bigger than the hole all round. Pin it on the INSIDE. Then stitch rows back and forth across the hole and onto the sound fabric around it. Denim patches look better with visible stitching, so this is one repair you do not have to hide.

5. 5

   Reinforce the stress points

   Pockets, belt loops, and the point where a seam meets a waistband go first. A minute of backstitching over those spots on a new garment prevents most future repairs entirely.

Part 5

Making clothes last much longer

Repair is the last resort. Most wear is caused by how things are washed and dried, and changing that costs nothing.

• Wash less. Most clothes need airing, not washing. Jeans in particular last far longer washed rarely and cold.
• Cold water and a full load. Heat is what breaks down fibers and fades color.
• Turn things inside out, especially printed shirts and dark denim.
• The tumble dryer is what destroys clothes — that lint tray is your clothing, worn away. Line dry whatever you can.
• Do up zips and fasten hooks before washing; open zips act like teeth against everything else in the drum.
• Deal with a small hole immediately. Every wash makes it bigger, and a five-minute fix becomes an unfixable one.
• Keep a spare-button bag. Clothes come with them, everyone throws them out, everyone later needs them.
• Store knitwear folded, not hung. Hangers stretch shoulders out permanently.