All you really need is a little plastic thing of needles ($1), some pins ($1), thread (varies but even good cotton thread isn’t that much), scissors (where you might actually consider investing a little - do not use these scissors for anything else, and consider a rotary cutter if you really get into it), and fabric.
Fabric might seem like the pricey part of the equation, but consider how much a thrift store is going to charge you for a duvet or a pile of t-shirts! I have something like 30 t-shirts I spent maybe $5 on several months ago, and I’ve been working through that pile for a while.
You can turn a t-shirt into a pillow, a reusable bag, use the scraps to patch clothing, make dolls, quilts… The bits that get to be so small to be unusable for a scrap quilt you can use to stuff things.
It takes a lot of time compared to machine sewing, but it’s an activity that can be done while watching a tv show.
Machine sewing isn’t that much more expensive, and it’s a VAST improvement over hand sewing unless you’ve got plenty of time, and lots of boredom.
unless you’ve got plenty of time, and lots of boredom
also if you like needles relentlessly stabbing your thumb.
That’s what thimbles are for, my dude.
They’re not part of a drum kit? Tho thrange!
Also space and peace of mind. Sewing machines aren’t the largest of machines, but they do require a dedicated space, and can be somewhat noisy.
they don’t need a dedicated space, just a space. I have a cheapo lightweight machine with a built in handle that takes 1 minute to set up
Sewing machines also are much worse for patching things.
Just think through the logistics of how you would use a sewing machine to reinforce the knee of some pants or to reinforce/repair a well loved stuffy.
If you are actually Making things, a sewing machine is well worth it. But it doesn’t replace knowing a few basic hand stitches.
Just think through the logistics of how you would use a sewing machine to reinforce the knee of some pants or to reinforce/repair a well loved stuffy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO6VezZSfus
Like this – Doing knee patches, or small stuffies isn’t difficult with a proper sewing machine. You just bunch up the material to get around it.
I used to have my mom fix my clothes when they ripped and I was a kid and she used her machine to do it. The stitching was always this huge bulky seam. Now that I do it by hand it’s much more compact and almost invisible if I can get it to line up well. Not sure if it was some setting on the machine that could be changed to look better as I don’t have one but I like the outcome when I do it much better.
Doesn’t fit in my backpack tho
I was going to advocate machines, specifically the vintage Singer machines (the black, all-metal dudes). They are very simple, there’s tonnes of information online for repairing & maintaining them, and you can usually find people just trying to get rid of them. Find one that isn’t rusty and moves freely and you’ll probably just need to oil it and mess with the tension.
If space is a concern, you don’t need to keep it in the sewing table (though it’s more comfortable). Those vintage machines are simple and tough to kill.
This is a great point. I will say though that I’ve struggled to “get good” with machine sewing - enough for my occasional small projects. And OP just reminded me that I can actually step down to hand sewing if that is all I need.
What about repairing the knee on jeans? I have several that I’d love to repair (as I’m not normal sized, nice clothes are rare for me) but I only have a classic sewing machine.
I’d imagine that machine sewing is quite useful in “making the thing,” but hand sewing is more fun for “doing the stitch”. And there can be some stitches on a “thing” that require hand sewing even if most of it is machine made, so it’s not a bad idea to know some different hand stitch techniques.
Counterpoint: hand-sewing reduces your impact on the environment more because you can’t impact environment that much with both hands occupied for dozens of hours. It’s like touching grass but productive.
By that logic, the best thing to do for the environment is to die - which is probably true, it’s just not a very good (or even particularly interesting) argument.
right on both counts
You can take your stuff outside and sew and touch grass at the same time.
PLEASE BUY THE ODD SIZES FROM THE THRIFT STORES AND NOT THE SIZES I WEAR THANK YOU IN ADVANCE
PLEASE DISREGARD THE PREVIOUS POST, NORMAL SIZED PEOPLE HAVE PLENTY OF CLOTHING OPTIONS. LEAVE THE ODD SIZED CLOTHING FOR ODD SIZED PEOPLE
CAN WE PLEASE STOP YELLING, IT’S STRESSFUL
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE NOT BUY THAT JACKET I WANT TO BUY THEY DO NOT MAKE THEM LIKE THEY USED TO, PROBABLY ON PURPOSE
ok
I AM L FOR LUMPY AND SOMETIMES M FOR MANGLED OR XL FOR EXTRA LUMPY I AM FINE IF YOU BUY THE REST PLEASE AND THANK YOU
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER
do not use these scissors for anything else
- Buy scissors for sewing
- My family uses then for everything but sewing
- Someone loses them
- Repeat from step 1
Cheap 3-scissor-set from IKEA to the rescue!
With 4 of these you will only lose your beloved scissors half as much.
I hand-sewed some goat legs for halloween last year with basically zero sewing knowledge, it was genuinely such a blast to figure stuff out :D Took like 2 weeks worth of evenings while watching a show but 10/10 would do again.
spoiler
You can also use a sewing machine whilst watching TV.
Also, the fabric IS the expensive part because you start going “oh that’s a pretty fabric” and end up with a pile of fabric. Then you buy another sewing machine
When you have clothes that you want to keep and they get holes in them, just sew up the holes ya dingus! For your health!
I was taught how to hand sew in school for an art project and it has been so useful. As a teenager I was intentionally getting damaged clothes at the thrift store for extra cheap and sewing them back up myself.
If you ride a bicycle and keep getting holes in your ass, I recommend patching with webbing. Think seatbelt material.
You can buy a roll of it from Johanns. They sell it for weaving the seats of outdoor chairs.
I have this pesky hole in my ass that I haven’t been able to get rid of for years!
I had two holes down there, but at some point I decided to get another one installed. Unfortunately it was absolutely not a DIY installation. :/
Again, sew it shut with webbing. But you can use super glue in a pinch. That should keep your asshole shut
Is Johann’s the German version of Joanne’s?
Si
Don’t forget to pick up a tin of cookies at the dollar store when you get your kit. You get snacks and a place to store your sewing supplies that is needle-poke-proof.
I prefer a floss container. Bonus, you get floss for thread.
That’s pretty smart! Would be a good travel size. I like the nostalgia of a cookie tin but yeah, not very portable.
I have made two plushies this way and I feel an extra connection to them. I look at them and think “aww cute” but also “I did that!”
https://edunham.net/2016/04/11/plushie_rustacean_pattern.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9bjNCo3dk4
That’s super cool!!
So cute!
Just be careful with the thread and needles you’re not using/watching if you have a cat.
knitting too. Knit patches on sweaters / cardigan are silly easy to do and can often look pretty badass.
also careful. these hobbies are cheap but cozy yet ADDICTING. 😂
I have always wanted to learn to knit, how cool would it be to make sweaters?!
I knit sweaters. I don’t like knitting socks, I don’t wear hats, and so sweaters it is. I get lots of compliments on them and when people find out I knit them myself, they’re always pretty astonished.
Turning the gusset is actual witchcraft. I’ve made a cardigan, but never a sock.
Depends on the kind of gusset, there are easier techniques but they might mess up the wool pattern (like if you use one with stripes for example) and there are ones that are seamless, but a little more difficult.
I hate sewing, but it has saved me thousands of dollars over my lifetime and I am convinced that everyone should know how to do it unless they really don’t care about money.
I’ve thought about learning to sew by hand for just this reason - to make minor repairs and save some money and create less waste. Does anyone have recommendations for a kit or which items to buy to get started?
Well, a sewing needle, needle pins, some thread and a project.
Sewing kits are okay, but usually very low quality and with a lot of junk (looking at you, mini-foldable-scissor)
You can get lucky thrifting and get huge amounts of high quality thread for no money. You probably know someone who has a lot of sewing stuff who would love to hook you up.
Otherwise, just buy what you need for the project you are doing.
Use cotton thread for cotton fabric, poly thread for synthetics. Match the thread with the fabric.
If you mainly repair stuff, buying supplies will save more than you spend pretty quickly.
I’m 33 and I have been doing minor repairs since I can remember. Sewing buttons on or holes shut. Or making tiny clothes for barbies, looked awful, but worked. There are special ways of hand stitches for different purposes, but in most cases it’s a trial and error approach that in 90% of cases won’t end in “error”. You’ll figure out what feels better (like one yarn or double yarn) very fast.
But only at age 32 I invested in a cheap seam ripper. It always seemed excessive since you can basically just use sharp little scissors for that. I was wrong. I fucking love my seam ripper and I use it as a scissor now. This is so satisfying I would never ever let anyone rip any seam open for me. That’s the orgasm of sewing.
Also, you might want to use a threading aid (edit: is it called a needle threader?). Some thread is just a bitch.
Little side note: when choosing a thread to repair, try to go muted. If you have a green piece of clothing and a light green, dark green, and grey thread, very likely the grey thread will be the least noticeable, unless the green is the same shade. If in doubt go darker. For white thread I recommend going off white - unless you have a lot of white clothes, most of white stuff is off white (i.e. not crisp paper white). Some people say 100% cotton thread breaks easier than blend or polyester. So far I haven’t had any bad experience with cotton threats though.
I often do the opposite, pick a bright color that is not the color of the base material, to make the repair stand out more.
I do that too! But it depends on the repair. If I just fix a seam or a tiny hole in a shirt (you know, the ones that you need 2 stitches for) then it won’t stand out and look cool but just look out of place to me.
But I agree, in general visible mending is nicer and easier.
I’ve been repairing my own clothes and furniture for myself and my wife for years, and I haven’t so much as watched a YouTube video. When you do a bad job, just take the thread out and try again.
Needle and thread. Maybe a seam ripper. No kit required.
Are there different sizes or gauges of needles? Common colors, materials, etc. of threads?
If you’re mending you don’t need to overthink it. You really only need a thick one if you’re like trying to pierce through layers of jeans. Yes get color thread to match whatever you’re sewing. Get grey, black, white, maybe brown and that covers most things unless you really want to make it completely invisible.
There are, but if you get the little plastic thing of assorted needles you’ll be fine. Maybe $1 from Walmart.
I’d grab black cotton thread to start out with (“mercerized” is going to be the better stuff). For mending, it’s usually either about hiding your stitches so they aren’t seen at all, and it doesn’t matter, or picking something that matches what you’re fixing.
The thread that comes with kits is usually crappy polyester that will break if you look at it funny - it’s only really useful for “basting” (sewing something together temporarily to hold it in place while you do the more permanent sewing.) The other things in kits (pins, seam rippers, tiny scissors) are usually okay though.
Fixing buttons is a good project to practice on IMHO. Lots of clothes hide an extra button somewhere on a tag inside, but you can also get a nice plastic jar of mixed buttons at the dollar store usually.
Really, don’t overthink it. Even ugly stitches will hold stuff together if you put enough of them on.
I bought one of these once. Dumped them all out and wrapped in packaging tape. Its super small and a lifetime of needles. I break maybe one every other year.
Hey, that’s the one I bought a while back! It was actually an accidental purchase because I wanted dull needles for darning but now I end up using these needles over my old ones. They are quite nice, have good sizes, and there is at least one darning needle!
I personally would hyphenate “stupid cheap” in this context, I thought you didn’t like hand sewing at first.
