Make a straight cut above the threadbare fabric. If there is still enough length to make decent shorts, fold over ¼” and press. Fold it over once more, press and pin. Sew close to the top of the fold. If there isn’t enough length to make decent shorts, cut a length from another fabric, sew it onto the leg, and then hem that. Fixing Thread-bare Jeans: This will always looks patched – but it will double the lifespan of those favorite jeans. Take a denim patch from a dead pair of jeans, or buy denim fabric. Cut a patch that overlaps the worn area by as much as you like. Pin the patch in place from the front side. Using a mending stitch on your machine, sew around the outside of the area first – joining strong fabric to strong fabric. This is difficult to work around on the machine – persist! Work your stitching inward from the strong fabric to the weak. You can criss-cross over the weakened area or sew a perimeter around it and cut off the flimsy remnants of the jeans. When you are finished, trim away excess material from the back. Fixing Stressed Seams in Jeans: If you have someone who always rips out a certain seam of their jeans, there is a way to beat them! Get a length of strapping material (such as the handles of an old gym bag). Using a zigzag or mending stitch, stabilize the ends of the strapping. Now overlap the doomed seam with the strapping material, sewing down either side and on top of it (if possible). This also works to fix pockets that are ripping out at the top corner. Baby Towels: For this, you’ll need a nice bath towel and coordinating wash cloth. Fold the wash cloth into a triangle, bringing one corner across the center to the other corner. Pin or sew this. Measure to find the center of the towel’s long side. Attach the point of the washcloth triangle to this mark, and sew both sides down to the towel – leaving the longest (folded) side of the washcloth to be the front edge of the hood. Hide the seam joining the washcloth and towel with decorative ribbon or braid. This can be hand-sewn or machine sewn on. More Hints and Tricks:
Make a straight cut above the threadbare fabric. If there is still enough length to make decent shorts, fold over ¼” and press. Fold it over once more, press and pin. Sew close to the top of the fold. If there isn’t enough length to make decent shorts, cut a length from another fabric, sew it onto the leg, and then hem that. Fixing Thread-bare Jeans: This will always looks patched – but it will double the lifespan of those favorite jeans. Take a denim patch from a dead pair of jeans, or buy denim fabric. Cut a patch that overlaps the worn area by as much as you like. Pin the patch in place from the front side. Using a mending stitch on your machine, sew around the outside of the area first – joining strong fabric to strong fabric. This is difficult to work around on the machine – persist! Work your stitching inward from the strong fabric to the weak. You can criss-cross over the weakened area or sew a perimeter around it and cut off the flimsy remnants of the jeans. When you are finished, trim away excess material from the back. Fixing Stressed Seams in Jeans: If you have someone who always rips out a certain seam of their jeans, there is a way to beat them! Get a length of strapping material (such as the handles of an old gym bag). Using a zigzag or mending stitch, stabilize the ends of the strapping. Now overlap the doomed seam with the strapping material, sewing down either side and on top of it (if possible). This also works to fix pockets that are ripping out at the top corner. Baby Towels: For this, you’ll need a nice bath towel and coordinating wash cloth. Fold the wash cloth into a triangle, bringing one corner across the center to the other corner. Pin or sew this. Measure to find the center of the towel’s long side. Attach the point of the washcloth triangle to this mark, and sew both sides down to the towel – leaving the longest (folded) side of the washcloth to be the front edge of the hood. Hide the seam joining the washcloth and towel with decorative ribbon or braid. This can be hand-sewn or machine sewn on. More Hints and Tricks:
Susan-Lovig-Sewing-101-with-pictures.docx