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I keep a basket next to the tv & work on stuff when I’m in the mood.

I have a few dozen pairs of 501s, and many I've repaired. Not only is it very satisfying, I think they look better with a bit of "personality".

This is elite level mending. Meanwhile for amateurs, learning to patch the knee is a really good start. Bonus points for a little bit of boro stitching. Even a messy amateur effort looks good - like somebody loves these jeans. japaneseborostitching.online/japanese-vis...

I'm had that happen to my pants - not real logic just - sometimes they do that.

"So I lost a fight with a shark..."

I love gear maintenance, including clothing repair. This is very impressive.

Wow. She's an artist. I do a lot of my own alterations and some mending, but her work puts mine to shame.

I love, love, love watching highly skilled people work.

Holy shit!

I did similar things several times with my jeans although not as professional as she does

Incredible craftswomanship. I assumed that extensive damage like this would be impossible to repair. This gives me hope for a particular piece of damaged clothing that I have been loath to part with.

Impressive. How does one blow out one's whole entire ass like that?

This is going to make me incredibly angry as someone who crochets and is learning to knit, isn't it? *Settles in to watch*

Meanwhile Adam Savage is out here boldly proclaiming "if you can make a sleeve work, I swear to God you could build a house."

❤️ I tried to embroidery over a hole in a Henley...bad idea lol too much give! I did patch one pair of jeans with Wonder Woman fabric, but it didn't hold up. Need to try again!

I too would say "oh I can't sew" but I restyled a thrift-store dress into a top. I made a case for a guitar that didn't have one and only discovered later that I had reinvented the gig bag. I also tried to sew garments from scratch and made loads of mistakes but I learned so much from that.

Ima post a pic of my attempt at visible mending on a pair of my fave fixing the car jeans. It’s definitely visible. Mending might be a stretch

Awesome!

it's a good way to learn sewing and other techniques as well because if it sucks it's part of the charm

Reminds me of the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which I also love.

My hairdresser buys jeans in bulk for £15 each. When they get stained with die he just throws them out. He gets through several pairs a month. His business is committed to achieving Net Zero by 2070.

I get the inner thighs of all my jeans patched at Nordstrom. As a cardholder, I get an annual alterations credit, and that's what I use it for.

wow

God DAMN, that is amazing (scissor mic FTW). My Levis can't handle my smoke...the ass is blown out on every pair. Need to find someone as talented as this lady to bring them back to life.

That is incredible.

She is so talented!

straight up sorcery 🤯 I thought I knew how to darn socks ok but evidently I don't know anything at all, holy smokes

It’s beautiful to watch how her hands move across the fabric with love & her expression of pride when she’s done. I’m going to try to channel that energy when I dive into my next sewing project 🙏

This is how I mend things. Use the thin cotton iron on interfacing. Comes in white or black, also comes in knit forms. I mend stuff all the time, but those jeans I would have said no! 😜

This all looks like alchemy to me! She’s so talented.

It takes skill too. This looks like she is in the garment industry.

That is amazing work! I can barely sew a button on.

Wow 😲

Wow

impressive skills. quality video, cheers.

Great job!👏🏼

For those looking for more fun. Here’s another awesome artist repairing (doing visible mending), upcycling old jeans AND quilting. Also, an ex-Levi’s employee in SF, so she knows her denim www.instagram.com/sewingthroug...

"You know Deets and this lady are like me - they‘re not one to quit on a garment just because it's got a little age" -Augustus McCrae

That's a lot of work. Definitely impressive. But at that point, I'd probably cut up the remaining fabric for a quilt or something.

I am so thankful to be able to sew. As a 5’ 1” woman and mom to a 4’ 11” teen, I’ve saved on altering/hemming clothes. Being on a wellness journey and losing 43 lbs + several sizes since June, I’m not replacing pants if I can add elastic/buttons (like on adjustable waist kid pants) and drawstrings.

I have a pair of stretch jean shorts I like and want to repair. The "distressing" has gotten too thin and bare on one leg. How can it be repaired? Has any sewing expert commenting here ever repaired something like this? Would sewing in more "strings" side to side help or does it need a backing?

I love mending my clothes! I do mend jeans a lot but I also do a fair bit of darning - especially on my jumpers which always wear on the same elbow 😂

We can only do what we can do.

Having (poorly) hand darned a small hole in a pair of jeans, I cannot imagine doing an entire panel like that lol

That's beautiful

Combining 2-3 old garments often works well or using one item in a category to repair multiple others. Like you say, it’s easier with natural fibres and often easier with older garments. Cotton fabrics/fibres from the 90s for example just seem to be much more durable than most you get nowadays.

My wardrobe is 90% military surplus by volume. And most of them are at least 20% patches by volume, though I try to replace sections entirely rather than sew patches.

I love her sewing machine!

I have a pair of black jeans that I bought 15 years ago, I liked the rips but to stop them completely disintegrating I took them to a local tailor, he repaired them so they kept the look but are super strong. They are my favourite gig going jeans. 🤘🏻

That’s insanely good work!

per the film "the outfit" she is a cutter, not a tailor

Holey moly!

She’s good!! 👍🏼

Our local makers group has a repair cafe where people bring garments (and lamps, electronics, dull knives, all kinds of things) needing repair. Free! I'm sure they don't do extensive repairs like this one, but the ethos of it is essential.

ever since i learned how to open the inseam/side seam of my denim, i have been able to make ANY pants fit. can’t recommend learning how to mend/alter enough!!

As someone who just got into weaving, the idea of using sewing machine stitching to substitute warp threads in a woven fabric blew my mind, this is amazing

Ok, wow!

Ohhh good to know!

I didn't know that! I wouldn't buy it myself, since I need the stretch, but it's really odd they don't sell it.

My wife loves her men’s Wrangler Cowboy Cut jeans (13MWZ part numbers). 100% cotton, reasonable price. We were fortunate to have a great local western wear store, so she could try them on to find the right fit.

I love clothes that have their scars and have been loved back into being wearable. I have very little talent/skill/tools to do it myself, but love seeing it.

One great thing about Kids Today On Social Media is salvaging and repurposing clothes (and furniture, etc.) is hugely popular on Tik Tok and elsewhere. People are democratizing knowledge, sharing their process, techniques, and ideas and getting a lot of enthusiasm and support in response.

I recently learned my public library has a Creator’s Space with several types of sewing machines, from the most basic to Very Fancy. A very patient volunteer taught me how to use the serger and now I can hem my t-shirts that are always far too long.

You might be able to borrow one from your library

A secret one!

Ahhhh, I see. You’re right, I’m single by choice cuz I like independence. Anyway, try to declutter and find a spot - they are not big and it sounds like you’d use it. Life is way too short to deny oneself a sewing machine.

Wat cool!

Lol so much nicer than my semi-matching patches everywhere Hot tip from my years of attempting my own jeans repair, medium-light grey thread is almost invisible on most denim, even dark ones (ymmv)

Man, this is so cool. They look like they were pulled right off the rack!

If you returned to the 90s you wouldn't need to repair these, you'd buy them to look like that. A clean pair of boxers and you're good to do.

Incredible. Love watching that!

I have a pair of pants I love. I slipped on ice and tore a hole in the knee. They are stretchy, but the seamstress I took them to repaired them seamlessly.

It’s a miracle.

I repair most of the rips and holes in my jeans myself to make them last. Part of it is sustainability. Part of it is saving money. Because the path to financial freedom is built on self-sufficiency and sustainability. Not as good as hers but it does the job.

My parents give me so much guff about patching and repairing my jeans, complaining about “looking unprofessional”. Well the office is fairly casual anyways, and if anyone is staring at my crotch enough to see the patches then they’re the ones being unprofessional!

Remarkable!

That was a goddamn magic trick!

@gpgomez.bsky.social you could save those jeans🤣

I remember having jeans like this and then we would wear bright pink bike shorts under

I'm super proud of myself that I've repaired a family member's heavy duty work pants this way. Mine wasn't as neat, but amazingly he's still wearing them months later.

Wow. This woman is a miracle worker.

wow what the fuck that repair ended up invisible

I recently did some visible mending on my rainbow paisley skull leggings!

A woman defying time’s ruin! I really enjoyed watching.

Good work!!

Remember invisible reweaving of wool? Miracles were performed! And gorgeous, expensive sweaters and jackets saved.

This one feels a lot less intimidating to me. I can invest hours hand-stitching and if it goes wrong go "oh well, I tried," much more readily than I can invest in a sewing machine capable of handling denim!

I've been doing this more and more on my existing garments as I find so many of the newer clothes aren't even good enough to be worth repairing.

I taught myself to hand sew during COVID and am using that skill on my most ambitious project yet; saving a favorite t-shirt by replacing the worn-out sleeves.

I’m by no means particularly talented in my repairs but teaching myself how to hand sew and making small mends myself has brought such an incredible joy and deeper relation to my clothing not just as something I own but in tending something that was made with care and purpose.

Iron on patches are great!

Not competing with the original look, adding additional interest.

As an homage to my Nana, who tailored all my clothes growing up, I finally taught myself how to stitch this year. It’s been such a fun hobby to get into, and makes my clothes feel more unique and personal

lol

I have been darning & repairing for 30 years, from pockets in trousers (and I can replace my tiny pockets with boy pockets!) to soles & heels of socks to jumper sleeves and buttons/buttonholes on everything. Started with the tradition of needs must, progressed through punk and back into beauty.

Have you found the cobbler to be almost a lost art? It is shocking the number of places I've been to that have a high density of professionals who must wear dress shoes not have one remotely nearby.

You're right, prevention probably works better. Maybe nice suede patches on the interior?

But new ones don't fit the same way and the fabric is not pure cotton.

*buy

Again...its a pair of jeans. Didn't look like the seamstress had too many financial worries either. The time, money and effort to repair them could easily have been put into getting a new pair. Nice hobby...but not very practical.

My jaw is on the floor. I didn’t know this was possible.

Wow!

at some point when I was in college Eddie Bauer turned all their jeans into stretch jeans and I'm still mad about it. The OG 100% cotton ones lasted for years and were easy repairs. The new ones? Not so much

givenchy dress i wonder how old it is and i’ve never worn it except to nordyrack