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Archive: Mending

March 21, 2012

How-To: Make a Tailor's Ham, a Project Excerpt From Mend it Better by Kristin Roach

Kristin Roach, founder and author of Craft Leftovers, has been a long-time contributor to CRAFT (both in print and online) so we are incredibly excited to be able to share a cool project from her new book, Mend It Better. As the title implies, Mend it Better is a book full of tips, history and projects related to repairing textiles. Kristin does a fantastic job of sharing her own personal stories of mending and crafting, alongside practical skills for extending the life of clothing, accessories and home goods. Chapters include background and basic information on things like patching, hemming, closures and then finish up with several creative projects using those techniques. Mend it Better is a great go-to resource that you'll want to have within hand's reach at all times, as well as a fun place to find easy project inspiration.

One of the things I really loved about this book was that Kristin provides instructions for making some actual tools that are instrumental in mending and sewing. I like the idea of not just making some kind of finished project, but actually constructing tools you can use for all your future projects. One of these tools is the highly useful tailor's ham, an essential tool for handy and crisp pressing. We're excited to be able to share Kristin's project for sewing your own tailor's ham that will make your pressing easier and more professional looking. Read ahead for the whole project, download the PDF of instructions and pattern and read on to see how you could win your own copy of Mend it Better by Kristin Roach.

Make Your Own Tailor's Ham
by Kristin Roach
Excerpted from Mend It Better © by Kristin Roach, Photo by Greg Nesbit Photography, Illustration by © Kristin Nicholas, used with permission from Storey Publishing.

This great pressing tool is so easy to make and it's so helpful. It will take a few tries to get the hang of how to use it, but over time it will really improve your pressing results.

What You'll Need

Template for ham (download instructions & pattern PDF)

Muslin, velvet, and upholstery fabric scraps slightly larger than the template

Batting, enough for 2 pieces the size of the template

Shredded paper to use as filling

Mending supply kit (see page 24 of Mend it Better)

Sewing machine (optional)

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January 9, 2012

How-To: TOMS Shoes Makeover

We are big fans of mending here on CRAFT, and this project from Cheri Heaton on I Love to Create is a great example of how you can extend the life of your favorite shoes. She uses adhesive and fabric to cover holes in her favorite canvas shoes, and the result not only keeps the shoes in business, but also makes them custom kicks. I kind of want to do this with shoes even if they don't have holes in them ... Thanks, Alexa!

November 7, 2011

How-To: Knee Sock Tights

It seems like kids tights are are always in need of replacement. Between runs, holes, and stains, they tend to make it through about one wear—two if you're lucky—and then they're so unsightly that they're relegated to the bottom of the drawer. It seems like the knees, heals, and toes are always the first to go, so Nike over at Choose to Thrive came up with a way to keep the top of the tights intact while using adult knee socks to fashion durable replacements for those pesky worn out areas. In her girls tights tutorial, she shows you how to turn your kids' blown out tights into fancy new leg-wear with minimal sewing skills and a pair of adult knee socks.

October 13, 2011

Size Up a Too Small T-Shirt

Adding a panel of fabric to each side of a too-small t-shirt is a great way to give new life to a shirt that would otherwise be bound for the rag bin. Have unsightly pit stains? (Yeah, I said it.) The panel extends under the arm, so it'll take care of those too! A big tip of my tailor's chalk to Craftster user marieC for sharing photos of her method AND for not being afraid of a little sweat.

Have the opposite problem? Becky's video will show you how to turn a boxy shirt into a foxy fitted tee.

[Via Grosgrain]

September 5, 2011

How-To: Monster Knee Patches

Here's a fun way to mend your kids' jeans when they get holes in the knees. Turn them in to chomping monsters with this fun patch tutorial from Lori over on BlogHer.

July 3, 2011

How-To: Ceramic Repair

If a favorite plate or mug of yours has broken, all is not lost. Liz of Mill Girl shares some great tips and tricks for almost completely seamless ceramic repair - even on a decorative plate. The results are pretty darn amazing! [via @planetjune]

January 10, 2011

Martha Stewart Living Blog Tour: Mending Knits

Good morning Crafters! We are so excited to be the first stop for Martha Stewart's Blog Tour today with a special article excerpt from Martha Stewart Living's January issue on how to mend knits. Learn how to repair small holes in sweaters, fix a pulled thread, save a buttonhole, and lots more! Just download the article from the link below.

Download the PDF | Subscribe in iTunes
Right click to save the PDF to your desktop. Directions on downloading PDFs.

Marthastewart Living Jan2011Cover

Martha Stewart Living - January 2011

Silke Stoddard, Deputy Editor of Crafts at Martha Stewart Living also shares with us her list of must-have tools for mending.

Snaps in various sizes - to replace fallen off snaps, or add to a part you'd like to stay close (like a too open top, or a wide collar)
Thimble - for hand sewing through thick seams or heavy fabric
Disappearing ink pen - to mark placement for buttons or seam allowance or a new hem line
Hand sewing needles in various sizes, lengths and thicknesses - most small mending, such as torn hems, or lost buttons are sewn by hand, so having various sizes is very helpful
Sewing thread - in various colors and weights, to match your clothing fabric in color and weight
Pins - again various sizes and lengths, having different colored pin heads is helpful, safety pins are good for a quick fix, or to help pulling a drawstring back in
Elastic - helpful to replace in kids clothes waistbands
Stitch witch - an iron on way to fix a rip in a non woven
Leftover fabric pieces - to use as patches to sew over holes
Seam ripper - to remove old stitching, ripped pockets, etc.
Tape measure / ruler - measure hems, lengths of ribbon, etc.
Martha Stewart detail scissors - perfect pointy small scissors to clip threads or remove old buttons
Iron - to iron out seams, crease hems, etc.

You can find more mending solutions on marthastewart.com.

For the tomorrow's stop in the blog tour, please catch more tips from Martha Stewart Living experts on Curbed.com!

November 2, 2010

How-To: Make Your Jeans a Little Longer

Sometimes it's the simplest things that can make the biggest differences in your wardrobe. If you find a pair of jeans that fit almost perfectly, with the exception of being just a smidge too short, it can ruin them. Suzannah of Adventures in Dressmaking shows you how to take those jeans and give them just enough length to perfect them.

More:

October 29, 2010

Remove Dried Hot Glue Easily

MAKE magazine reader John Mangan shared a nifty simple trick with us: you can remove dried hot glue with isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs. He made a video demonstration to share the knowledge, I posted it on Makezine yesterday, and it's been well-received. Since there are no shortage of crafts that utilize hot glue, I'm sure crafters will find this helpful too, though I'm not sure how it would work on fibers. Check it out over on Makezine.

July 8, 2010

How-To: Fix a Flip Flop

Broken sandal? Fear not! Uncoolpizza on Instructables shows us how to fix that stopper that holds the flip flop straps between your toes.

Image above is a creative commons licensed photo by billaday on Flickr.

June 14, 2010

Mending is Beautiful

Wow! I absolutely love the mending job on these jeans by Sherri Lynn Wood from the daintytime blog. They're such a great reminder that mending is beautiful, and that it doesn't have to be just a boring old repair. I'd rather have these pants than a brand new pair any day! For a ton more mending ideas check out our Mending Archive here on Craft! (Via Whip Up

May 4, 2010

How-To: Add Function with a Stitched Handle

CRAFT's Shawn Connally just got a great laptop bag. It's a messenger-style and has a long shoulder strap, great graphics, and all the pouches and pockets in the world. But despite all its bells and whistles, the bag is lacking versatility. Without a sturdy handle on the top, it is hard to grab in a hurry. So, with a donor bag and heavy duty thread, I've added function- and it looks great too!

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