Basic Repairs and Alterations You Can Do to Your Clothes

Rebecca Wilson, passionate about recycling across South Yorkshire
Rebecca Wilson
17 Apr 2024

Did you know that in the UK alone, we discard a staggering £140 million worth of clothes annually? That's approximately 300,000 tonnes of perfectly good garments! It's a shocking revelation, especially considering that many of these items are still in fantastic condition or just require minor alterations and repairs. 

 

If you're eager to breathe new life into your wardrobe by mastering some basic repairs and alterations, you're in luck! We've compiled a list of our favourite tutorials to help you out. 

Bobbin, pins and buttons

Sewing on a button

It may seem like an easy repair for some, but research by The British Heart Foundation suggests that 23% of adults don’t know how to sew on a button. This tutorial is great to help get you started:

YouTube Link: Sewing a button

 

Sewing up a hole

There’s nothing worse than a hole in your favourite garment. Instead of throwing it away, why not try sewing it up first?

YouTube Link : Sewing up a hole

 

Hemming trousers

If you have a sewing machine, you can follow this tutorial to hem trousers.

YouTube link: Hemming trousers with a sewing machine

Here’s how to do it by hand:

 

YouTube Link: Hemming Trousers by hand 

 

Adding labels to school clothes

If you have little ones at school, adding labels to their clothes is easy to do and helps keep your kids uniform out of lost property boxes!

YouTube Link: Adding name labels to school clothes

 

Waist alterations

Alter the waist size on your trousers using these simple steps:

 

YouTube link: Waist alterations

 

Opening sewn pockets

A quick and easy change you can make to your clothes. All you need is an un-picker tool or nail scissors.

YouTube link: Opening a sewn pocket

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