DIY Clothes

[Ravie]

So alot of people like to alter their clothes or have certain tricks for making them last longer or even make them more comfortable. I personally use dental floss for thread, alter all of my shirts(cut them, tie them, sew them)...and i prefer patching with heavy materials. so what do you normally do? crotch vents? ass flaps? shoe repair/waterproofing?

 

[wokofshame]

leather works the best fo sho.... fire hose patches have a tendency to fray and are stiff and heavy...rivets-get a rivet gun- kick butt

 

[wartomods]

Last summer i was into tie die shirts, they are cool, if you dont mind being stereotyped as a hippie...
Aside from usual patches and whatanot, i tend to not have the effort to repair and make something indestrutible for a lifetime, specially when there is so many variety on stores, where you can get things cheap, free or stolen.

 

[Ravie]

leather works the best fo sho.... fire hose patches have a tendency to fray and are stiff and heavy...rivets-get a rivet gun- kick butt

yeah i use alot of pleather for patching and most of my sewing because it's water proof and doesnt fray.

 

[Geoff]

bicycle tube patches worked wonders for the crotch of these shorts that i never seemed to be able to get to stop ripping.

 

[devenheartbreak]

I tend to patch most of my shit. I've had jeans for years and refuse to get rid of them. I also tend to cut and tie alot of my shirts to be able to adjust them to fit me better. It works really well if the clothes are too big.. And for shoes, I have my favorite pair of converse that are getting really worn out. The rubber soles of the shoes were coming apart from the shoe. So, I sewed them back and they don't look bad. And now, my shoes don't talk to me anymore. :] Its pretty tough stuff though.. I still have blisters on my fingers from pushing the needle thru such tough material. I don't like throwing clothes or shoes away until I absolutely have to.

 

[finn]

.. I still have blisters on my fingers from pushing the needle thru such tough material..

You should use pliers to push and pull the needle in those cases.

 

[devenheartbreak]

You should use pliers to push and pull the needle in those cases.

I didn't have pliers at the time... And they could break needles. I've been thinkin of investing in a thimble. They are only like 50 cents.. I just don't know where a fabric/sewing store is. :/

 

[dime]

I just don't know where a fabric/sewing store is. :/

google it

 

[Dameon]

Canvas makes awesome, durable patching material. If you make your own clothes out of it, it can be waterproofed and lasts a long time.

 

[Angela]

I didn't have pliers at the time... And they could break needles. I've been thinkin of investing in a thimble. They are only like 50 cents.. I just don't know where a fabric/sewing store is. :/

Most of the sewing stores, like Michael's Craft store and JoAnn fabrics tend to be out in the burbs. Google the addresses and then catch a bus. No offense but I'm starting to think from your last few posts that you really need to get out more. If your going to be in Portland soon, I can tell you exactly where to buy a thimble.
These stores also have really great dumpster finds so it really is worth knowing where their at.

 

[Avon Drunquist]

I normally cut up a cheap leather coat for patch material, and I make sure to grab a bigass sheet of Filson from their dumpster in Seattle when I'm there. That's some good, oil cloth flexible shit that's good for crotches or whatever.

 

[finn]

I didn't have pliers at the time... And they could break needles... :/

Pliers/multitools can break needles if you get too close to the eye of the needle, you're supposed to push it through while gripping it as close to the tip as you can manage and then you get the rest of the needle through by gripping the tip of the needle and pulling it.

 

[Arapala]

I did that once with my shoe. First i took my knife and sort of carved a small hole for the needle, then i poked it through and pulled it through the other side with a pair of pliers, worked perfectly and i didnt snap any needles!

 

[Kadidlehopper]

Resurrecting an old thread but seeing the number of folks who where talking about sewing their shoes I figured youd appreciate this,

two words, glovers needle
you can literally bend them in half, usually around 2-1/2 - 3 inches long, work great on leather too.

 

[sketchytravis]

a lil wax on the end of the fabric/patch to help prevent it from fraying apart

 

[Desperado Deluxe]

I made my hat that I'm wearing in my pic by hand out of filsons oilskin. Its got a felt lining made out of pocket liners. And its all fancy french seamed. On the patch thing u can fold the edges inward and pin the patch in place while sewing edges to prevent fraying. I also have sewn the tips of my shoe back on. I sew lots

 

[Deleted member 9332]

a lil trick that i really love is putting duct tape of the back of your patches, it stops a lot of heavier thread fabrics from falling apart at where you stitch them, and it makes leather/ vegan leather patches nearly indestructible and very water resistant. also if you're using cheaper dental floss that frays you can burn the ends of it to melt the plastic to either the fabric that it's sewed to or just to its self.

 

[ottawafm]

I've been reading this post. I have to add that I've used braided fishing line for thread, and any material will work for patches, but I prefer rip-stop nylon. It is durable and flexible. If I'm patching the knees of my jeans then I use the pockets from smaller pairs of jeans.

 

[watson]

crotch vents? what even is that.. sounds great tho is it actually a thing?