Forums:

When is clothing too far gone?

M Ljin

gardener

Posts: 1824

Location: Zone 5

970

I like...

posted 5 days ago

9
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I have a rather thin-worn sweater that I have mended quite a few times so far. It seems like each time I mend it, another three holes appear. And it makes me wonder, is it time to recycle into something else, or do I just keep mending until something stabilizes?

How do you decide? And are there ways you use to make good clothes last longer?

One can never be too kind to oneself or others.

PEP - BB5 Badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by gir bot

Natalie Rain

Posts: 2

Location: Southern New Hampshire

I like...

posted 5 days ago

9
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I feel you! Nothing wrong with super patched up garb, although here's some solutions I often use when clothing has totally flown the coop.

For knits of all types, unravel the yarn and:
- Knit a new item (depending on skein size you end up with!)
- Use it for all purpose string
- Wax the yarn if it's thin to prevent rot for outdoor or semi-outdoor use
- Thin 100% cotton yarn can be braided and treated in borax + salt solution for wicks

For woven items, I've found less use:
- Cut into rags
- Cut into patches for other cloth items, clothing or otherwise

THIS JUST IN: Local Woman on First-Name Basis with All Of The Trees

John F Dean

master steward

Posts: 8278

Location: southern Illinois, USA

3190

I like...

posted 5 days ago

7
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I don’t have a set of rules I go by. I recently tossed my Wrangler jeans. Broken zipper, a large hole below the zipper and down one leg, hole on butt, holes in both knees, legs very torn at the bottom …. And repaired many times. We have more than enough rags, so I tossed the jeans onto the compost.

I want to be 15 again …so I can ruin my life differently.

M Ljin

gardener

Posts: 1824

Location: Zone 5

970

I like...

posted 5 days ago

9
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Thank you both for the suggestions!

It's more of an embroidery-floss diameter yarn, 100% cotton... it could be unraveled and reused though. I have some ideas for it when it's done with, but maybe can get a few more uses out of it first, and practice my knit-mending. It is sort of like emerald ash borer--no one wants EAB in their valley, but now that it's here, think of all the biomass for hugels and soil building and bluebird habitat!

One can never be too kind to oneself or others.

M Ljin

gardener

Posts: 1824

Location: Zone 5

970

I like...

posted 5 days ago

7
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I'm dismantling it. I tugged at one of the weaker spots (which is quite a big weak spot) and it tore even further.

One can never be too kind to oneself or others.

Anne Miller

steward

Posts: 18394

Location: USDA Zone 8a

4667

I like...

posted 5 days ago

11
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Welcome to the forum, Natalie.

Those are some great suggestion.

Now days worn out jeans and shirts seem to be in fashion.

They are not my cup of tea though.

I would say worn out is okay as long as the clothes don't show private parts.

I have heard that soap is hard on clothes so maybe wearing clothes longer between washes will make them last long. Or washing in plain water or with vinegar.

As far as mending goes that is a personal choice.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Carla Burke

Rusticator

Posts: 9530

Location: Missouri Ozarks

5176

I like...

posted 5 days ago

7
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

It depends. How much do I love the piece? Does it still have 'good bones'? Have I already mended it so many times that the patches have patches and cover more real estate than the original fabric? Do I care about that, or do I like it even better, with all the mends? Does it look like junk? Or art?

At some point, if I've done it right, even if it's falling apart as a garment, it just might find a new life as some other useful item, like a pillow cover, patches for something else, a bag, etc.

Whoah!! Check out this permie deal!! https://permies.com/w/homesteading-bundle?f=232
"The only thing...more expensive than education is ignorance."~Ben Franklin. "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." ~ Plato

Christopher Weeks

master gardener

Posts: 5761

Location: Carlton County, Minnesota, USA: 3b; Dfb; sandy loam; in the woods

3268

I like...

posted 3 days ago

9
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Like the Ship of Theseus, after how much mending is it not even the same garment it was?

I have a couple pair of pants that I’m aiming to make more patches than original…

IMG_5407.jpeg

IMG_5408.jpeg

IMG_5409.jpeg

PEP - BB100 Badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by gir bot

Nancy Reading

steward and tree herder

Posts: 12420

Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year

6388

I like...

posted 3 days ago

7
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Definitely art, Christopher!

I'm with Carla - it depends. Somehow once I've mended an item it has a higher value to me than it had before, so I'm more likely to mend it again. If the whole fabric is going thin though, sometimes I just have to say goodbye and find the best use for the remnants that I can. Any good zippers and buttons get kept, better bits of fabric may be good for patching something else or cleaning rags, and natural materials can be composted.

How Permies works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads
My projects on Skye: The tree field, Growing and landracing, perennial polycultures, "Don't dream it - be it! "

larry kidd

Posts: 213

Location: South Central Virginia

posted 3 days ago

5
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Once the material starts tearing as I put things on or especially once they are dirty / wet and shred as I try to remove.

Air and opportunity are all that stand between you and realizing your dreams!

Jay Angler

master steward

Posts: 14785

Location: Pacific Wet Coast

9115

I like...

posted 3 days ago

5
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Christopher Weeks wrote:Like the Ship of Theseus, after how much mending is it not even the same garment it was?

So long as the holes are on more or less flat stuff, mending works for me.

Some pockets are just such a pain. It looks ugly as sin, but I've actually taken a pocket out of a trash pair, and carefully fitted it into the opening of the good pair with a holey pocket in a spot that just can't easily be reached. It worked for farm use, and Hubby was happy with the result, but it was very tricky.

Visit Redhawk's soil series: https://permies.com/wiki/redhawk-soil
How permies.com works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads

oddball - sand badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Haasl

textiles - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Haasl

dimensional lumber woodworking - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by jordan barton

Food Prep and Preservation - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Leigh Tate

greywater and willow feeders - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Leigh Tate

Nancy Reading

steward and tree herder

Posts: 12420

Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year

6388

I like...

posted 3 days ago

5
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Jay Angler wrote:So long as the holes are on more or less flat stuff, mending works for me.

Oh, yes, the complexity of a potential repair is definitely part of the consideration. If it is so difficult I need a sewing machine, or careful non flat cutting, or inserting a zip then it far less likely to happen. This depends on the quality of the clothing in the first place, how long I think the might last after mending and how much I like and wear the article.
I did manage to successfully replace a fly zip with buttons, so I may try that again.

How Permies works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads
My projects on Skye: The tree field, Growing and landracing, perennial polycultures, "Don't dream it - be it! "

J wexler

Posts: 5

posted 4 hours ago

2
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

With sweaters, if you are or know a knitter, unravel and convert into yarn balls for re-use. This is not uncommon among people who grew up with less and understand the value of materials.

I patch only workwear unless a patch fits the nature of the article, like elbow patches. Otherwise, fabric is converted into work/cleaning rags.

When I have a bad sock I save the good one to pair up with survivors.

With size changes I give clothes away.

Tereza Okava

steward & manure connoisseur

Posts: 4848

Location: South of Capricorn

2818

I like...

posted 1 hour ago

2
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I definitely save as much as I can.
the warning to the wise: I had a pair of jeans with a hole that I saved to patch with sashiko. They came out beautifully but.... it took me two and a half years to get around to it.... during which time I lost weight and they no longer fit the same way (they were my favorites before, now they are just icky). The solution, of course, is to put them away for another few years and maybe things will change!!

I agree. Here's the link: http://stoves2.com