Whether it's repairing buttons, knitting socks or repairing a dropped hem-you can accomplish many things with a needle, some thread, and a little patience

Last modified on Monday, November 1, 2021 20.31 EDT

My memory of my mother's sewing basket can be traced back a long time ago. Even now, if I look for it, I am sure that fabric fragments, loose buttons, thimbles, pink pin cushions and colored spools are exactly the same as I remembered.

This seems to be something that every adult family will have: tools for sewing missing buttons or stitching ballet costumes. But as an adult, I have never owned a sewing kit. I outsource all clothes repairs to my dry cleaner or tailor.

Talking about simple home repairs with Nicole Mallalieu, a fashion lecturer at the Australian Academy of Art, made me realize that I have missed one of the simplest pleasures in life. The satisfaction and meditation of repairing something for yourself.

Before you sew buttons, Mallalieu says to “take time to check other buttons on your clothes” so that you can understand the stitch patterns to use and where to place them. She said that first, thread the needle with the thread, fold the thread in half and tie the knot at the bottom.

Then, holding the button in place, starting from the back of the fabric, pass the needle through a hole in the fabric and the button, and then pull it until the knot touches the back of the fabric. Then pass the needle back through another hole and push it into the other side of the fabric. "You keep doing this until the button feels safe," she said. If the button has four holes, you can stitch it in a straight line or cross stitch it—just follow the same pattern as the other buttons in the garment.

Finally, pass the needle through a hole on the back of the fabric, then wrap the thread around the needle two to three times, then pull it through and cut off the tail to tie the knot. This is called the French knot. If you need more guidance, Mallalieu recommends that you check out such online tutorials.

"The act of darning puts you in a state of meditation," Mallalieu said. "You are repairing socks, not life, but life." To darn socks, she said you need a darning mushroom, which is A piece of wood shaped like a mushroom.

You put it in the sock, so the hole will be scattered on the curve of the mushroom. She suggests matching or complementing the color of the yarn and the socks. Starting from one corner, she said, "Sew with yarn and needles, and cover the hole in the sock with something that looks like an iron bar in a prison."

After capturing all the fabric with the vertical thread, pass the needle back horizontally through the stitch, "one down, one up, one down, one up, just like you are knitting the fabric". She told me that there are many videos online that provide clear instructions on how to do this.

If you don't have a lot of skills, Mallalieu thinks repairing can be a very interesting way to cover up holes or stains or to modify clothes. She said to accept the obvious trend of repair, so "it doesn't matter if you are not good at stitching."

She recommends using "colored yarns or threads" and "continuous stitches with needles in and out" on the edges or fabrics that "you may need to hold them in place".

The easiest way to repair a dropped hem is to use edging tape, put it in the hem and press it with an iron, but this is a stopgap measure and can only be kept until the next wash.

Alternatively, you can use a needle with a single thread to stitch by hand and tie a knot at the end. Mallalieu said that first press down the hem, and then stitch between the two edges of the fabric, "Your goal is to keep it from appearing on the outside." She recommends watching online tutorials that demonstrate different techniques, such as herringbone stitch or whip stitch.

If you use a sewing machine and the hem is machine-sewn, she says, "You need to go back to the sewing machine, press the hem into a shape and copy the sewn."

According to Mallalieu, adjusting the length of the hem is a work of two people, because you need to "measure it from the floor and pin it to you" to make sure it is even. She recommends pressing down the hem and putting the dress back on to make sure it is in the position you want, before cutting and stitching it in place.

Mallalieu said that to cut the jeans into uniform shorts, you need to lay them flat, align the crotch from the crotch to the ankle, and then fold them in half so that the two legs are folded together.

Use a pair of big scissors to cut both legs at the same time. Keep in mind that denim will wear one or two centimeters after being cut, so you need to allow some extra length.

Mallalieu said that the sleeve changes really depend on the fabric of the item and the finish you want. If you just want to cut off the sleeves and leave raw edges, you need to pay attention to the weaving of the fabric. "The tighter the weave, the less the possibility of spreading, and the more delicate fabrics that are woven loosely are easier to wear." To prevent fraying, she recommends "sewing a small zigzag stitch on the edge."

Or, she said you can cut off the sleeves of T-shirts or any cotton sweaters without worrying, because "it won't wear out, it will just roll up."

She said, "If you want to turn a shirt into a short-sleeved shirt, cut it to the length you want plus three centimeters, so you can fold it one centimeter, and then fold it two centimeters again", then use The sewing machine stitches it around the edges, or if you are making it by hand, use a herringbone stitch.

Mallalieu offers some final recommendations for any home repair work: "Know that it is not difficult, and try it. The most important thing is to know that you can do it, especially if you invest a little time."