Sewing, Repairing and Reducing Waste

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A place to share ideas, knowledge and creations with textiles. The focus is on reducing waste, whether that be sewing from the scraps left from other projects, using the end of rolls and remnants, or repairing and remaking finished pieces.

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Is there a way to improve badly cut clothes? (jlai.lu)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/sewingrepairing

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I buy most of my clothes second hand, the quality is much better for the price but when I look for something precise, too replace something wear out for example, rather than a new piece for my wardrobe, it take me a lot of time to find what I look for. Meanwhile, fast fashion brand sells lots of clothing that seems exactly what I need except that the quality is fast fashion quality :(

Is there any general advices you have to improve bad quality clothing?

Here is two specific examples that really disturb my shopping experience:

T-shirt that have not T, because the cloth piece under the arm has been removed. The t-shirt looks fine, folded or wear with your arms lying against your body but as soon a you raise them, in a T, or high to reach some high shelf, the whole t-shirt raises with them
Long sleeves than a just long enough to keep your arms lying against your body. If you go for a crazy move, like using your hand, you hand up with almost 3/4 sleeves.

What do you think? Is there anything that can be done to improve these type of badly cut clothes? What about all the others? With loose stitches, bad made buttons... You know what fast fashion looks like.

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[–] mutual_ayed 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

If your clothes are dry rotting, wrap em up in orange peels. I don't have any fix of they're dry rotting on the hanger.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Okay, sounds good on paper I guess.

My clothes tend to gradually dryrot as I wear them out, not in the closet. Mechanic work tends to take a toll on clothes, especially when you do stuff like wipe brake fluid or transmission fluid on your pants..

[–] mutual_ayed 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Oh. In that case, wax the pants you like. Work shirts too if your shop doesn't provide them.

https://www.artofmanliness.com/skills/how-to/how-to-wax-your-own-clothing-and-gear/

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I do appreciate the advice. But at the same time, waxing is only particularly suitable for waterproofing, it's most certainly not suitable for vehicle fluids. If anything it can actually make the clothing even more dangerous and even potentially more flammable. Waxing is also really bad on washing machines.

Sigh, worn clothes kinda come with the territory of mechanic and construction work and the like.

[–] mutual_ayed 3 points 2 weeks ago

I respect the trade and the info. Good luck to you.