Yesterday, I went to a yard sale, and I found several nice men’s shirts; in vogue, designer-made, good-looking shirts. Why are these here, I wondered? I looked them over twice. The only problem? They needed new buttons. The buttons had fallen off, probably in the washer. I paid $2.00 each, and spent ten dollars on five designer shirts. I brought them home, laundered them, sewed the buttons on where needed, and my husband looks good in them.

The best part is, I got them on the cheap. I see this often; people throw away nice clothes because they either don’t know how, or are too lazy to sew on a button, or fix a hem. This really appalls me. How can they afford to waste so much money? Do they not have a budget? Well, for those of you who don’t know how to do the smallest of sewing tasks, here are your instructions, step-by-step. Let’s keep more money in our pocket, and give less to the clothing companies.

Sewing on Buttons:

This is the most common of mending needs, and the most common reason I see clothes in yard sales. It is a very simple, if menial, chore. You need the following:

1. An appropriate button, the same kind as on the shirt or other item.
2. A needle. For the extra-lazy (or in my case, extra-blind), pre-threaded needles are available in the sewing/crafts department of any department/discount or crafts store. Magnifiers that hang around the neck are nice little gadgets, too. Don’t be ashamed; a lot of folks use them. That’s why they’re so easy to find. If you use a needle you have to thread yourself, also get a needle threader. Remember that little thingy that looked kind of like a dime with a tiny little wire on it that used to be in your mom’s sewing kit? It has a purpose.
3. Thread the same color as the garment. You don’t want bright red thread on the button of a white shirt. It will either scream, “ Sloppy Eater!” or “ Dead Broke!” neither of which is very impressive.
4. Small scissors, the kind that are pointed.
5. A comfortable, well-lit place to sit. Sewing is not something to be done by the dashboard light.

What to Do:

Slip the wire end of the needle threader through the eye (the little hole at the top) of the needle. Then, cut off about 6-9 inches of thread from the spool. Slip one end of the thread thru the wire of the needle threader. Pull the needle threader quickly but gently through the eye of the needle. Voila`! You have threaded the needle. Now, wrap the doubled ends of the thread around your finger, and place it against your thumb. (It helps to lick your finger first.) Roll the thread between your thumb and index finger, till it comes to the end of your finger. Then grasp the thread between your thumbnail and your middle finger, and scrape the new knot down to the end of the thread. Now you are ready to sew on a button. Lay the button over the cloth, and bring the needle up through the fabric, and through a hole in the button. Bring the needle across one of the posts, and down through that hole. Repeat at least three times, making sure to draw the thread tight each time. When the button is secure, slip the needle under the thread on the underside of the button, and cut it off close to the fabric. You have replaced a button. It is important to line your button up, so the shirt will button and hang properly. The easiest way is to look for the little indentation the previous button left, and lay the new button over that.

Now, on to pants and skirts. I have bought more than one nice pair of slacks in a thrift store or yard sale because the hem had fallen out. Again, this is a case of I’m a tightwad; I want you to be a tightwad, too. You could be saving so much money. At the very least, you could afford to buy better alcohol. Think about it- Bourbon or Ripple? That’s a no-brainer! Sew up your hems and spring for the Bourbon.

Now, sewing up hems is a little more complicated than sewing on a button. For this task, you need an ironing board, and a cup of water, and a towel. You also will need straight pins.

Choose your thread, and thread your needle the same as you did when you sewed the button on your shirt. Now, look at your garment. Is there a visible crease where the hem should be? Good. This makes it easy for you, as long as the hem is long enough for you, or is not too long. Never try to walk the excess length off your pants. It’s very unattractive; looks like you stole your big brother’s clothes. Tacky.

Now, if the hem is the right length for you, then you simply fold it back up, trim any frayed edges carefully and pin in place. Place your pins at a right angle, perpendicular to your seam. Put one pin about every ½ in to an inch, to keep the fabric straight. Now, look at the care label of the garment and adjust your iron to the proper setting. Iron your hem down, with the pins in place. Next, start sewing. Carefully, use the same technique to get started stitching that hem, but instead of overlapping the stitches, like a button, run them carefully along the hem. Make sure your stitches are small, and take out the pins as you go, putting them into a pincushion or back into the box. You don’t want to come home from work and sit on a pin. That’s not fun.

If you want to drop a hem to lengthen your pants or a skirt, use the same technique. Instead of ironing on the crease already there, you need to take out all the stitches, and iron out the garment. Make it flat, then pin the hem up where you need it, and sew it up just the same. When you have finished sewing, iron the hem to flatten it and make it hang nicely. Don’t forget to try it on and be sure it is correct before you wear it out of the house. This saves embarrassment. Once I didn’t try on a pair of slacks before I went out in them, and I spent the night trying to hide my right ankle, because it was a half-inch too short.

Another thing I see folks not doing is sewing up Seams that come out of their clothing. This is very simple. Use the same method as for sewing up hems. Trim any excess threads, and pin in place. In this instance, you’ll want to press the seam open after you pin, so the shirt will keep its shape. Then just sew it up. Start at least one inch above the tear, and end your sewing at least one inch below the tear.

Sewing may sound old-fashioned and quaint, like something your grandma used to do. Until you realize it’s actually something grandma had right. The initial expense of putting together a sewing kit or basket costs as much as two or three nice shirts; but the time taken to repair small flaws and accidents keeps clothes looking newer longer. In the long run, this will save hundreds of dollars every year. It costs about ten minutes and a dollar and a half to sew the button back on a shirt. It costs at least thirty minutes to a couple of hours and twenty dollars (at least) to go buy a new shirt, not including travel time and the cost of gasoline. Why not save that money and use it for something else? Put it in your piggy bank. Save it for a rainy day. Donate it to charity. Either way, it’s your money, if you spend it wisely, you’ll have more to devote to the things you want.

Your style says a lot about you. It can say that you’re a real go-getter, or it can say that you’re a real loser. If you make the effort to keep your wardrobe looking good, you’ll feel good, too. Clothes don’t make the man, but they do make an impression on others about that man. Looking good translates to feeling good. Feeling good leads to confidence. People see confidence as a good thing. A confident person who keeps their wardrobe in good repair will get the job over a poorly dressed person who lacks confidence every time.

It doesn’t take much effort to sew a button back on or fix a hem, especially if the garment is one you love. It is sometimes difficult to find items you love. After you’ve gone through all that shopping to find a shirt or slacks or other garment that fit, why throw it out over a simple repair? The answer is, Don’t! Sew it up. Its easy, and it takes very little time or effort. It also keeps people like me from snagging your nice clothes.