Make Minor Repairs

Resourcefulness is one of the hallmarks of a hardcore cheapskate thrifter. Things get broken sometimes. Lots of people throw them out when this occurs. Some of us t at least attempt a repair first. What's the harm? Either you pull it off, or you don't, but you're none the worse for trying.

In the last post, we discussed pressing a suit jacket at home. In this one, we'll fix a tiny hole. I bought these bullet proof yet velvet soft Polo flannels about a year ago. They're pleated, and as such I needed to talk myself into wearing them, but I'm glad I did. This winter, they've become my pants of choice on a bone chilling day. Totally windproof, and stylish to boot. (pretty snappy with yellow socks and black tassels, no?). But as they sat in storage over the Summer, our old friend the moth treated himself to wee bit of this fine wool. I'll be honest, I've worn these pants a bunch of times with the hole in them, I like them so much. It was only a small hole, after all. Today I repaired them myself.

This close-up shot of the bottom of the right leg reveals said hole. See it? Just barely visible about an inch above the cuff, in a photo taken with a macro lens. In real life, you'd never notice it, if it weren't for my penchant for wearing bright socks.

The repair I performed was quite simple really. I took a small clipping of fabric from inside the waistband, where it wouldn't be missed, and sewed it inside behind the hole. The trick lies in the way I stitched it. A while back, when I figured out how to hem pants, I learned that in order for the stitches not to show through, you simply pick up a bit of the threads on the surface of the cloth, and don't pull the stitches too tight. I applied the same principle here.

On the outside, I ran a couple of light stitches in matching grey thread, just to better attach the patch piece. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

When I worked in a men's shop, we offered re-weaving as a service. We would send garments to this place in New York, the last of its kind, as far as I know, where a moth hole this size (approximately 1/4 inch around) could be re-woven for about $50-$100, depending on the cloth. The work these old guys did was mind boggling, and I've even heard people have been known to go blind doing it...but $50 to fix a tiny hole in a pair of pants that only cost $8 in the first place is more than a little extravagant.

The moral of the story?: teach yourself to fix things. If your grandmother is still living, ask her about it...she'll tell you. And learn to embrace a reasonable amount of shabbiness in your dress. It'll set you aside as a man of style and character...as long as you don't push it and wear things shabby on purpose.

Besides, perfection is over-rated. There's not much soul in it.