Diana Uprichard
- Jan 7

Alteration hints and tips

By mending and repairing your clothes you are actively investing in a greener future.

We can’t afford to throw things away. It's an investment in your clothing connections too. The best relationships require a little work and your clothes are no exception. When you mend and repair you

fall in love with your clothes again and again, deepening the connection. Making your clothes last longer is your badge of honour.

Never let a missing button, rip, or hole stand in the way of you and a great outfit. Let’s celebrate the broken and add to the story of your wardrobe. It’s practical, unique, beautiful, on trend, powerful, and mindful – for you and the planet. Win, win, WIN!

Get tooled up

Get sewing lessons, go to a repair café, ask your mum or grandma! Whatever learning journey you take, I can’t stress enough the importance of knowing the basics. There’s a wealth of power in a tiny needle and thread. It’s a total workout for your self-expression, individuality, pride, creativity, technical expertise, decision making, and ‘stickability’. Knowing how a garment is put together gives you freedom from the constraints of the high street.

Make friends with a good seamstress

For around £15 to £20 you can transform your clothes. And the pay-off is a perfect fit, turning your clothes into YOUR clothes. So, whether you are shopping or adjusting clothes you already have, spending a little extra will go a very long way towards keeping clothes in circulation and out of landfill.

Get creative

Let’s be practical - if you’re used to high street shopping buying second hand or swapping isn’t going to offer you the variety of sizes that always work for you. So get creative with your clothes. There's tons of tweaking you can do to get that nearly right garment just right for you.

Buy bigger

It’s easier to take in a garment than to take it out, but only one size (two sizes at the most). For example, you can pinch in shirts and tops with contour darts to flatter your shape. You can re-set sleeves for a neater fit on the shoulders. Almost any waistband can be shrunk to fit (jeans are really tricky though so buy a belt!).

Too small

This where the gusset comes in to play. Historical clothing was designed to make the most of every piece of fabric. The forebearers of zero waste design; gussets and inserts, play a big part when you need a little extra room (we won’t tell!).

Style fixes

Skinny jeans or flared jeans, we’ve all tried to keep up with the trends. But these days anything goes, especially if you feel good in it. So, go ahead, taper, crop, hack, slash, pinch, gather, tuck, until you feel stylish, confident and super comfy in your clothes.

Hems

The hemline can drastically change whether a garment works for you and it’s the easiest thing to change. Shortening is easier and can transform your frocks into dresses, trousers into culottes, dresses into tunics and tops into T-shirts. Longer is not so easy. Check the hem allowance and take it down if possible, or sew on a matching or contrasting piece to add length.

Darts

Darting is what shapes a garment. Too much shape? Then pick up your unpicker and get to work taking them out. Not enough contour? Then pinch, pleat and pin until you get the fit you love.

Zip in, zip out

Zips often break on perfectly good clothes but that’s no reason to throw them away. Zips can be replaced on everything! If a zipper is stuck and won’t budge, take a granite pencil or a cotton swab of Vaseline and apply it over the zipper’s teeth. Both will smoothen it out and should let it move again.

Jumpers

Bring jumpers back to life with a very satisfying hour of de-fuzzing. Gently slide a sharp razor over the flat surface of your jumper or invest in a battery operated de-fuzzer. Think shaving but on your woollies.

Darning

Darning is the art of mending holes in knitted fabric. It requires an evening in with a needle and yarn. It won’t take too long to make holes in jumpers, socks, T-shirts, leggings vanish, and the mindful absorption of the task is so good for you too. Like a free meditation practice.

Visible mending

It’s a thing! Whether you master the art of Japanese Sashiko embroidery, or simply patch with pride, mending something so it shows is definitely the best way to say ‘I love my clothes’ and show the planet some love too.

Embellishing

Your clothes are your second skin and a beautiful stitched tattoo says ‘long live my clothes’. Embroidery is your best friend for transforming clothes into your chosen second skin.