Put your hand up if you have a pile of clothes with missing buttons, broken zips or loose hems waiting to be fixed? Keep that hand up if you know that you will never really get around to mending them. My hand is still in the air….how about yours?
There is a huge environmental cost to our clothes. The way we make, use and throw away our clothes is unsustainable. After all, it is often easier and cheaper to buy something new to replace the broken garment than it is to get it repaired. Globally we consume 80 billion pieces of clothing every year. One bin lorry full of clothing is landfilled or burned every second. Those figures are pretty astonishing, but with the rise of fast fashion are you really surprised?
Last year I wrote an article about how to make your kids clothes last longer. My top tips included buying less clothes but better quality ones, looking after your kids clothes properly and repairing them often.
Read More: 5 Ways to Make your Children’s Clothes Last Longer
But I know that kids can be hard on even the best quality clothes. My three children slide down the hallway on their knees, they scramble up and down the ladder on the climbing frame and they sit with their legs incredibly far apart to watch TV. I have no idea why.
All these things put stresses and strains on children’s clothes that perhaps we don’t put on our clothes as grown up. Or at least not everyday! And this can lead to split seams, holes in the knees and dirty clothes that need washing perhaps a little more often.
I am afraid that I don’t have all the answers to getting your children to sit properly to watch TV and I certainly don’t want to stop them getting out and about in the garden but I do want to help you look after the clothes they wear. Which is why I am so excited to announce that I am offering a FREE repair service for Tutti Frutti Clothing!
Every Tutti Frutti Clothing garment has been individually cut out by me and is currently sewn by me in my home studio. One of the many positives of handmade clothes is that the garment you are buying is made with care and attention to detail.
Each piece I make is made with kids in mind. I test the patterns on my own children, they wear them every day and I know that they last. The very first pieces I made are still doing the rounds of my nieces and nephews – it is a joy to see them still going strong.
But over the years there are also some pieces that have been repaired and mended. Sometimes the stitching has come loose or a hem has come undone. And these clothes are given back to me to mend and make wearable again.
And now I want to extend my informal family repair service and make it accessible to you.
Introducing the “Tutti Frutti Clothing Repair Service”
If you have something from Tutti Frutti Clothing sitting in your ‘to mend’ pile then I can help.
What can I send back to be repaired?
Any Tutti Frutti Clothing garments that you have regardless of how old they are or if they were new to you or second hand.
Can I send back any handmade clothes to be repaired?
No – I am only able to repair clothes that I have made myself – any clothing from Tutti Frutti Clothing. I am not able to repair any other makers clothing or ‘shop bought’ clothing.
What can you repair?
I can mend split seams in the crotch or legs of leggings, split seams in t-shirts and loose hems in dresses or tops.
What if the item has a hole in the main fabric?
At this time, I am unable to repair holes in knees or the main body of any garment. However, I am able to send you a small piece of matching* or co-ordinating fabric for you to patch the item up yourself (or take to someone else to patch up if you aren’t able to do this yourself!)
*matching fabric will be subject to availability
Can you mend anything?
I will certainly try! If the seams have split beyond repair or I feel that the item is really not going to make it I will let you know and send it back to you.
Can you tell me how to fix something myself?
Absolutely! If you are handy with a sewing machine then you might be able to repair any split seams yourself. I made this simple tutorial which gives you a step by step guide on repairing a split crotch seam. In it I use my overlocker but it will work just as well if you just have a regular sewing machine. Just use a stretch stitch or a zig zag stitch.
And if you would rather not send something back to me but are keen to find out how to repair clothes then repair cafes are springing up all over the country. You can take your garments there to learn how to replace zip and sew on buttons. Or your local sewing shop might have resources available to help you learn.
If you would like to find out more about the Tutti Frutti Clothing Repair Service or have and item of Tutti Frutti Clothing to be mended please get in touch.
Further Reading:
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/report-summary.html
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/19/how-to-sew-on-a-button
I am totally guilty of chucking out any clothes that are in need of repair!!! And I know I buy too much. Thank you for sharing, although I can’t see myself getting the needle and thread out but I am going to buy less!!!!! So great that you are offering this service in your clothes, what a clever idea 💡
Kelly Meadows on