Teal Stitches Wakefield

This patchwork bag had its debut at a live action roleplay event over the bank holiday weekend. It's a rebuild of my beloved bag that didn't really match the rest of the costuming anymore, so I took the opportunity when the old one finally gave out to remake it.

In addition to the blue/green patchwork, it now sports internal dividers and pockets inside, including a zipped pocket for out-of-character items.

Accessories can have such a big impact on the look of a costume and really bring it all together 💙

Image description: Two polaroid-esque photos on a dark teal background. The photos show a flip-top patchworked satchel bag. The bag is dark teal, light green, and cream with a dark teal strap with two light blue buttons on the front. In the first photo, the bag is open, showing a partitioned lining with a zipper pocket at the back.

Back in the workroom today! The bank holiday was absolutely sweltering and completely took it out of me 😅 I have some makes to show you all later this week once I get the photos sorted 💙

Image description: A cluttered sewing desk against a window. There are tools and pens in holders against the window, a box of sewing clips on the desk with a purple toy frog on top, and a grey sewing machine with frog stickers visible.

Denim repair frenzy 💥

If your jeans are the workhorse of your wardrobe then you'll know that panic when you finally wear through the denim of your favourite pair.

These sets all had quite big wear patches and holes between the legs and one had a big slash down the front of one of the thighs too. After some machine darning, the areas are all repaired, reinforced, and ready to be worn.

Repairing these three pairs of jeans came out to the same cost of one new pair, making it not just an eco-conscious decision but a wallet-conscious one too!

Send a message across if you'd like something similar repaired!

Image description: Four sets of two polaroid-esque images labelled Before and After on a dark teal background. The first set has a photo shows a pair of blue jeans laid out with two big holes at either side of the crotch with thinning of the fabric around the whole area. The second photo in the set shows the jeans now darned with a similar light blue across the whole triangular area. The second set of photos shows a dark grey pair of jeans with a rip down one side of the center seam. The second photo in the set shows the rip now darned with similar dark grey thread. The third set of photos shows a dark blue/grey pair of jeans with two rips either side of the center seam. The second photo in the set shows the rip now darned in a similar colour. The final set shows the front leg of the same pair of jeans with a rip down the front. The second photo in the set shows the area darned with similar thread again.

At what point does a repair become a reconstruction?

These two sets of gloves are both well-loved and no longer produced, which has left their owner in a bit of a pickle. They needed a pretty big facelift to keep them going before it's time for them to be replaced. They have a knitted outer layer with a sewn fleece inner lining which makes them wonderfully warm and can be recreated as a commission at a later date, but is entirely repairable at this point.

The damage included the left thumbs having worn away entirely, one of the wrist cuffs missing a big chunk, and the cotton palm and thumb pads had become mostly thread around the edges. The thumbs and cuff needed to be reknit with a similar wool and the palm and thumb pads needed to be completely replaced and upgraded to be a bit sturdier.

I'm so glad they're back with their owner and that he's pleased with them.

Whether you've got a big or small repair job, send me a message and let's see how I can help.

Image description: Polaroid-esque photos on a teal background. The first photo, labelled Before, shows a pair of khaki fingerless mittens on a green cutting mat. The gloves are missing knitted fabric along the left thumbs and the cuff. There are cotton palm and thumb pads that are fraying around the edges. The second photo, labelled After, shows the same gloves laid out with the thumb and cuff now repaired in similar coloured yarn and the cotton pads replaced. The third photo shows two polaroid-esque images labelled After, it shows the repaired thumb and cuff of the khaki gloves. The fourth photo, labelled Before, shows a grey pair of similar fingerless mittens with damage to the left thumb and fraying palm and thumb pads. The fifth photo, labelled After, shows the repaired grey gloves with the thumb darned in a similar grey yarn and the pads replaced. The sixth photo, labelled After, shows the repaired thumb of the grey glove.

Textured knit jumper repair 🧶

This beautiful knit jumper had a small hole that needed to be repaired but I wanted the mend to keep the same textured pattern as the rest of the front panel.

Knitted repairs are always a joy, feel free to send a message if you've got something similar that needs fixed.

Image description: Two polaroid-esque photos of a light burgundy knitted jumper with a textured pattern. The first photo, labelled Before, shows a hole in the jumper. The second photo, labelled After, shows the same area with the hole now darned in pattern with a slightly lighter burgundy.

More sewing down zipper teeth 🤐

This zip-up jacket had a small section of the coiled teeth come away from the tape. Repairs like this are done by hand because a machine would ruin the coil and the zip will no longer close. After some careful sewing, it's now zip-able!

If you've got zip issues too, send a message across and let's see how I can fix it for you.

Image description: Two polaroid-esque photos of a closeup of a black zip-up jacket's zip. The first photo, labelled Before, shows the zip with a small section of the zipper coil coming away from the fabric. The second photo, labelled After, shows the coil resewn down and the zip closed.

Do your trouser hems end up looking like this?

These trousers were clearly someone's go-to garment, and there wasn't much left of the fabric where it was getting dragged across the ground. A slight shortening was in order to remove the damage and get these trousers looking their best again.

If you've managed to wear out your favourite item of clothing and would like it back in your closet rotation, then send a message across!

Image description: Two polaroid-esque photos of the bottom of a pair of black waterproof trousers hung up against a white door. The first photo, labelled Before, shows the trousers with a very heavily damaged hem. The second photo, labelled After, shows the trousers with a new clean hem cut just above the damage.

Zipper slider repairs from £5!

Has your favourite hoodie stopped zipping up? This one’s slider was all bent out of shape and would have been facing the bin, but after a replacement, it's now completely functional again.

Get in touch if you have any zips that need repairs.

Image description: Two polaroid-esque photos of a black hoodie hung up against a white door. The first photo, labelled Before, shows the hoodie unzipped with a broken zip slide. The second photo, labelled After, shows the hoodie now zipped up with its replacement slider fitted.

Little denim repair 👖

These jeans had a snag at the back that needed darning. It's always better to darn before a hole forms, but that's not always possible, and luckily, there's still a lot that can be done even after it does form.

Are your jeans feeling a bit like Swiss cheese? Get in touch and let's get them darned.

Image description: Two polaroid-esque photos of the back of a dark blue/grey pair of jeans hung up against a white door. The first photo, labelled Before, shows the jeans with a small hole beside the center back seam. The second photo, labelled After, shows the hole darned with machine stitches in a navy thread.

Small tear reweaving 🧵

This woven cotton shirt had a small rip at the back of the shoulder but I was able to reweave that section in similar thread to make as invisible a mend as possible.

Got a tear that needs a repair? Message today!

Image description: The image shows two polaroid-esque photos of a blue and white striped collared shirt. The Before photo shows the tear on the shoulder and the After photo shows the same area having been rewoven.