Jeans are the more hard-wearing clothes in our wardrobe and designed to last. However as we do wear them a lot, jeans still need patching usually around the crotch or knees. Here’s a few examples of how we make some almost invisible and visible mends. Rear end mend! These jeans ripped on the rear alongContinue reading “Mends for Jeans”
Category Archives: Repairs
Setting up a Clothes Repair Group
Our guide to set up your own clothes repair cafe, giving you suggestions on what you need and how to go about setting up sessions.
Sewing needles guide
When buying hand sewing needles it’s worth investing in good quality needles and getting a variety so you have the right size and type to use for the mend you are doing. A variety pack can be a good way to get a range without a big outlay. Needle Basics Below are some useful technicalContinue reading “Sewing needles guide”
Water dissolvable patching with Sulky
Want to do something a bit different when mending your clothes? Try covering holes to with embroidery in the shape of moths or butterflies using sulky stabilizer.
Sustainable fashion show needs your outfits
Do you upcycle clothes and fabrics to create outfits or mend your own clothes? We are looking for your upcycled and repaired clothes to feature in EalingSewnUp Sustainable fashion show & swap in October at Gunnersbury Museum.
Sewing machine servicing and lessons
We get a lot of enquiries about either sewing machine lessons or sewing machines that aren’t behaving well. So have put together our recommendations. Sewing Machine Care The Restart party has this brilliant Skillshare on maintaining your sewing machine, including some great hints and tips. Well worth a watch. The Restart Project is a greatContinue reading “Sewing machine servicing and lessons”
Brentfords clothes repair
Brentford local mending group opening up in Hounslow. Running every last Friday of the month with volunteers at hand to help teach you how to mend your own clothes.
Cleaning your iron
Ealing Repair Cafe has a travel iron that was kindly donated for our sessions but it has gained marks on it. Yvonne, who volunteers at our sessions has a great and simple solution, paracetamol. Yvonne makes beautiful quilts and discovered this through one of her groups, as quilting can use a lot of starch onContinue reading “Cleaning your iron”
Sewing Kit Basics
Do you know your seam ripper from a needle threader? Ealing Repair café put together this list and guide for what you need in a basic sewing kits. If you can put your hands on these, it should get your started in patching, and darning Have a look at our sewing mending guides. Black andContinue reading “Sewing Kit Basics”
London Repair Week for Ealing Repair cafe
It’s London Repair Week and Ealing Repair cafe has been chosen as #Localrepairheros and have a few events we are helping people to learn how to mend and patch their clothes. We have put together some basic sewing kits and written up a sewing kit guide. We will be at: Friday, 18 March, 11 am – 3 pm Acton Market,Continue reading “London Repair Week for Ealing Repair cafe”
Leggings needs mending in the crotch?
Here at Ealing Repair Cafe we do a lot of mending for leggings, sometimes on the knee or at the seams, leggings keep us busy with patching and sewing. One problem area for leggings is holes in crotch area and an easy solution is to add a gusset. If you add an extra small diamondContinue reading “Leggings needs mending in the crotch?”
Books on repairing and alterations
These are a selection of mending books along to our Ealing Repair Cafe sessions. Each has a review of what the book covers.
Trainers & Shoe Darns
For Great Big Green Week, Ealing Repair Cafe was invited to the St Stephens Big Green Fair. It was lovely to meet lots of keen people want to do their bit for the environment. I took along with me, examples of my mends, our darning and patching leaflets and lots of equipment to help peopleContinue reading “Trainers & Shoe Darns”
Mending pile: All about knees
My son is constantly wearing holes in his trousers. These are school PE trousers so kept the visible mend understated so he can still wear them for school. I used the visible mending technique called Boro stitch. Firstly find a patch suitable for the area. For this one, I used an old t-shirt as itContinue reading “Mending pile: All about knees”
Ealing Repair Cafe 