Friday, January 27, 2012

Clothes - Making Them Last or Enhancing Their Style

I always heard that boys were rough on clothes. What I didn't consider is that girls are equally rough.

My daughter loves to run and play, and I love for her to run and play. Problem is, she always seems to find a way to fall down. The result is a skinned knee, a tear in her pants, mud/snow/water all over her clothes, and in one unfortunate event a baby tooth that had to have the kid's version of a root canal and is now known as 'my gray tooth'. She even has a knack of being able to cut her clothing with her scissors while doing art projects.

She has a definite style sense, all her own. I affectionately refer to her as 'my Rainbow Brite' on many a morning, when she comes down wearing a multitude of colors and patterns. Despite her affinity for diverse patterns, she simply can not wear clothes that have a tear or a stain. So, when, as it frequently occurs, she manages to make a mess of a new pair of tights, pants, shirt, or other, the article of clothing is typically toast. It will be passed over or placed back in her laundry. As a mom, it is rather frustrating to see that new article be worn but once or twice.

In the past, some of these holes have been small and I have been able to apply a sneaky patch or whip a few threads through it and all is well. But, that is not always the case.

When she managed to get holes in the knee in two pairs of pants within a week, I knew I had to find a solution. I simply can not go out and buy new clothes every week. I decided that I would embellish the pants that she has holes in. When I left home to look for the perfect patch, I had visions simply of a colorful, shaped patch. I was thinking a star or a heart. Unfortunately, at the store, I didn't see these - I simply saw standard, rectangles of patches like I had used in the past. I knew that I could cut a shape, but that wasn't what I was after. I was after 'fancy'.

So, I kept wandering and luckily, I did, because just a few short steps away, I came upon exactly what I was looking for. Decorative patches. We chose cupcakes for this first project. The close second was butterflies.

To mend her pants, I used a small patch on the inside. This might have been unnecessary, but I wasn't sure how well the decorative patch would do at mending. Then, in order to up the style and not make it look like it was just a repair patch, I stacked two patches - one big, one small - over the hole and set them with the iron.

To complete the embellished looked, I also added another small patch on the pocket.
I was planning to put it on the back pocket, but their were no back pockets on the pants.

The end result:
I am happy to say that not only was she excited to wear them the day that I patched them, but the embellished pants are now often requested by name. In fact, she recently asked if I had any more of those cupcakes and could I put them on some of her other pants.

I feel that I have succeeded. For a couple of dollars, I not only rescued a perfect other than a hole in the knee pair of pants from never being worn, but I turned them into fashion!

This post shared at Frugal Friday.




8 comments:

Turning the Clock Back said...

Those patches are adorable. And yes, girls are just as hard on clothes as boys...I have one of each and they are always staining or tearing something!

Jen @ BigBinder said...

SO smart!!! I have a boy and a girl, and both are rough on clothes like your girls are. It almost makes me cry when they rip a pair of jeans before they grow out of them. I am not a sewing person at all, but this.. I think I can do.

Quirky Homemaker said...

So cute! Glad she liked it. My daughter is pretty rough on clothes too. Great idea! Stopping by from a hop. Hope you have a great weekend!
Michelle
Heartfelt Balance Handmade Life

Samantha @ Lillian McKay Designs said...

Anything with a cupcake is fine in my book!! :-) What a great idea this is!

Candace @Naturally Educational said...

Adorable! And definitely a tip to remember!

momto8 said...

great idea because it looks like the newest fashion!!
I am your newest follower..pls follow bcd if you can.

Abbi said...

I did something similiar for my daughter by cutting butterflies out of fleece and then use embroidery thread to sew them on and embellish them. I also put one up in the pocket area to make the whole thing look planned. They have been much appreciated as well. It was free to as I had everything on hand.

Unknown said...

Very Cute, I need to learn how to get more creative!!