School Wear Repair

The start of school means coming face to face with broken zippers, loose buttons and scruffy shoes.  Instead of hurrying out to buy new sets of everything, check if they can still be repaired.

Here are insider how-to’s of simple repairs:

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Jammed or broken zippers:

1. Clean the zippers.  Use an old toothbrush and some water to brush off dirt on the zipper teeth.  dirt can wear out zippers.
2. Jammed zipper?  Move the zipper slowly while picking out the cloth or material until it is removed.  Slide the zipper back and forth to see if the jam caused further damage.
3. Misaligned zipper teeth?  Push the slider forcefully back to the other end and back.  If that does not work, use pliers to squeeze the sides of the slider tighter against the teeth.
4. If there are broken teeth in the zipper, replace the zipper.  Remove the stitches then get a zipper that matches the original.  Use a sewing machine to sew the new one in place.

Sewing on buttons:

1. Use a double strand of thread with a knot in the end, and make a small stitch on the spot where you want to place your button.  It’s best to sew buttons by hand.
2. For sew-through buttons (flat buttons with visible holes), thread the needle through one hole and out through the other.  Repeat if your button has four holes.  Make four stitches through each pair of holes.
3. For shank buttons (solid buttons which have a loop underneath), thread the needle through the loop and out through the wrong side of the fabric four times.
4. Secure the thread by making a knot on the underside.

Lengthening hems:

1. If there is an extra hem allowance, remove the stitches of the hem, unfold the excess cloth, adjust to your desired length, then sew the hem back on.
2. For pants or skirts that do not have a generous hem, get a fabric that matches the item and attach the extra fabric to lengthen it.
3. You may also lengthen casual pants or skirts by using a different fabric.  Choose a contrasting fabric, then cut away the original hem and save it.  Sew on the new fabric onto the edge of the pant leg or skirt, then re-attach the original hem.

Repairing velcro:

1. Carefully remove the old Velcro on the shoes.  If the Velcro is sewn on the shoe, use a blade to take off the stitches.
2. Get a new Velcro pad and snap.  Make sure it is of the same color as the shoe.
3. Use a strong adhesive to glue on the new Velcro pad and snap in place.
4. Should you prefer to sew on the Velcro, use a double strand of thread with a knot on the end, and use a running stitch or a back stitch to secure the new Velcro pad and snap.