Tips and ideas about saving money by repairing damaged clothing.
Homemade Liquid Shoe StretchLeather shoes can often be stretched using a liquid shoe stretch product. You can save money by making your own with products you probably have around the house. This is a page about homemade liquid shoe stretch.
Repairing Faded Spots on Clothing and FabricSunlight, chemical spills, and wear can result in faded spots on your clothing or other fabric. This is a page about repairing faded spots on clothing.
Bleach Has Made My Clothing Pink?This is a page about bleach has made my clothing pink. Bleach can have unexpected results when used on colored clothing.
How Do I Dye My Sweatshirt But Not the Emblem?I accidentally got bleach all over a blue sweatshirt. There is a small emblem of a baseball on it. Does anyone know how I can dye this (90% cotton) and leave the baseball white? Tape? Clear nail polish?
Preventing Glitter from Falling Off Clothing?This page is about preventing glitter from falling off clothing. Keeping this shiny decoration on material can be a challenge.
How to Shrink JeansThis is a page about intentionally shrinking jeans. If your jeans are a bit too big you may be able to shrink them for a better fit.
Repairing Shoe InsolesThis page is about repairing shoe insoles. Sometimes you want to extend the life of of a favorite pair of shoes.
Repairing Velcro?This is a page about repairing Velcro. Over time Velcro loses its holding power.
Stretching Shoes and BootsSometimes to make footware more comfortable, you need to make them bigger. This page is about stretching shoes and boots.
After Washing and Drying Jacket, Lining is Lumpy?My son was given a brand new Champion quilted jacket which has stuffing. I washed it on its own in my automatic washer according to instructions but for some reason after I line-dried it (I don't have a dryer) the stuffing inside the jacket is very lumpy and the jacket is unwearable.
Re-shaping a Leather Jacket?I have two new leather coats that were hung on hangers for over a year and now they have "bumps" in the shoulders from the hanger. Is there anyway that I can remove these stretched out bumps?
Repairing SandalsThis is a page about repairing sandals. It is distressing and potentially expensive when your favorite pair of sandals breaks. However, you may be able to do some minor repairs and get some more wear out of them.
Repairing a Burned Hole on a Dress?This is a page about repairing a burned hole on a dress. Your favorite dress has a burn from too hot an iron or some other cause. The solution is to repair it.
Removing a Logo From a Sweatshirt?This is a page about removing a logo from a sweatshirt. You may want to remove a logo from a sweatshirt because it is damaged or just to update the shirt.
Removing Pills From FabricUnfortunately some types of fabrics are susceptible to pilling, ruining the appearance of your clothing or linens. This is a page about removing pills from fabric.
Stretching Elastic in ClothingThis is a page about stretching elastic in clothing. Elastic that is too tight can be really uncomfortable. Here is a great tip for stretching elastic in clothing.
Crocs Can Shrink in the SunThis is a page about Crocs can shrink in the sun. If your Crocs are a bit too big, heat from the sun or a few minutes in the dryer can be used to shrink them to fit.
Replacing a Zipper PullThis is a page about replacing a zipper pull. You don't have to replace the entire zipper just because the pull breaks off.
Removing Scuff Mark on Leather ShoesThis page is about removing scuff marks on leather shoes. When your leather footwear gets scratched you need to find a way to cover or remove the marks.
Repairing Bleach Spots on Suede Boots?This is a page about repairing bleach spots on suede boots. Bleach removes the dye from suede. There may be ways for you to repair the damage.
Repairing a Cotton T-Shirt?This is a page about repairing a cotton t-shirt. Just because a t-shirt has a few tiny holes in the fabric or is stretched out does not mean it is time to get rid of it.
Repair Sneakers With Silicone SealantJust when you're letting out a big sigh because the kids have ripped the sole and fabric apart in another pair of sneakers, consider this: repair the sneaker by gluing it with silicone, the kind you use in bathroom repairs.
Removing Waterproofing from Nylon Fabric?I have waterproofed an orange 100% nylon Puffa jacket for my son, but he doesn't want to wear it all (too bright). So I have decided to dye it black. I have just found out that nylon can be dyed with acid dye, but I also read that the waterproofing can stop the dye from working.
Stretching Rubber Rain Boots?How do I stretch rubber rain boots?
Restoring the Design on a Coach Purse?I have a Coach tattoo skeleton limited edition tote and as you can see the gold painting/dye on the leather has faded and worn. How can I restore this?
Use Clear Nail Polish to Mend Nylon ScarvesClear nail polish has long been used to stop the runs in nylon stockings. Using it on a scarf should be just as successful. This is a page about use clear nail polish to mend nylon scarves.
Repairing a Rip in the Seam of a Lined Coat?I need to sew a ripped seam in a coat. However there is a lining. Should I cut open the lining to sew the seam? Then sew up the lining hole?
Use Sandpaper to Make Shoes Less SlipperySometimes new shoes will have very slippery soles. You can try roughing them up with sandpaper. This is a page about using sandpaper to make shoes less slippery.
Patching JeansSave fabric from unrepairable jeans for future patching. This is a page about patching jeans.
Restoring Faded Aloha Shirts?This is a page about remedy for faded aloha shirts. Vibrantly colored Hawaiian shirts can lose their color over time. Here are some tips to try, if you are attempting to restore its color.
Fixing Faded UGG BootsOver time the suede outers of your boots may fade. This page contains some suggestions for revitalizing faded UGGs. This is a page about fixing faded UGG boots.
Shrinking a Leather Skirt?While some leather products such as shoes can be shrunk a bit if worn wet, altering the size of a skirt is a different situation. This is a page about shrinking a leather skirt.
Feathers Coming Out of a Down Jacket?Pushing the feathers back into the coat and fluffing the jacket in a cool dryer may help slow the loss of feathers. This is a page about feathers coming out of down jacket.
Rethreading DrawstringsWhether a bathing suit, hoodie or sweat pants a large safety pin can help guide that string back where it belongs. This is a page about rethreading drawstrings.
Stretching Vinyl Sneakers?This is a page about stretching vinyl sneakers. Vinyl sneakers can be difficult to stretch but it can be done.
Repairing Damaged Pile on Corduroy?I was at a conference recently and applied a very sticky nametag to my corduroy jacket. When I removed the nametag some of the pile was torn off with it. It's a small area, but now I can't help but notice the mark. Is there anything I can do to fix this or at least make it less noticeable?
Preventing Your Seatbelt From...This is a page about preventing your seatbelts from damaging your clothes. The webbed fabric that seatbelt are made from can actually cause damage to your clothing where it comes in contact with the belt.
Shrinking ClothingThis is a page about shrinking clothing. Sometimes you may actually want to intentionally shrink a piece of clothing.
Preventing Lost ButtonsThis is a page about preventing lost buttons. Losing a button is quite frustrating. There are ways to try and prevent this from happening.
Repairing Burn Marks on ClothingThis is a page about repairing burn marks on clothing. A too hot iron for the fabric content of your clothing can result in a burn mark.
Iron On Decal Came Off in Dryer?I forgot and put my uniform shirt in the dryer and when I took it out the iron on got stuck together and when I pulled it apart some of it got ruined. It's a big star for Hardee's.
Removing a Crease from a Canvas Coach Tote?I have a large Coach tote that I bought second hand. It's in beautiful shape, but it just had a weird crease in one part like they laid it down for a long time in an awkward position. I am not sure if you can iron it out or what people suggest.
Stretching Shrunken Cotton ClothingThis is a page about stretching shrunken cotton clothing. Washing clothing in too hot water or drying on the wrong dryer setting can shrink your clothes.
Fixing Matted Faux Fur?This is a page about fixing matted faux fur. Faux fur can become matted from wear or even cleaning.
Removing Iron Burn Marks on ClothingThis is a page about removing iron burn marks on clothing. A too hot iron can leave scorch marks on clothing.
Reattaching a Decal to a Shirt?I purchased a sheer t-shirt, 60% polyester, 40 rayon for my granddaughter. On the front is a decal that is an owl made of sequins. All around it is the decal form. When I washed it, the entire decal with the sequin owl came off in the wash.
Football Jersey Number is Wearing Off?My number on my authentic football jersey has begun to rub off or fade. Can I repair it ?
Patching Knees on PantsThis is a page about patching knees on pants. The knees on pants take a lot of abuse and tend to wear out long before the rest of the garment. Rather than throwing them out, you can patch the knees.
Repairing Fur Coats?This is a page about repairing fur coats. A new or vintage fur coat may develop tears that will need to be mended. You probably want to take a new, expensive coat to a professional. If you have an old one that was passed down or picked up at a thrift store you may want to try to repair it yourself.
Removing Hanger Bumps on SweatersThis is a page about removing hanger bumps on sweaters. Hanging a sweater on a clothes hanger leaves bumps, stretched spots, on the shoulders at the ends of the hanger.
Tightening Snaps on Bathrobe?How do I tighten snaps on a bathrobe? If I recall correctly you leave it snapped and hammer on one side or the other.
Repairing a Bleached and Faded Polo Shirt?I have a WHOA.U short sleeve polo shirt, and it's white and it has 2 stripes of red and blue going through it. When I washed it, both colors like washed away, and the arm cuff was bleached. Does anyone have an idea for how to get the colors back and to take out the bleached parts? Please.
Removing the Lettering on Sweat Pants?How do I take lettering off a pair of sweat pants? The lettering is white and it looks like it's glue. I tried taking it of by scratching it with a safety pin, but it doesn't work?
Silk Dress Shrank in the Wash?I bought a maxi dress that says 100% silk with a 100% polyester lining on the label. I washed the dress on a delicate cycle in a wash bag and hung it up to dry on a hanger. However now when I put the dress on the lining is longer than the fabric at the front and back.
Wool Vest Has a Stretched Area from Hanging?My husband hung his favorite wool vest on a hook for too long and now it has a "back bump". Any idea how to make that go away? Thanks.
Shortening a Pleated Wool Skirt?I own a pleated merino (fine wool) skirt which has to be shortened. As I will not be able to do it myself, I want to know before I take it to the tailor, the best way to proceed. The skirt is a very fine merino wool and I would not like to do the wrong thing.
Dye Fading Along Crease Line on Rayon Pants?The crease in my polyester/rayon pants looks whitish after a few washings. Can this be fixed or dyed?
Fabric Dye from New Clothing Transferring to Skin?I bought my husband a new flannelette shirt. I have washed it 3 times and when he wears it the colour still comes off on his neck. Can anyone help?
Repairing a Cigarette Burn Mark on Clothing?How do I remove a burn mark on white denim? The burn did not totally go through the fabric.
Stain Removal Took Color Out of Skirt?I rubbed a spot off a red skirt, dry clean only, and now color has come out. So now it looks like a white spot on the front center of my skirt. Is there any way it can be fixed?
How Can I Reapply a Peeling Letter on an Athletic Shirt?We managed to get a normally very expensive football shirt a lot cheaper because it had a slight defect as one of the letters is peeling off. Does anyone have any tips for reapplying?
How Can I Set the Dye on a Black Cotton Blend Jean Skirt?I have a long black jean skirt made of 78% cotton, 20% polyester, and 2% spandex. I bought this skirt 2 years ago and to this day it still bleeds, I just need to rub my hand over it and my hand turns black.
Can I Dye a Hoodie With Appliques Without Ruining the Designs?I bought a zip up black hoodie from Victoria's Secret not too long ago. The color now looks weird with other black clothes because of the fading. I want to dye it back to being black, but it has both rhinestones and silver appliques on it. Will dyeing it ruin the designs?
How Do I Set Red Fabric Dye When Washing for the First Time?I have a brand new soccer shirt that is mostly red, but has some white in it as well. How do I get the red not to bleed into the white when washing for the first time?
Fixing a Shirt That Shrank?I have a turtleneck top that is made up of 80% rayon and 20% nylon. The label says to lay it flat after washing. I forgot to do it this time and it ended up shrinking it mainly in the back so it rides up a bit, enough to show my back and annoy me.
Solutions For Shrunk Clothing?Is it possible to restretch a fleece hoodie that shrunk when it was dried on too high a temperature. The nylon zipper is now a roller coaster, the sleeves too short and it sits high on the waist instead of hitting my hips.
Keeping Dark Clothes From FadingWhen washing clothing for the first time, that you do not want to fade, especially jeans or dark cottons, wash them without soap, but instead 1/2 cup of vinegar (any type) and 1/2 cup of salt, in cold water.
Keeping Lined Shirts From Rolling Up When Sitting?How do you stop shirts with liners from rolling up on the bottom of the backs from sitting?
Looking For Suede Shoe Dye?Does anyone know where on earth I can get hold of purple suede shoe dye or restore purple suede? I have one faded shoe and one not.
Size Hat with Weather StrippingMy husband has several hats that he wears out in the yard and garden to work in. Some of them were too loose on his head and the wind would blow them off. I took adhesive backed weather stripping that goes around the door and put it around the inside of each hat.
Dress Fabric is Misshapen?The top layer of my dress is sheer polyester. It is misshapen at the hips, how can I fix it?
Gluing the Soles of Gym Shoes?The rubber around my gym shoe separated. What can be used to make it stick together?Thanks.
Detergent Spill Left Lighter Spots on Pants?Whilst using Jik (detergent) on a white top I accidentally dropped a few specks on my new navy pants which have shown up like a plum colour. They are very small, but it now looks like the pants are dirty.
Removing Dimensional Fabric from Clothes?I would like to know how to remove dimensional fabric paint (gold glitter) from clothes.
Restoring Color to Bleached Clothing?I accidentally bleached my green sweatpants and they turned yellow. How do I dye them green again? I have tried the Rit Stain Remover. It only lightened the green and the yellow is still there.
Repairing Stretched Out Sweater Wrist Bands?Does anyone know how to keep the wrist bands of a sweater from stretching or better yet, how to fix it once they have stretched? Thanks and have a great day.
Making Shoes Narrower?How can I make a pair of shoes narrower? I have a narrow foot and need to resize any Med. width shoes that I buy. Thanks.
Repairing a T-shirt?I have a t-shirt that I just love, but can no longer wear because it has a large tear on the back. I would like to cut out the front section that I want to save and somehow attach it to a plain t-shirt. But I'm not sure how to do this. Any one have any suggestions?
Removing Liquid Fuse from Pants Hem?I used a liquid fuse for a temporary hemming job on a pair of suit pants. I used too much. How can I safely remove it to properly hem the pants? Thanks!
Shortening a Suede Skirt?What kind of glue do you use to shorten a suede skirt?
Keeping Collar Up on Faux Fur Jacket?I purchased a 60's faux fur Leopard coat on Ebay and the collar won't stay up. Does anyone know what I can do to reinforce this limp collar so that it stays up on it's own? Any advice will help. Thanks
Fixing Elastic In Knee High Hosiery?Does anyone have suggestions for fixing elastic in knee high hosiery for women? I have several pair that have not been worn but the elastic is loose from being exposed to changing temperatures. I don't want to throw them them out but they slip down to may ankles after walking for only about 5 minutes.
Reinforcing Leather Gloves?Does anyone have any ideas for making leather gloves last longer? I have two pairs, one for gardening and one for working in the barn. The first things that go are the tips of the fingers on my right hand. Since I always buy gloves that fit snug (I hate loose gloves) there is no room for me to just sew across the top of the fingers. Is there a way I could reinforce the tops of the fingers before I start using the gloves? Thanks in advance for any advice.
Fixing A Tank Top That Droops?I have a striped square neck tank top with gray piping that needs a slight modification. The top chest area is 1/2 inch too wide. After an hour, the chest area stretches out and sags. Then it's a good inch too wide and droopy on top. Any suggestions?
Using Elastic Instead Of Drawstring In Pants?I have a pair of pants with a drawstring waist. The drawstring opening is very narrow, so it can't be reused for the elastic. I'd like to attach a wider piece of elastic and do away with the drawstring. Suggestions?
Re-Dye Lint Covered Black ClothesWhen my knit black pants or dress get covered with lint, I don't throw them out. I simply buy some black dye, run through the washing machine and, presto, I'm the only one that knows that the lint has been dyed to match the clothing.
Removing Cracked Applique Transfers from T-shirts?Does anyone know an easy way to remove those vinyl/rubber/plastic decals or applique transfers once they start to crack on t-shirts? Thanks so much!
Making Fleece Gloves Non-slip?Is there a way to make fleece gloves nonslip? I received a pair as a gift, and I really like them, but they are so slippery on the steering wheel and handrails.
Raising Neckline on Tank Top Blouse?I have some that have become a tad too low cut. I tried to raise the neckline by wearing a dicky (traps too much heat), adding lace around the neckline looked funny.
Broomstick Shirts Too Large?I made the mistake of lightly ironing two broomstick shirts which made them too large. I have tried shrinking them in the washer and dryer with no success.
Liquid Paper To Cover Shoe SpotGot a dark spot the front of a light beige pair of summer shoes and that sort of shoe polish is out there, but so hard to find! So I experimented with a small dab of white liquid paper, which I rubbed in with my finger and it worked!
Company To Repair Outdoor Jackets And Equipment (England)I needed my gore-tex jacket repaired, and my windstopper jacket. They got damaged while walking in the hills. I found a company called inflate4u Ltd who fixed them both much cheaper than normal.
Dyeing a Bleached Shirt?My mother spilled bleach on an olive color shirt. She wants to know what color of dye to use that will cover the bleached areas as well as the olive color of the shirt?
Emergency Hemming With StaplesI bought a last minute pair of thrift shop jeans when I found I went off for a weekend without them. New $5 - good deal. But they were too long and I didn't have needle and thread with me.
Dealing with Shrunken UnderwearIf you have cotton underwear that has shrunk or just gotten a bit too tight, you can get a more forgiving fit by cutting the elastic waist band just a bit on one side. The cotton knit is forgiving and will stretch, giving you a better fit, and you can wear it a bit longer.
Fixing Flaws in GarmentsAs my mother used to tell me, sometimes you can get away with things (repairs, flaws) if "they don't show." When my favorite black sweatshirt got white blotches on the sleeves, I colored them in with a black permanent marker.
My Cotton Sweater is Falling Apart?I recently bought a woven cotton sweater from a re-sale shop, and I LOVE it. the fabric is disintegrating. Does anyone have a solution for old 100% cotton?
Moroccan Style Belt Won't Fasten?I have a Moroccan style belt (studded leather discs) with a metal piece that sticks through one of the holes to fasten. The problem I have is that the metal piece slips out of the hole. Any ideas what I could use to secure it?
Color Faded on New Jeans?I hand washed my new baby blue jeans and have noticed that they have white faded marks on them, can they be removed? Is this the colour coming out of them?
Repairing a Sun Bleached Jumper?I have a dark grey jumper which has been out in the sun and the sun has bleached it in places. Is there anything I can do to restore it please?
Gold Foil Decorations Coming Off Disney Tutu?I bought my daughter this cute outfit from Costco; it's a Disney princess tutu and shirt. After wearing it for a couple of hours I noticed that my floor was full of little pieces of gold glitter looking things. To my surprise it was the gold foil decoration that was on the tutu. And now the tutu has only half of an Aladdin magic lamp, Cinderella's slipper is also missing a piece of foil.
Bleach Stains on Pajamas?I got some lil bleach stains on my black Polo pajamas and I was wondering do any of you guys know how I can get them out?
Foil Decorations on Girls' Dresses Falling Off?I bought my daughter a Disney princess tutu and started noticing that the foil decorations on it where falling off. I went to the store and returned it because I thought it might have been a faulty one. Then this past Christmas my mother gave her Hello Kitty dresses with foil decorations all over it. And now I just do not know how to avoid the foil from falling besides just storing them away.
Bleach Hair Dye Stained Nikes?My boyfriend bought me new white Nikes with the fabric looking material and I was bleaching my hair and some splatted on my shoes. He will kill me if he found out lol, but I need help on how to get the blueish bleach hair dye stain out of the fabric on my new white Nikes without him knowing.
