Fixing Your Clothes: How To Repair & Mend Almost Anything

To support the running costs of Moral Fibres, this post may contain affiliate links. This means Moral Fibres may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to readers, on items purchased through these links.

ByWendy Graham updated on

Don’t come apart at the seams when it comes to the idea of fixing your clothes. Follow these easy guides to repair and mend almost anything.

I am a bit of a broken record, but as I’ve said before, and will say a million times again, the most sustainable clothes are the ones you already own.

Make your clothes last longer, and you not only save a vast amount of carbon emissions, water and other resources associated with the manufacture of clothing, but you also save yourself a serious amount of money.

Plus, every small repair delays an item from entering landfill and reduces demand for new clothes. It’s for that reason that mending is often seen as a quiet act of resistance against fast fashion.

One way to prolong the life of your clothes is to follow the laundry care labels of your clothing and to avoid overwashing and tumble drying. Another way is to fix your clothes when things come a cropper.

Mending rips and tears, and replacing buttons can seem like a daunting task. However, don’t worry if you don’t know your way around a sewing kit. There are a literal ton of resources out there to help make clothing repair as easy as possible for absolute beginners.

I’ve rounded up my favourite and most helpful guide, to help you mend almost anything, no matter your skill level.

Put Together A Very Basic, Low-Cost Repair Kit

Before I get to the guides, it’s important to put together a clothes repair kit if you don’t already have one.

Many people are put off mending because they assume they need a sewing machine or specialist equipment. But the good thing is that a handful of simple items, many of which you already have to hand, are enough for most repairs.

Here’s is what I recommend gathering together:

  • A few sewing needles – a couple of medium-sized needles will cope with most everyday repairs, from buttons to small tears.
  • A needle threader – to make the job of threading your needle much less fiddly.
  • A few reels of thread in neutral shades, such as black, white, grey, and navy, will take you surprisingly far.
  • A pair of sharp scissors – they don’t have to be special sewing scissors. Any small, sharp pair reserved for fabric and thread will do the trick.
  • A few safety pins for holding things in place while you work. I save mine from the tags of clothing.
  • Buttons are another useful thing to have tucked away. I find that salvaging buttons from worn-out clothes before they’re turned into rags is an easy, free way to build up a little stash.

It’s best to keep everything in a container, so that when you need to repair something, everything that you need is close to hand. You don’t need to be anything new, though – an old Tupperware tub, an empty biscuit tin, or an old pencil case is ideal for corraling everything. I use an old Tupperware tub that isn’t suitable for food storage any more.

The Ultimate Guide To Fixing Your Clothes

Ripped jeans and sewing supplies, with a blue text box that says fixing your clothes: how to repair and mend almost anything.

Now that you’ve got the tools to hand, here are the very best resources out there to help you fix and mend the most common clothing faults that can occur. From buttons and hems to zips and tears, it’s all here.

If you’re an absolute beginner to the world of mending and have a few items in need of repair, then you might feel overwhelmed by the number of resources I’ve listed. But don’t worry. You’ve got this, and I am here to hold your hand.

I’d recommend starting with the smallest, least intimidating repair. Choose just one tutorial, and practise on an old item first. I believe in you!

Mending doesn’t have to look neat to be worthwhile, so if your mend isn’t invisible, that is completely fine. And if you find you can’t do something yourself, then don’t fret. It’s completely ok to outsource fixes to a tailor, and this still counts as a sustainable choice.

How To Replace A Button

Replacing a button is the ideal first step for novice repairers. Even if you can’t sew, you don’t actually need to know how to sew to replace a button on most items of clothing.

For shirts, blouses and other similar items, all you need is a needle, a pin, some thread, a pair of sharp scissors and a good tutorial.

Here are some of the best tutorials for replacing a button:

Jeans, denim jackets, and denim shorts are a different kettle of fish when it comes to replacing buttons. Sewing is tricky because of the thickness of the fabric.

Instead, ditch the sewing needle and raid your toolbox. This is because the easiest way to fix your denim clothing that is missing a button is to use a no-sew button (Etsy has a good selection) and a hammer!

If you need a tutorial for this, then here are the most useful ones I’ve found:

  • This video guide to replacing a button on denim is incredibly straightforward.
  • This blog post on replacing buttons on jeans goes into much more detail. So if part of your button is still attached to your jeans, or the fabric is torn, it tells you how to make these fixes too.

How To Fix A Rip Or Tear On Your Clothes

If your favourite item of clothing develops a rip or gets torn or munched by moths, then don’t worry. Most holes and tears can be patched up in some way or other.

Here are some of the best resources to help you out:

Fixing Your Clothes With Visible Mending

A pair of ripped jeans fixed using visible mending techniques

If you’re looking for a more fun way to patch up rips, tears or moth holes, then why not consider visible mending?

Visible mending is the fun and creative art of mending your clothes using colourful threads and stitches that aren’t hidden from view. It turns your fix into a visible and wearable work of art to be proud of.

Technical sewing ability isn’t important when it comes to visible mending. When it comes to fixing your clothes using this technique, all you need is some creativity and the willingness to have some fun with your mending.

Need some resources to get started? Here are some of my favourites.

How To Patch Jeans Or Other Items of Clothing

If the idea of visible mending appeals to you, but you find the process too daunting, then another visible mend is the patch. Ideal in particular for jeans or denim jackets that develop a rip or tear, patches are a fun and easy way to fix your clothes, whilst injecting some personality into them.

You can buy patches in almost any design imaginable – my favourite place to shop for patches is Etsy.

Once you’ve picked your patch – which is always the trickiest part – here’s how to affix it to your clothing:

How To Replace A Zip

person fixing a zip on their clothes.

I’m not going to lie. Replacing a zip is a daunting job, even for more experienced sewists. Personally, I always take clothes to a tailor for fixing when I’ve had a zip-based disaster. However, if you are feeling like you can take on anything, then there are some seriously useful resources out there that will teach you how to replace a zip.

I’m gearing myself up to fix a dress of mine with a bust zip. This is what I’ve been watching and reading, and found seriously useful.

How To Hem Trousers Or Skirts

If you’ve found the perfect pair of trousers, dress, or skirt, but it’s just too long, then you can take up the hem to make them shorter. There are a variety of different methods to hem your clothing – whether it’s by hand sewing, by sewing machine or the no-sew way using fabric bonding tape (from Dunelm).

Here are the full how-tos, whatever your desired technique:

No-Sew Ideas

Even if sewing isn’t your thing, you can still fix and upcycle your clothes using no-sew techniques. Here are eleven easy no-sew ways to upcycle clothes for beginners to start you off.

More Wardrobe Resources

I’ve tried to cover the most common clothing woes, so hopefully, this is enough to get going with! As always, I’m constantly on the lookout for new tutorials to add to this guide, so do come back to this post later if you’re looking for more tips or ideas to repair and mend your clothes.

For other common wardrobe woes, try my following guides:

Found this post useful? Please consider buying me a virtual coffee to help support the site’s running costs.

Sign Up For The Moral Fibres Substack

Get all the latest articles from Moral Fibres straight to your inbox, once a month, free of charge through Substack. You can also upgrade to be a paid Substack subscriber, where you’ll receive an additional two exclusive articles a month. Sign up now:

Wendy Graham

Wendy Graham is a sustainability expert and the founder of Moral Fibres, where's she's written hundreds of articles on since starting the site in 2013. She's dedicated to bringing you sustainability advice you can trust.

Wendy holds a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Geography and an MSc (with Distinction) in Environmental Sustainability - specialising in environmental education.

As well as this, Wendy brings 17 years of professional experience working in the sustainability sector to the blog.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *