Irishrose2

No socks. no jeans zippers, but pretty much everything else. Right now I have a worn out plaid wool jacket that a young friend wants saved because it was his grandfather's. Not a lot of hope, but I'll try.
Strangest mending - my brother's fireproof jumpsuit for racing cars that didn't burn gasoline. Heavy silver fabric.
Sewing two heavy leather belts together to make a belt long enough so a young man could attend his prom.
A shredded evening gown. Homecoming queen - rainy night - oh, my.
I dislike retrofitting formal dresses. And as I said, I don't do zippers in jeans.
If I can force it under the presser foot, the Elna will sew it.

SuzzyQ

I mend. Learned to darn socks because it was hard to find socks that fit my son's and DH's long feet! Did not half bad job. Used to use a ball of grey that my mom used. Don't darn by hand anymore cause I can't find durable wool/yarn for mending. That stuff they sell in the multi-coloured skeins wears through in one wearing... and of course, DS is now married and buys his own clothing. And SH passed away last September so will not have to mend for him at all. I used to sew the holes in his socks by machine then do the mending zigzag over the seam... which kept him happy. Otherwise I mended and patched jeans and overall and work pants, sewed button on and replaced zippers - oh how I hated that job! I have a Scot's soul...

Mariah

I should be more ambitious on mending, ect, but just am not. My Mom and Mother-In-Law mended everything, but they lived through very hard times. Guess we have it a lot easier.
Mariah

sJens

No, I can't do repairs as my machines have been assigned quilting duties and I don't iron clothes as the iron is for ironing quilt blocks and fabrics. LOL

maviskw

I will mend just about everything except jean zippers. Sometimes I can fix them without taking them out, but they are usually too hard. I think mending is a challenge. I have ripped out mending done by others when I bought something at a garage sale, just to do it right and so it looked better.
I just mended grandson's pant knee using the back of the leg from his recently deceased grandfather's pants. Grandson was very pleased. He is 20 years old.

Sewnoma

I do some mending, but not a lot. Socks, those tend to go thin for me rather than get holes, and there's no saving a worn-thin sock! I toss them into a rag bin - I use them for things like dusting, or for wiping off muddy dog paws. I'm also saving the thicker ones for moving - someone gave me a great idea of using old socks to pack things like glasses in - just slip a (clean) sock over each glass! Genius!

I don't sew buttons for DH - I taught him how to do that himself when we were teenagers (before we even started dating) and he's still pretty proud of that skill, so he sews all his own buttons. Anything that requires a sewing machine, however, is up to me.

He telecommutes, so around the house in the summer he wears these thin cotton "lounge" pants, and our dogs and cat are always on his lap and their claws go through his pants on a regular basis. He doesn't care how they look, so I go ahead and darn the rips, usually with a bit of muslin fused on the back to reinforce it. Some of his favorite pants are mostly darning and muslin patches by this point, lol, but he says they're still comfortable so...whatever! If he's happy, I'm happy. I have gotten really good at taking out and putting back in those long leg seams!

I do fix and adjust cuffs and hems, but few alterations beyond that. I also cheat a lot - a fallen-out bottom hem on my (cheap) work pants is almost certainly going to get fixed with fusible tape rather than a proper blind hem stitching. I'm not so good with the blind hem stitch, but I'm great with fusible tape!

I've never sewed a garment from scratch but I'd like to, some day.

bearisgray

In my opinion - the best garments for a beginner to sew "from scratch" are the ones that "fit loosely" like pajama bottoms, lounge pants, peasant tops (is that what they are still called?)

It is also important to take one's measurements before buying a pattern. Ready-made sizing and pattern sizing do not always match.

JoyjoyMarie

I resew buttons, hem pants, fix seam rips, glue together favorite shoes, and cut up clean holey socks to stuff dog beds for the pound, and am repairing an old quilt of mine that I can't bear to part with yet. (Life mistake #3001, plus or minus: do not use favorite quilts to sit on on the couch. too much rubbing can wear them out..... in multiple places.) Yes - I mend a bit. I do have a swimsuit that is WAITING for new elastic, however, and no plans to move it up the priority list. At the price of new ones, even on sale, it will get done eventually.

kuntryquilter

I will shorten a pair slacks or stitch a seam, that is as far as I go. I don't sew buttons, taught my husband to sew his own buttons. I had a friend ask me how much I would charge her to replace a zipper in a long housecoat. I told her it would be cheaper for her to buy a new housecoat.

Chasing Hawk

I mend all kinds of things around the house. Such as patching jeans, sewing buttons back on, hemming jeans, shorts, dresses and skirts. I draw the line at socks......If they have a hole into the trash they go my husband wears one brand of socks (Hanes grey toe and heel) so if I need a mate I look in the orphan sock drawer and make a new pair.