Sounds like he could use a hobby two.

I love being able to repair my husband's and children's clothing, when I am able. If they are too beyond repair they do not expect me to do so...but,when I can, i do.

I even hate sewing buttons on, I now let the sewing machine do that. I will hem my own pants (have to most are too long for me) tell the husband to have them hemmed at the store.

I showed my husband how to use a needle and thread, after all he had to do it in the Army. lol

My DH has his own machine and patches his own clothes. When asked if I sew, I say I play.

You are soooo right! I hate altering (unless it's something very simple) or repairing and patching. Except possibly for my two little adorable grandsons!

It is a hobby with me too and since I watch my two little grandsons four days a week (exhausting), I don't get to do much quilting or fun sewing as much as I'd like. :)

I HATE IT!!! My DH pulls his belt loops off and he gets holes above the seems of his pockets. He wants me to patch them and they sit for a long time before I get them done. I am hoping he forgets I have them. I know, I'm terrible...lol

I tell my family I am a Quilter not a mender and I tell them to take it to alteration shop near me.
Carol in Delaware

Mending is a pain and doesn't always hold up. Jean quilts are nice and warm.

I so understand this.
I make clothing, and I would rather make a whole shirt than mend something. I don't know what it is, I will have a shirt of my husband or son's hanging on my sewing chair for weeks and manage to ignore it the whole time I am sewing.

I do not like to patch. Harder then quilting sometimes.

You don't patch Old with New... it creates a bigger hole...
you can however, use the strong part of old and use it on another way aka a quilt :D

I agree with you & can relate to you on your view on patching Hubby's jeans. I have a box for HB's jeans with holes. Someday I'll make him a quilt out of them.

I have a on going stack by my machine of items to be patched. Some thankfully end up outgrown first. Patching is never a favorite. Only a need that has to be met from time to time. Our oldest is in the highschool band and they will reimburse for a repair to the 700.00 uniform. After talking to a friend who is light years even beyond my abilities she didn't want to touch it without taking out the lining etc- Plan to take it to someone else and let them open and resew lining etc.

I would rather make drapes, bedskirts, slipcovers, quilts before I ever want to mend someones jeans. In fact, DH goes to Goodwill or other thrift stores to buy jeans these days. Something very rewarding about creating something from scratch instead of repairing clothes. Yuk!

I hate any kind of patchwork on jean's which my daughter and her two children always seem to need done. And zippers, the females in my family seem to break zippers. I say no or don't say anything and they take the hint. However, being a obease piette female,[and with the size changes in the united states, piette isn't as short as it was in the sixties], anything I buy I must alter for myself, if they chatch me while I'm sewing for myself, and what they want won't take more than 30 minutes, and if possible, I will fix one thing of theirs.

I'm on your side. And I won't mend socks either.

I once refused to patch the elbow in one of my husbands shirts. It was a favorite of his and ready for the rag bag. He actually took the shirt to work and as two of the gals in his office if they could do it!!! I was horrified, couldn't hold my head up at the office gatherings. Fortunately Susan outsmarted him, said something to the effect that the material type couldn't be machine sewn and she didn't have the skills to do it by hand. Duh, he fell for it. Susan and I laugh about it to this day.

In the meantime, I keep buying big pieces of fabric to cut into little pieces so I can sew them back together, and sometimes cut them up into little pieces again. He just wanders around the house in a total daze!!!!! He just doesn't GET IT.

Totally Agree!

Why is it if someone finds out you quilt, they assume you sew, patch and any other thing they don't care to do? And that you love to do it for FREE!!! I learned several years a little two letter word that has saved me...NO

I have patched many through the years because my dh has worked construction. Neew ppants and 1st day on the job a rip. Or a new shirt... I couldn't aford to just replace.. I did many hems at the dry cleaners and basic alterations.
Didn't mind most but hated to replace a zipperin blue jeans so I would ripp them out and my friend there would sew them back in. She hated to rip. I will still mend with dh being retired but just need yard work clothes, why buy new.

I even mended a pair of mne the other day I caught my pocket on a fave pair of jeans and ripped about a 3 intear... Hey my tee shirts cover it so who cares...

BUT I must add I will not stop in the middle of sewing a quilt or bowl LOL

Patch pants? wow.. I haven't even thought of doing that in years. And now that I have been reminded of it, I still don't think I will be doing it!

Jeans with holes in the knees make great shorts!!!!

My daughter will use duct tape to patch up a hole because mom won't put a patch on her britches; if she would show the smallest interest in learning to do it herself I would teach her - she just doesn't care to learn - her excuse is you're right handed and so is your machine - I'm left handed and you don't have a machine for lefties - LOL

Hey, I'm left handed, maybe I could teach her, of course you would have to teach me first cause I don't mend Jeans, hahaha

I laughed out loud! Best reply I've read on here!

My problem is I am short so I have to raise my hems but I do not patch pants any more.

We've all learned to be patient with our loving husbands. You said it yourself "My huband just doesn't understand"
Sit him down in quiet place with no TV or other distractions and explain to him:
"Darling, I'm a quilter. I make beautiful works of art from small pieces of fabric that I cut and then re-sew into marvelous designs you've seen around the house.
I am not a seamstress. I do not patch jeans, darn socks, or articles of clothing.
We are both talented in our own way, but for the sake of our happy home, it would behoove you to not confuse the two in the future.
Let's go out tomorrow and buy you some new jeans, you deserve a shopping trip.

I understand your not liking to patch and repair clothing.
I don't either, and will not shorten jeans for my husband anymore, since it breaks the needle trying to stitch over thick double seams. It is only a few dollars to have them done at the cleaners.

I will hem pants for my fiance when I buy them new and cannot find his inseam size. I just buy them 2-4" longer and hem them to the right length for him. His size must be a popular size as we run across this a lot.
I have a portable closet that I use to hang the items that we need mended and will also let my sister know when it gets close to full too. So if she has anything that needs mended it will be done when I get ours done too. I will then make a whole day out of mending. Then I don't want to be bothered with it until the closet is full again. Hopefully tht will take another year or so. LOL
I do have a couple of lace up shirts that need thin laces replaced. I have not been able to find the thin laces anywhere either. The laces look like leather but are much thinner and shoelaces are way too thick and short for this repair. These shirts have been in there for over two years now.

this is where I unfortunately get the guilt trip. in exchange for using my mom's material, quilting supplies and leaving the machine set up in my room, I have to patch jeans and work shirts. I hate it, but it's a small price to pay as I can do most of it on the sewing machine. She won't however make me patch over patches like she did when she did them by hand before she got me to do it. I guess she loves her Bernina too much and knows I won't do it by hand :)

I too hate patching holes. However I am owned by a big bird and can replace a zipper in jeans in about 45 minutes since he can just walk near one and they fall apart!

I'm like you. I want to spend what time I have doing something I enjoy not mending or patching that's for sure.