Finding a hole in your clothing doesn't mean you have to throw it out, as a seamstress has shared a sweet hack to give your garments a second life.
The crafty sewer shared the trick on the r/Anticonsumption subreddit, indicating that the "mending" method is a perfect way to reduce personal waste.
The Reddit user revealed they had found a hole in the "nether regions" of a pair of their favorite lightweight cotton pants. However, instead of tossing the torn pants, the seamstress decided to try "visible mending."
Visible mending is a form of textile repair that is intentionally left visible. Instead of sewing up a hole to look seamless, crafters will often use this method to leave fun patterns and designs on the textile items.
In this case, the seamstress opted for a crisscross pattern, using pink, purple, and black embroidery floss to match the colors in the pants.
It doesn't matter if you are a fashionista or wear the same pair of jeans every week — repairing your clothes at home has tons of benefits.
Reducing the amount of clothes you toss from your closet can save hundreds of dollars every year, as research has found that the average consumer buys around 68 new clothing items annually.
Choosing to mend an item instead of purchasing a new one is an easy way to save that cash. Decreasing individual clothing waste will also help keep unnecessary items out of landfills and lower levels of dangerous planet-warming pollution.
Experts also say that mending your clothes can help give you a new appreciation for the things in your closet and lower anxiety levels. At the same time, it helps develop a new skill that may come in handy if you need to repair a hole in a couch, blanket, or curtain.
If you're wary of mending clothes yourself, depending on where you live, there may be organizations that can help. The French government announced it would pay people cash for old clothing they would have tossed in order to be repaired.
Other Reddit users have raved over the trick, with many saying they also use visible mending to repair their clothes.
"Lovely! Mending is one of the reasons I got into embroidery," one wrote.
"Love the look of patched up shorts and pants, especially in the crotch area haha, where it gets really threadbare," another said, adding, "These look awesome!"
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