FIVE tips on how to get more wears from your Christmas Jumper

Selection of Christmas jumpers on offer at SCT charity shop on Roman Road, London

Christmas jumper day is on 8 December 2022, wear a festive jumper and donate money to Save the Children. If you are taking part, please wear your Christmas jumper more than once. It was estimated that 12 million Christmas jumpers were bought in 2019 despite 65 million lurking in the back of the wardrobe according to charity Hubbub. Speaking in The Daily Telegraph, the Charity’s project co-ordinator Sarah Divall suggests customers:

‘Swap, buy second-hand or re-wear and remember a jumper is for life not, just for Christmas.’

Sarah Divall, Hubub

Previously, we have written about the ‘30 wear rule‘ when buying a new item of clothing. Why should a Christmas jumper be any different? Here are our top tips on how to get the most out of your Christmas jumper and prevent it from becoming textile waste.

1. Start wearing your jumper early

Libby started wearing her Christmas jumper at Halloween

I visited my family in Scotland in October, where they have more reason to wear jumpers for longer. It was Halloween but my niece Libby was wearing the above red sweatshirt adorned with snowflakes and an image of a cute black cat and the words ‘Meowy Christmas’. Do you know what, it looked fantastic! The black cat ticked the Halloween box and it was genuinely a warm and item of clothing that she loves and will wear throughout the winter.

2. Worn it before? So What?

My husband went out this evening for his annual Christmas curry club wearing a Christmas Jumper he has owned for 7 years and it is still going. Do you think anyone really remembers if you have worn it before? And if they do, then explain it is your favourite and you are saving another piece of clothing from reaching landfill.

3. Upcycle your Christmas jumper

If tip 2 isn’t quite for you and you want to update your Christmas jumper each year, then add a few embellishments. We love this tip from our friends at the Ealing Repair Cafe. Maria added a Christmas hat to her daughter’s non-Christmas jumper. Add some pompoms, ribbon, sequins. Any small change will make your jumper feel like it is all new again. Of course you can create a Christmas jumper from a plain jumper. As we did at our workshop with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine back in 2019.

4. Take the Christmas out of your jumper

I’ve seen some really over the top Christmas jumpers, which might be difficult to update to an all-season jumper. In this case, I refer you to points 1 and 2. If your jumper is a bit more subtle, then hide the Christmas references. Eleanor updated this semi-plain sweatshirt by cutting strips of a lightweight fabric. Thread a needle with a double a length of sewing thread approximately 45cm. Knot the end. Fold over the fabric at approximately 5cm folds. Sew through the centre of all the layers. Continue with more lengths of fabric, changing the colours if you wish. Pull together and secure with a couple of back stitches and a knot. Repeat until you have enough ruching to cover the message on your jumper. Alternatively, use the Boro and Sashiko technique to patch over the festivity on your jumper.

5. Swap with a friend

OK, you’ve worn your jumper for 7 years and fancy a change. Find a friend the same clothes size as you and swap your jumpers. Host a Christmas jumper swap with a group of friends or colleagues. Best to do it soon whilst everyone remembers where their jumper is and can wear it over the holidays.

Maybe you haven’t bought a Christmas jumper yet and still thinking about getting into the popular tradition. I spotted the jumpers at the top of this post in the window of my local charity shop and they had lots more inside. Buy from a charity shop-wear-donate-repeat. Use it like a form of rental and the money all goes to charity.

How to Alter and Upcycle a T-shirt

Zero Waste Week how to upcycle a t-shirt

On average we own 22 T-shirts and tops. 24% of these are unworn, this is the top of all items of clothing and only second to footwear. For September’s Zero Waste Week we are focusing on one item of clothing in our wardrobes, the T-shirt.

There are many ways to alter and upcycle a T-shirt to extend it’s life cycle. We bought two men’s T-shirts from a charity shop and experimented with a couple of techniques.

Notes about T-shirt fabric

T-shirts are nearly always made from jersey, a fabric that is created by knitting long yarns (threads) together. The same construction as a jumper but with much smaller loops holding them together. Knitting the yarns gives the fabric a natural stretch. 100% cotton T-shirts will have less stretch and recovery than a fabric that contains Polyester or Elastane. Elastane (such as Lycra) is an elastic that means the garment recovers back to it’s original position when it is stretched. 100% cotton T-shirts can stretch out of shape, which is what has happened with the Miami T-shirt that we bought.

The good thing about jersey fabric is it doesn’t fray when it is cut. So you can use your scissors to alter and upcycle T-shirts without a sewing machine. The fabric rolls back on itself, so after multiple wears and washes it will keep rolling and get smaller. But that can also look good.

We have used a sewing machine on the techniques below. If you are using a sewing machine then a zig zag stitch generally works best on jersey as it allows the fabric to stretch without breaking the stitches.

Equipment

  • Sharp scissors to cut fabric
  • Sewing machine or follow our guide on how to sew without a sewing machine
  • Ruler and felt tip pen (doesn’t have to be a fabric pen)
  • Polyester all sew thread
  • Elastic: 1cm wide for shoulder seams / 2 to 3cm wide for waistband of skirt

How to shorten and ruche a T-shirt

You can find more detailed instructions on our ‘how to shorten sleeves video‘. We shorten the sleeves on a jumper using elastic, which is the same technique we have used on the sleeves of this T-shirt.

How to Upcycle a T-shirt into a skirt

More T-shirt alteration ideas:

  • Trim the sleeves to create a cap sleeve.
  • Cut off the sleeves for a sleeveless top
  • Cut off the neck edging and reshape the neckline to a slash neck or V-neck
  • Shorten to a waist length or crop top
  • Shorten the hem by adding a length of elastic to the side seams, the same technique I mentioned above.

Shorts can also be created from T-shirts. We recommend finding a sewing pattern that you like. Cutting up two T-shirts for the fabric then following the pattern. Charity shops have lots of sewing patterns often for a couple of pounds. If you pick up a vintage one, measure the flat paper pattern and compare it to your body measurements. Vintage patterns are often much smaller than our modern sizing.


How to use up fabric scraps

We were left with the above scraps of fabric after upcycling two T-shirts. These scraps will be reused in other mending projects. Keep a box of fabric scraps left over from alterations. They are useful for patching other items of clothing.


basic sewing kit for clothes mending repairs
Read our blog on how to build your own clothes repair kit

Five Ideas on how to Reuse a T-shirt

Zero Waste Week how to upcycle a t-shirt sustainability stats

Textile waste creates an estimated 92 tonnes globally each year according to this BBC article, Why clothes are so hard to recycle. For this week’s Zero Waste Week we are focusing on reusing one item of clothing in our wardrobes, the T-shirt. On average we own 22 T-shirts and tops. 24% of these are unworn, this is the top of all items of clothing and only second to footwear.

The above stats are part of a wardrobe survey undertaken by Ecowise who surveyed 709 people in March 2022 for Project BLUEPRINT. The project was commissioned by Essex County Council to create the first cross-border delivery model for Local Authorities to transition to a Circular Economy.

The results were fairly positive in terms of the respondents taking responsibility for their unworn clothes. 61% donated clothes to charity shops, 52% gave them away to friends whilst 49% re-purposed their clothes. So nearly half the respondents are mending and upcycling their clothes, great news! Sadly 38% are throwing them away in their recycling bins, which contaminates the rest of the recycling.

Zero Waste Week how to upcycle a t-shirt sustainability stats

Five ways to save a T-shirt from landfill

1. Mend holes, cover stains, repair rips

Holes can easily appear in T-shirts. I find the area around my jeans button creates a hole as the metal pulls on the fabric. T-shirts are usually made from jersey fabric, which has a knitted construction, like a jumper. A hole can easily be repaired using either darning or patching. Regular sewing thread works well for darning T-shirts as the fabric is finer than a jumper. The technique is the same and instructions can be found on our how to darn video.

If the hole is larger then you may prefer to patch it. Eleanor patched a hole in her leggings, the technique is the same for T-shirts. Found out how to patch your T-shirt (or leggings) on our blog.

If you are struggling to get a stain out of a T-shirt then cover it with decorative patches or a pocket (see the end of the skirt instructions).

2. Alterations

Zero Waste Week how to upcycle a t-shirt

Sometimes T-shirts just need a bit of adjusting to create a top that you will love wearing. The knit construction means you don’t always have to sew, just cut a few bits off! The fabric rolls in on itself rather than fraying. I’ve rolled up the sleeves off this T-shirt and added elastic to the shoulder seams to make the sleeves shorter and a ruched effect. Follow my how to shorten the sleeves on a jumper video. The technique is the same but add the elastic to the shoulder seam. Find more detail on how I altered the T-shirt on this separate blog post.

More T-shirt alteration ideas:

  • Trim the sleeves to create a cap sleeve.
  • Cut off the sleeves for a sleeveless top
  • Cut off the neck edging and reshape the neckline to a slash neck or V-neck
  • Shorten to a waist length or crop top
  • Shorten the hem by adding a length of elastic to the side seams, the same technique I mentioned above.

keep all the scrap pieces of T-shirt left over to use for patches or see tip 5

3. Upcycle into a skirt or pair of shorts

This works well with T-shirts that are damaged in the arm pit area as this part is cut off. Find more detailed instructions on our separate How To blog post. For shorts we recommend finding a sewing pattern that you like. Cutting up two T-shirts for the fabric then following the pattern. Charity shops have lots of sewing patterns often for a couple of pounds. If you pick up a vintage one, measure the flat paper pattern and compare it to your body measurements. Vintage patterns are often much smaller than our modern sizing.

4. Turn into a drawstring bag

This T-shirt is my husband’s favourite but he couldn’t remove the sweat smell after wearing it to the gym many times. I turned it into a bag for him to carry his boxing gloves, so I kept the Boxing Cat motif.

  1. Cut the top off the T-shirt in a straight line, keeping the motif if it has one.
  2. Cut off the sleeves. Cut off the hem as close to the line of stitching as possible.
  3. Turn the T-shirt inside out, pin together where the arm holes have created a gap
  4. Stitch where you have pinned using a sewing machine or backstitch by hand.
  5. Repeat on the other side.
  6. With an iron press a 2cm hem on the top of the T-shirt, right side to wrong side
  7. Stitch around the hem, close to the raw edge, creating a 2cm ‘channel’.
  8. Using the cut off hem as a drawstring, add into the channel with a safety pin.

5. Cut into patches and rags

If you have exhausted steps 1 to 4 and your T-shirt is beyond repair or upcycling it can still be of use. Cut along the side seams and shoulder seams to create two big pieces of fabric. Cut off the collar too. Cut the fabric of the T-shirt into squares in various sizes, save some in your mending box to repair other knit (stretchy) clothes such as T-shirts, sweatshirts and leggings.

With the remainder squares, edge them with an overstitch. Use the large squares as dusters, they work really well on glass and mirrors to get a lovely shine. Cut smaller squares and use them as face cloths instead of disposable wipes and cotton wool. I backed mine with the towelling from an old dressing gown and created a small drawstring bag to match (a smaller version of number 4.) I used an overlocker to finish the edges. A zig zag on a regular machine works just as well. If you are sewing by hand with an overstitch, use a thicker thread around the edges.

Below we have listed some basic items that are useful to build a repair sewing kit. If you are looking for more ideas, techniques or inspiration then please join our workshops on Monday evening. Three a month in person in London and one online. More details on the calendar section of our website.


basic sewing kit for clothes mending repairs

How to replace a zip in jeans

Plus trousers and shorts – any style with a fly front

I wear these denim shorts all year round, adding tights for the winter. All of this wear has started to show. The inner thigh needs patching and worst of all the zip has broken. I’ve repaired it several times by running a charcoal pencil over the zipper feet (only works with metal zips). This time there was no putting it off, I had to replace the zip.

It is a fairly difficult and time consuming job. Follow these step by step instructions and you too can replace a zip in a pair of jeans, shorts, trousers or skirt. Any style that has a fly front. That means the zip is hidden behind a piece of fabric and it has a zip guard. Which is another piece of fabric that sits behind the zip. Preventing the skin from getting caught in the zip.

Equipment

basic sewing kit for clothes mending repairs
  • Seam ripper / unpicker
  • Dressmaking pins
  • Sharp scissors
  • Sewing needle and thread in a bright colour (for tacking / basting the zip in place)
  • Sewing thread to match the colour of your garment
  • Sewing machine (if you are based in London and don’t have a sewing machine, book in for one of our workshops where we have several machines for use and can show you how to use one).
  • New zip – Measure the size of the old zip to get the right length. Measure along the zip feet rather than the tape.

How to instructions

The first and most important job is to take photos of how the zip is inserted into the garment. Put stickers on the pieces if necessary. If you do this before unpicking the stitches, it will help you put everything back in the correct place.

how to replace a zip in jeans trouser shorts and skirt with a fly front

Here are the finished shorts. I also patched the inner thighs by using the sewing machine. Find out how to patch your jeans here.

I decided to dye the shorts as they were looking very faded. I had a couple of items of clothing to dye at the same time. I used Dylon’s jeans blue machine dye using the instructions. I’m really pleased with the result and they are my staple piece of clothing for this hot weather we are having.

Denim patching kit available on our Etsy shop

denim jeans patching sewing repair kit

How to shorten sleeves using elastic

Sometimes it is very small things that stop us wearing items of clothing. Take this jumper for example. It sits in my wardrobe, I pull it out to wear it and every time I put it back as I remember that it annoys me. The arms get too long and baggy. I’m forever pulling up the sleeves for them to fall down seconds later.

There are many ways to shorten sleeves of tops and shirts but it is a bit trickier when it comes to jumpers. No problem if you can knit, but sadly I lack this skill. Knitwear and jersey (fabrics that have a knitted, stretchy construction rather than woven), can unravel if you cut them. Useful on a T-shirt as the fabric doesn’t fray. But on knitwear, the knitting would come undone and my jumper would be ruined.

This jumper had a little secret on the side seams that gave me an idea. A length of elastic at the bottom of the sides of the jumper are stitched with elastic. This creates a ruching effect.

In this video I demonstrate how to create the same effect on the sleeves to make them shorter.

This trick can be used on woven fabrics too. I’ve added elastic to shoulder seams to created a ruched cap sleeve. Or one of our workshop participants added elastic to the side seams of a mini dress to turn it into a long top.

Where to buy sustainable elastic

Generally elastic isn’t good for the environment. Made from rubber and plastic it takes years to biodegrade. There are some sustainable alternatives. Buying second hand is sustainable as we are using materials that are already available. We are not using the earth’s resources to make new products. They will not biodegrade but they have been produced so it makes sense to use them rather than throw them away unused. Charity shops are an excellent source of unused haberdashery. Usually stored in baskets amongst the homewares. I often collect elastic and darning yarn whenever I see any in a charity shop.

James Tailoring sells sustainable haberdashery including organic elastic that will biodegrade. Along with sustainable thread, fabric (including denim) and buttons. All available online.

How to re-patch jeans

Jeans are probably the most popular item people bring to our workshops. It is really tricky to find jeans to fit perfectly and once you find a pair you don’t want to stop wearing them. We have helped many people repair their favourite jeans to be worn again and again. However, it can happen that the repair needs repairing.

I fixed my nieces favourite jeans about two years ago. She has worn them continually and they need repairing again. I know I should be encouraging her to repair her own jeans, that will be the next step! Patches are great but they do weaken the fabric and can rip again after lots of wear. There is no need to unpick the original patch, just patch on top.

Here is a video to show how I got on – but I will admit that the legs of the jeans are narrow and it was tricky fitting them onto my sewing machine.

Which threads to use for mending?

a box of sewing threads in bright colours mix of shapes and sizes

We’ve enjoyed meeting lots of people for our online clothes mending workshops and mend-a-longs. We miss meeting everyone in person but online has the advantage that attendees can join from all over the UK, Ireland and even as far away as Canada. It has been a real positive of being in lockdown helping people mend their clothes. The chats as we mend have been varied and a theme that has come up often is what type of thread to use. We have pulled together a our top tips to help…

Reuse

Our philosophy at Fast Fashion Therapy is to re-use threads and other materials where ever possible. There are millions of supplies out there that someone doesn’t want that is useful for someone else. Why use up the Earth’s resources creating something new when the chances are what you want could be thrown away by someone else? Many of my threads of all colours, substrates and qualities have been donated by family and friends. I inherited my nan’s sewing box when she died and it brings me comfort to know she mended her clothes with these same threads. Including some beautiful wooden reels with the Woolworths price sticker still intact.

Charity shops are a fantastic source of haberdashery when they are back open. I always head to the back of the shop and hunt around baskets on shelves hidden behind vases and picture frames. Often picking up a bundle for £1.

Ebay and Gumtree are great if there is something particular you are after or it isn’t possible to get to a charity shop. I picked up these used industrial reels of thread in various blues for our denim patching kits. I then transfer them onto plastic reels that have also been reused. I put out a request on the Facebook group The Fold Line, used by dressmakers. Many of them had kept the reels but didn’t know what to do with them. They were happy to post them to me knowing that they were going to be reused rather than thrown away.

It is important to note if your thread is particularly vintage and has been stored in sunlight or heat it could become brittle and break easily. Try the thread before you use it. It should be difficult to break between your fingers. If it snaps easily it is best not to use it for clothes mending otherwise the stitches will not hold.

What thread should I use to mend my clothes?

The rule of thumb is to match the composition of the thread to the composition of the garment. For example use 100% cotton thread for cotton jeans. However, with so much stretch being included in our modern day garments, this rule doesn’t always follow. You can find technical tables online that tell you which threads to use for which fabrics. We like to keep things simple at FFT so have summarised the threads below

100% Polyester Thread

Gutterman 100% recycled Polyester Thread from James Tailoring

This is an all purpose thread and will work for pretty much all fabrics. It can be used on the sewing machine and for hand sewing. Polyester thread is particularly good for fabrics that have some stretch in them and will stretch with the fabric rather than fighting against it. A downside of Polyester thread is it will not absorb domestic and natural fabric dyes. So if you want to dye a piece of clothing the stitching will stay the same colour. I have done this and it can look quite effective. If you are looking to buy new Polyester thread rather than a reused thread then we recommend sourcing one that has been made from recycled materials. Such as the Gutterman thread in the photo.

100% Cotton Thread

Olive green sewing thread on a wooden reel
Scanfil 100% organic cotton thread from Offset Warehouse

This thread is great for topstitching jeans and other cotton and linen garments. It tends to be slightly thicker than regular Polyester thread. It doesn’t have any stretch and isn’t recommended for stretch fabrics. If you can’t find what you are looking for pre-loved then we like these organic cotton threads from Scanfil. Boro stitching is a decorative method of clothes mending that derives from Japan. Traditionally thicker cotton thread is used in white. We found these cones of 4-ply (4 strands twisted together) on Gumtree to include in our jeans mending kits. We use other colours too but white against dark denim is traditional.

Nylon Thread

A bit more unusual, this thread is useful for sewing highly stretched fabrics such as swimming costumes, leggings and other sportswear. It is also waterproof so works well for mending showerproof jackets. It is widely available in black and white, other colours might be more difficult to come by in small reels. We bought a large reel from eBay to re-wind onto re-used reels for our sportswear mending kits.

Silk Thread

The only time I’ve use this is to mend silk garments but it is also useful for wool garments. It has a slight stretch to it so could be useful for jersey fabrics if you wanted a natural alternative to Polyester.

Darning Yarns

The sewing threads listed above can be used to darn T-shirts and thinner jersey fabrics such as leggings but we recommend thicker yarns for darning knitwear. The same rule applies that it is best to match the fibre content of the mending yarn as much as you can with the fibre content of the knitwear. Mending yarn is usually sold in a variety of colours but is nearly always a blend of wool and nylon. This is a good all purpose yarn, great for socks, jersey stretch fabric and most jumpers. However there are some special items that we recommend using specific yarn. Maybe a merino wool fine gauge jumper. Or a thick, cosy cashmere cardigan. We have sourced a variety of yarns for our darning mending kits from eBay and Gumtree that we have repurposed into smaller bundles for mending.

It is also important to mend the width of the yarn with that of the jumper. For example, I would use a 2-ply (two threads twisted together) yarn on a fine gauge knit jumper. I would use a thicker 4 or 6-ply yarn on a chunky knitted jumper.

An old tin, plastic box with a lid or a shoe box is useful to store threads in. I have heard of people wrapping the reels with elastic bands to stop the threads coming lose and matting together. Maybe I’ll save that job for another time…

Follow our tips on how to build a clothes repair kit

How to darn | How to Patch

Join one of our online workshops and learn how to mend your clothes. Try an introduction to both darning and patching or a specialist masterclass for each technique. Each workshop includes the price of a clothes mending kit worth £10.

Virtual | Online Workshops




£5 discount if you book a darning and patching workshop together. They don’t have to be the same date.

Booking ends 5 days before the workshop date so that we can get your kit to you in time. Kit is worth £10, as seen on our Etsy shop. The workshop will take place via Zoom, joining details will be sent a few days in advance of the class.

Each workshop lasts 90 minutes (except the Slow Sunday event, which is 60mins). It includes live demonstrations, time to practice and ask questions. Please get in touch with any queries.

How to mend Jeans: Part 2

Sewing machine mending

Jeans are one of the most popular items to repair at our workshops. Many people bring along jeans that have worn away between the thighs and ask if they can be repaired – yes is the answer and there are two ways of repairing. By hand and a Boro style stitch as shown in part one of this jeans mending series. In part two we show how to mend jeans with a sewing machine.

Sewing thread

Usually people prefer to mend their jeans in this particular spot as inconspicuously as possible. Jeans come in so many different colours and shades try and match the sewing thread as close as possible. Mid-blue and pale grey work well on worn denim jeans. As part of our denim patching kit we offer 3 different colour blue threads on one reel. All are from larger reels of deadstock wound onto used plastic reels (thanks to a Facebook sewing group).

Sewing Kit

  • Sharp scissors
  • Sewing needle (sharp ended to get through the denim)
  • Dressmaker pins to hold the patch in place or safety pins also work well
  • Tape measure or ruler to measure the patch
  • Thread – I use a blue to match the denim (not white shown in the photo)
  • Denim patching kits available on our Etsy shop
  • *TOP TIP* save pieces of denim cut from taking jeans up or save old jeans to use for patches.

Denim patches

As in part 1 of this blog the first step is to measure the hole in the jeans. If the hole is on both sides of the centre seam then use one patch to fit over the whole area. Cut a piece of denim that is a similar weight, feel and texture to the jeans you are mending. Set your machine to a zig zag setting. Nearly all domestic sewing machines have a zig zag setting. Have a practice on a scrap piece of fabric and change the stitch width and length settings to get the shape of zig zag that you prefer. Zig zag stitch just inside the outer edge of the patch. Sew around all 4 edges to prevent fraying.

Keep the jeans the right side out and open the fastenings as far as they will go. Place the patch over the the holes. Usually the holes are on the back side of the jeans, keep the patch on that side of the centre seam. Use dressmakers pins to pin in place.

  • Working on the right side of the jeans, feed the jeans under the presser foot of the machine. Take your time and wiggle the jeans to get them in place
  • Before you start sewing, trace the patch with your finger to make sure it is still in place and hasn’t folded over
  • Starting at the point where the two centre seams cross, sew a zig zag line following the line of one of the centre seams
  • Stop at the edge of the patch taking care not to go over the pins otherwise you will break a needle
  • Put the needle into the denim, lift up the presser foot and pivot the jeans 90 degrees
  • You want to come back and sew in the opposite direction that you have just sewn. But don’t sew over the same line, move the fabric of the jeans over so you end up creating rows of zig zag stitching. They don’t have to be exact
  • Once you have gone one way, turn the jeans so that you follow the line of the other centre seam. Crossing over the zig zag lines you have just sewn.
  • Demonstrated in the video below *top tip* if your sewing machine is missing stitches and not sewing the zig zag properly, trying switching to a denim needle. It isn’t always necessary to buy one specially but it does help this error.

Sewing machine stitching vs. hand stitching


I’ve used both techniques on this one pair of jeans to demonstrate the difference. Both work well and are both secure. Personally I like the meditative effect of hand sewing but machine sewing gets the job done quicker. Both methods won’t last forever. If another hole appears or the patching has worn away, place another patch on top and repeat the instructions. Don’t remove the original patching, the new patch will make it stronger. Want to find out more? Come along to one of our clothes mending workshops

How To Repair Leggings

The clothes we wear to exercise are some of the most common garments in need of repair. Whether it’s tearing them when you’re stretching that bit too far, being worn down from lots of washing or falling off your bike (like in this case). The synthetic, non-woven fabrics that they’re normally made of can be some of the trickier ones to mend but classic repair techniques can still work.

I used an old pair of sports leggings (after a lot of years wear had seen better days), cut some of the fabric off the bottom of them and made two patches for patching the hole in the knees of my favourite leggings. Patches made from old T-shirts and jersey underwear also works.

I hand stitched the patches onto the leggings first to hold them in place, placing one patch on each knee. Only the right leg had a hole in but I felt it would look better on this style of leggings to make each side match.

I then used the zig-zag stitch on the sewing machine to sew around all four edges. Working from the front in a matching thread, I incorporated the edge of the patch within the zig zag stitch as much as possible. Jersey doesn’t fray so if a bit is missed it isn’t too important.

To sew in a square it is important to ‘pivot’ the needle. This is done by sewing along one edge of the square. Stop a few millimetres before reaching the end, place the needle in the fabric and lift up the presser foot. Turn the fabric 90 degrees. Put down the presser foot and continue along this line. Carry on using this technique until you reach where you started. Secure the stitch by a short reverse stitch.

I’ve already cycled, ran and done some yoga in the leggings since repairing them and the stitch has not come undone. Please get in touch if you have a sportswear query you would like some advice on repairing.

If you don’t have a sewing machine you could try to replicate the zig-zag stitch or try using an overstitch as explained in our video below.

online workshops – book via Eventbrite
Sportswear patching kit from our Etsy shop