Child's Play by
Nina Holstine
In current fashion, it is most acceptable for a little boy's or girl's jeans
to have a soft, well-worn, knees in shreds look but there are still times when
the dress code requires the nice and neat look. It doesn't take a lot of
experience with a very active child who is just beyond walking into running to
know that a pair of good pants can die in tatters after just a few minutes in
the playground. Little boys are never able to outgrow their pants. Sometimes
it's a baseball game, coming down off of a slide or ride or out of a tree. They
just don't last long.
One of the advantages of taking four years of Home Economics was becoming
very familiar with the fabric store and all the notions available besides the
patterns and fabric. When my son was about three, I noticed his jeans wearing
out much too fast. The invention of iron on patches was wonderful. Just don't
put them on the outside of the pants. When the pants are brand new and never
been worn, turn them wrong side out and follow the instructions for the patch
and the fabric to seal the patch securely. There are different weights of
patches to match the weight of the fabric of the fabric being strengthened. You
don't even need to tell the child wearing the patched jeans; it will be like
they came that way. You will notice with time how much longer the pants will
wear but don't scrimp and buy a cheap no name brand of patch. Go with the
quality and pay a little more. The patch won't start peeling up at the edges. I
buy several different weights in a pack of assorted colors just to have plenty
on hand for repairs.
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If you have ever looked through the yard sale goodies, you have seen the big
boxes of children's clothes. They are the clothes that don't look good enough to
hang up. I had many times found beautiful little girl dresses that no one wanted
to iron. They were fancy, expensive and still in new condition. Same goes for
little boy cotton dress shirts, just a heap of wrinkles. Spend some time with
the iron and ironing board. Add extra crispness with a light spray starch or
sizing and you have a garment that looks like new!
Perhaps you can make simple sewing repairs, even by hand is usually enough
skill. I loved to find marked down clothing with seams that were loose and only
took me about 5 minutes to make repairs and usually saved about half the price
of the new garment. Watch out for the flaws that cannot be repaired. Look
closely to see if the problem is actually on the seam or in the material itself.
If it requires turning long sleeves into short sleeves, you might not be up to
the challenge. Keep in mind which stores regularly put out such clothes for
clearance. Some stores also mark down the imperfect adult clothing.
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