This week’s edition of Five Frugal Things happens to be entirely about mending, because once I get my sewing stuff out, I like to get it all done at once.
1. I fixed Arthur’s eye.
We bought Zoe a handmade velour whale from Fluffyland when she turned six and in case you weren’t an FG reader then, here’s a whole post about her sixth birthday.
I just reread it and am having all the feels.
Anyway, she named him Arthur, and sadly, Arthur lost his eye.
Even though Zoe doesn’t play with stuffed animals anymore, Arthur still holds a special place in her heart.
Stuffed animals are not just for small kids at this house…I mean, I have a big stuffed fox in my bedroom!
And Lisey has somewhere around 57 stuffed animals in her room. 😉
So, Zoe asked if I could fix him up.
I put the bottom part of the safety eye inside, secured it with a safety pin, and then sewed the eye opening tighter to keep the back from coming out again.
Then I popped the eye front on, pulled my threads a little tighter, and tied them off.
He looks so much better now!
2. I fixed two shopping bags.
Two of my foldable shopping bags had issues. The first, one from Aldi, had strap issues.
I sewed a new strap seam.
And then I did a little further reinforcement.
This yellow bag had a little stitching coming undone, and I lazily sewed it without changing my pink thread.
You can’t see it from the outside, so no harm, no foul.
3. I sewed Mr. FG’s driving glove.
The faux leather part on the thumb had worn away and come loose.
I stuck a little glass bottle inside the thumb and then hand-sewed the remaining leather part back on.
It’s not as good as new, but the gloves are totally serviceable now.
4. I sewed an armhole rip.
Mr. FG just wears this one under work shirts, but I still figured a repair would be a good idea.
All good now.
5. I mended Mr. FG’s tshirt.
This one got a rip right on the sleeve seam.
A quick run through the machine, and it’s good as new. Super easy!
My mom always said (and now I say it too!) that if you want to save big money with your sewing skills, mending is where it’s at.
Nothing I did in this post required a whole lot of creativity or skill…it was all basic stuff. But even these basic skills can really help you avoid spending money on replacement items.
Plus, extending the life of an item is an environmental win; you keep something out of the landfill and also prevent a new purchase.
And that’s why I am a diehard mender.
Jen
Tuesday 4th of February 2020
I’ve posted a few things for sale on Facebook marketplace. I have lots of books to sell. I’m thinking eBay or amazon would be the best places to list them. Does anyone recommend one over the other? Or another method to sell them?
Kristen
Wednesday 5th of February 2020
eBay is more work, but you definitely get more return for your money. Also, because Amazon is so huge, I get fewer sales there. It seems like your item is more likely to just disappear over there!
Libby
Friday 31st of January 2020
I have a sweater waiting to be mended. The online tutorial suggests using a wooden mending "egg", which I don't own. I have been procrastinating going down to the basement, looking for a piece of wood, and sanding it smooth. BUT I never thought to use glass!!! Brilliant! Thank you so much for the suggestion. Can't wait to put my sweater back into rotation as this is the time of year that I start to get sick of my winter wardrobe :)
Kristen
Friday 31st of January 2020
Ooh, wonderful! I hope the glass works out great for you...it did the trick nicely for the glove, which was too small for a mending egg, even if I did have one.
lisa
Thursday 30th of January 2020
Here are my 5:
1. Our refi is finally getting closer to completion and originally, 4 months ago, our interest rate was 3.87%. Since the process has taken months to close, our lender said the rates have been dropping and locked it in at 3.5%. Not only are we saving an additional $70/mth due to the rate change, but we saved $500 since the lender decided to cancel the original interest rate, not us. 2. I earned a $10 GC from Swagbucks and shopped for baking items for the church's bake sale. 3. Back in October, I sent my receipt and copies of my therapy bills to my insurance company requesting a 50% refund. My ins. covers therapy at 50%...It's taken a long time, but I'm finally getting a refund of $500. 4. I made bananberry bread and used up those items that were sitting around. 5. Instead of buying DS2's college books, I rented them from Amazon.
Deidre
Thursday 30th of January 2020
1). Checked a receipt immediately & got a 90cent refund for an imaginary can of vegies the self scanner at the supermarket had added to my tally 2). Doing way better with meal planning 3) Checked my stash for a birthday card & wrapping paper instead of buying 4). Really wanted dumplings one night - remembered dim sims in freezer - 80cents vs $12 & they were yum 5). Batched errands
priskill
Thursday 30th of January 2020
Yeah, those imaginary cans really sneak up on a person! Nice catch
Sheila McVicar
Wednesday 29th of January 2020
I have also been busy mending. We are traveling in an RV and, though the sewing machine is on board, I have been hand mending. The curtains at the front side windows were coming apart at the seams, now stitched back in place. A pillow made for Halloween had lost a button, now sewed back on; my purple hooding with front pocket across the belly showed stress at 2 corners, so I wove the holes to reinforce the stressed area and it is now solid; seams on hubby's jean shorts were coming apart and lots of 'tassle-like' fringes were coming down, now fixed and stitched. I have a winter jacket with crocheted arms and one caught on something sharp and ripped the wool. That will be my last project out of the 'need to be mended' bag. I mended all my cloth bags before we started our RV travel using my sewing machine last fall. It is very satisfying!