YSK that hand sewing is a stupid cheap hobby to get into and reduces your impact on the environment

Comments

• CrayonDevourer@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Machine sewing isn’t that much more expensive, and it’s a VAST improvement over hand sewing unless you’ve got plenty of time, and lots of boredom.

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  • kamenlady@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    unless you’ve got plenty of time, and lots of boredom

    also if you like needles relentlessly stabbing your thumb.

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    • SparroHawc@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      That’s what thimbles are for, my dude.

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  • dohpaz42@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Also space and peace of mind. Sewing machines aren’t the largest of machines, but they do require a dedicated space, and can be somewhat noisy.

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    • NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Sewing machines also are much worse for patching things.

      Just think through the logistics of how you would use a sewing machine to reinforce the knee of some pants or to reinforce/repair a well loved stuffy.

      If you are actually Making things, a sewing machine is well worth it. But it doesn’t replace knowing a few basic hand stitches.

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  • quick_snail@feddit.nl ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    Doesn’t fit in my backpack tho

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  • Valmond@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    What about repairing the knee on jeans? I have several that I’d love to repair (as I’m not normal sized, nice clothes are rare for me) but I only have a classic sewing machine.

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  • FundMECFS@anarchist.nexus ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    My view is if I have a friend with a machine or there’s a community center or something with one I’ll absolutely use it for many projects.

    But since I only sew to repair my own clothes, live somewhere fairly small, and am poor, and don’t like having lots of stuff (makes evictions more devastating), I won’t get one myself.

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  • altkey@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Counterpoint: hand-sewing reduces your impact on the environment more because you can’t impact environment that much with both hands occupied for dozens of hours. It’s like touching grass but productive.

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    • scrion@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      By that logic, the best thing to do for the environment is to die - which is probably true, it’s just not a very good (or even particularly interesting) argument.

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    • lightnsfw@reddthat.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      You can take your stuff outside and sew and touch grass at the same time.

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  • Nougat@fedia.io ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    I'd imagine that machine sewing is quite useful in "making the thing," but hand sewing is more fun for "doing the stitch". And there can be some stitches on a "thing" that require hand sewing even if most of it is machine made, so it's not a bad idea to know some different hand stitch techniques.

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  • scarabic@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    This is a great point. I will say though that I’ve struggled to “get good” with machine sewing - enough for my occasional small projects. And OP just reminded me that I can actually step down to hand sewing if that is all I need.

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  • JackiesFridge@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    I was going to advocate machines, specifically the vintage Singer machines (the black, all-metal dudes). They are very simple, there’s tonnes of information online for repairing & maintaining them, and you can usually find people just trying to get rid of them. Find one that isn’t rusty and moves freely and you’ll probably just need to oil it and mess with the tension.

    If space is a concern, you don’t need to keep it in the sewing table (though it’s more comfortable). Those vintage machines are simple and tough to kill.

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• HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  PLEASE BUY THE ODD SIZES FROM THE THRIFT STORES AND NOT THE SIZES I WEAR THANK YOU IN ADVANCE

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  • Cort@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    PLEASE DISREGARD THE PREVIOUS POST, NORMAL SIZED PEOPLE HAVE PLENTY OF CLOTHING OPTIONS. LEAVE THE ODD SIZED CLOTHING FOR ODD SIZED PEOPLE

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    • Lupo@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      CAN WE PLEASE STOP YELLING, IT’S STRESSFUL

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    • HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      I AM L FOR LUMPY AND SOMETIMES M FOR MANGLED OR XL FOR EXTRA LUMPY I AM FINE IF YOU BUY THE REST PLEASE AND THANK YOU

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  • ikidd@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER

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• nathanjent@programming.dev ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  do not use these scissors for anything else

  1. Buy scissors for sewing
  2. My family uses then for everything but sewing
  3. Someone loses them
  4. Repeat from step 1

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  • Valmond@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    Cheap 3-scissor-set from IKEA to the rescue!

    With 4 of these you will only lose your beloved scissors half as much.

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• hddsx@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  You can also use a sewing machine whilst watching TV.

  Also, the fabric IS the expensive part because you start going “oh that’s a pretty fabric” and end up with a pile of fabric. Then you buy another sewing machine

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  • Entertainmeonly@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Don’t forget about the serger.

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    • hddsx@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      And the cutting board, especially if you get the rotary cutter. And the adjustable mannequin…

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• python@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  I hand-sewed some goat legs for halloween last year with basically zero sewing knowledge, it was genuinely such a blast to figure stuff out :D Took like 2 weeks worth of evenings while watching a show but 10/10 would do again.

  spoiler

  Image Image

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  • AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    Very cool.

    Got any plans for this coming Halloween?

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    • python@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      This Halloween falls on a friday, so I’ll probably just be wearing the legs to work with a normal shirt and not mention them at all. Gotta fix all the hot-glued parts until then though, they fell apart very fast last year and I haven’t fixed them yet lol

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• RaoulDook@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  When you have clothes that you want to keep and they get holes in them, just sew up the holes ya dingus! For your health!

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• quick_snail@feddit.nl ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  If you ride a bicycle and keep getting holes in your ass, I recommend patching with webbing. Think seatbelt material.

  You can buy a roll of it from Johanns. They sell it for weaving the seats of outdoor chairs.

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  • janNatan@lemmy.ml ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    I have this pesky hole in my ass that I haven’t been able to get rid of for years!

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    • WoodScientist@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      I had two holes down there, but at some point I decided to get another one installed. Unfortunately it was absolutely not a DIY installation. :/

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    • quick_snail@feddit.nl ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      Again, sew it shut with webbing. But you can use super glue in a pinch. That should keep it shut

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  • TheMinister@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    Is Johann’s the German version of Joanne’s?

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    • jaggedrobotpubes@lemmy.world ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Si

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• RoquetteQueen@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  I was taught how to hand sew in school for an art project and it has been so useful. As a teenager I was intentionally getting damaged clothes at the thrift store for extra cheap and sewing them back up myself.

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• Kolanaki@pawb.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  I need to re-do the patches on my jacket that I applied with fabric glue and want to just sew them on, but IDK how to do the ones that are over the breast pockets because I can’t get my hand fully inside to stitch it up.

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  • volvoxvsmarla@sopuli.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Can you post a picture?

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    • Kolanaki@pawb.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Image

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  • SrNobody@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    I patched some holes in my pants, I have zero sewing experience just kinda winged it, but to keep from sewing the two sides together I just used a piece of cardboard in between

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  • HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    like, undoing the liner a little bit to get your hand all up ins, or something else?

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• hedge_lord@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  I have made two plushies this way and I feel an extra connection to them. I look at them and think “aww cute” but also “I did that!”

  edunham.net/…/plushie_rustacean_pattern.html www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9bjNCo3dk4

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  • python@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    That’s super cool!!

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  • Valmond@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    So cute!

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• KittenBiscuits@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Don’t forget to pick up a tin cookies at the dollar store when you get your kit. You get snacks and a place to store your sewing supplies that is needle-poke-proof.

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  • quick_snail@feddit.nl ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    I prefer a floss container. Bonus, you get floss for thread.

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    • KittenBiscuits@lemmy.today ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      That’s pretty smart! Would be a good travel size. I like the nostalgia of a cookie tin but yeah, not very portable.

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• Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Just be careful with the thread and needles you’re not using/watching if you have a cat.

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• flandish@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  knitting too. Knit patches on sweaters / cardigan are silly easy to do and can often look pretty badass.

  also careful. these hobbies are cheap but cozy an ADDICTING. 😂

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  • shittydwarf@piefed.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    I have always wanted to learn to knit, how cool would it be to make sweaters?!

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    • proudblond@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      I knit sweaters. I don’t like knitting socks, I don’t wear hats, and so sweaters it is. I get lots of compliments on them and when people find out I knit them myself, they’re always pretty astonished.

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• Demonmariner@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  I hate sewing, but it has saved me thousands of dollars over my lifetime and I am convinced that everyone should know how to do it unless they really don’t care about money.

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• crank0271@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  I’ve thought about learning to see by hand for just this reason - to make minor repairs and save some money and create less waste. Does anyone have recommendations for a kit or which items to buy to get started?

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  • CapillaryUpgrade@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Well, a sewing needle, needle pins, some thread and a project.

    Sewing kits are okay, but usually very low quality and with a lot of junk (looking at you, mini-foldable-scissor)

    You can get lucky thrifting and get huge amounts of high quality thread for no money. You probably know someone who has a lot of sewing stuff who would love to hook you up.

    Otherwise, just buy what you need for the project you are doing.

    Use cotton thread for cotton fabric, poly thread for synthetics. Match the thread with the fabric.

    If you mainly repair stuff, buying supplies will save more than you spend pretty quickly.

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  • volvoxvsmarla@sopuli.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    I’m 33 and I have been doing minor repairs since I can remember. Sewing buttons on or holes shut. Or making tiny clothes for barbies, looked awful, but worked. There are special ways of hand stitches for different purposes, but in most cases it’s a trial and error approach that in 90% of cases won’t end in “error”. You’ll figure out what feels better (like one yarn or double yarn) very fast.

    But only at age 32 I invested in a cheap seam ripper. It always seemed excessive since you can basically just use sharp little scissors for that. I was wrong. I fucking love my seam ripper and I use it as a scissor now. This is so satisfying I would never ever let anyone rip any seam open for me. That’s the orgasm of sewing.

    Also, you might want to use a threading aid. Some thread is just a bitch.

    Little side note: when choosing a thread to repair, try to go muted. If you have a green piece of clothing and a light green, dark green, and grey thread, very likely the grey thread will be the least noticeable, unless the green is the same shade. If in doubt go darker. For white thread I recommend going off white - unless you have a lot of white clothes, most of white stuff is off white (i.e. not crisp paper white). Some people say 100% cotton thread breaks easier than blend or polyester. So far I haven’t had any bad experience with cotton threats though.

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    • AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      “Some people say 100% cotton thread breaks easier than blend or polyester. So far I haven’t had any bad experience with cotton threats though.”

      Cotton thread is just objectively weaker than polyester thread, but I’ve never had that be an issue while sewing.

      And in terms of the thread tearing when it’s sewn into a seam, sometimes that’s a feature, not a bug: sometimes it’s better to have the seam blow out and need to be resewn than for expensive or delicate fabric to tear. The right thread for the situation is always relative

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    • chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      I often do the opposite, pick a bright color that is not the color of the base material, to make the repair stand out more.

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  • Slaxis@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    I’ve been repairing my own clothes and furniture for myself and my wife for years, and I haven’t so much as watched a YouTube video. When you do a bad job, just take the thread out and try again.

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  • AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    Seconding someone’s advice that kits are a bit rubbish. The only things you need are needle and thread. Start with a multi pack of needles, and observe how they’re different. Different needles may differ by: the thickness of the needle; whether the tip is sharp or blunt; how large the eye of the needle is; how long the needle is. Different needles will have different roles, but it’s so easy to get bogged down in complexity, so just get an assortment and discover as you go. Part of learning is building tacit knowledge around what the right tool for the job is, so just give it a try and feel free to try other needles to see how they feel. Personal preference matters…

    My main advice on hand sewing needles is to invest in high quality ones, because they’re much nicer to use and last longer. For perspective on what counts as “high quality”, my current ones that are my favourite cost me £4.20 for a pack of 6. That’s expensive compared to a supermarket multi pack, but not excessively so. These ones were particularly fancy, by my standards (Clover Black Gold), but they’re a useful benchmark as being about as fancy as you can really get. John James is another good brand. If these aren’t readily available where you are, don’t sweat it — just use this as a benchmark to see what the rough equivalent is where you are.

    A pin cushion is useful for storing needles temporarily, but you don’t need to buy this. You can make one as an early project with some small swatches of fabric and some scrap paper stuffing.

    I strongly recommend a thimble for anyone who is going to do significant amounts of hand sewing, because it makes it much easier to build a rhythm and sew neat and fast. It feels clunky at first, but once you practice, it makes things far quicker and easier. Unfortunately, most people’s experience of thimbles is of ill-fitting ones that probably came in some kit. You need one that fits comfortably on your middle finger without falling off or squeezing too right. A simple metal thimble will do, and they’re cheap, but it can be a faff to find the right size. The sizing is sort of standardized, and usually printed/engraved/debossed on the thimble, so you can use that to ballpark if you have some ill-fitting thimbles around. Otherwise, it’s best to go to a craft store and try poking your finger in some thimbles to find one that fits.

    I don’t have good recommendations about thread. I got started using generic machine sewing thread, which you’re not meant to do, because it’s worse and harder to use. I find it hard to tell though, because by the time that I got specific hand sewing thread, I had enough skill that I had my own snobbish preferences and specific projects requirements. You don’t need a multipack of thread though, because that’ll be more likely to be crappy. Pick a colour that matches most of the stuff you wear/will be repairing (for me, it’s black). Also get some thread in a contrasting colour, because sometimes that’s useful (such as for temporary lines of stitching). You probably want some cotton thread, and also some polyester thread. In general, repair like with like: so polyester thread for synthetics, and cotton thread for cotton or other naturals. Beeswax can be nice for reducing the friction of the thread, but that’s not super necessary.

    I worry that my advice may overcomplicate things, when that’s the opposite of what I want to convey. If there’s any recommendation I could give you, it’s to just get something and start. Hell, if you feel overwhelmed by how granular this is and are at risk of not diving in, then go for a kit if it helps — just don’t spend too much and know that the lesser quality will give you a worse experience. However, the most important thing is to just get started. You can upgrade your stuff or buy specifics as and when you need them, or you feel you’ve outgrown your existing tools.

    You will botch repairs and need to redo them. Sometimes you will make it worse than what you started with, but that’s part of learning. However, the sooner that you start to tackle the simpler repairs, the sooner you’ll have the proficiency to be making all sorts of repairs and alterations. I give you this advice as someone who accidentally became proficient in sewing: I dove in and spent a long time being mediocre, and I still feel mediocre at it, but people regard me as being quite skilled. There’s no cheat code, but to take at crack at it.

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    • crank0271@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      This is terrifically detailed and actually not intimidating at all. I really appreciate your perspective on how to get started (now) and it’s helpful to have a reference for brands and quality of needles. I think these are some of the things that have been holding me back, but now I feel like I can take that first step. Thank you for taking the time to write this all up, and thanks everyone for all of your input!

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  • someguy3@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Needle and thread. Maybe a seam ripper. No kit required.

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    • crank0271@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Are there different sizes or gauges of needles? Common colors, materials, etc. of threads?

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• chloroken@lemmy.ml ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  reduces your impact on the environment

  This is basically a calling card of shit marketed to dems. Spoiler alert: read The Climate Book. Nobody’s individual household actions matter.

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  • quick_snail@feddit.nl ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    “I can literally kill hundreds of animals per year and roll coal in my truck because its someone else’s problem”

    “Also I don’t know the difference between ‘necessary’ and ‘sufficient’”

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    • chloroken@lemmy.ml ⁨23⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      What if I told you I don’t kill animals and don’t drive a truck? Would you shift your argument?

      I know a lot about climate change. I also know a lot about capitalism and Marxism. Individual accountability has an insignificant impact on the crisis. If you believe that you’re going to make a difference with your household choices, you’ve succumbed to corporate propaganda.

      Like I said, read The Climate Book, an entry-level foray into the topic designed for people like you. You’ll probably quickly understand how badly you’ve been misled.

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• Novocirab@feddit.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Anyone know some good offers for nice (nerdy) patches? There are nice embroidered patches on Etsy, but at 7 USD per patch they’re a bit expensive for repairing of everyday items (let alone for vanity projects like a GNU/Linux-themed biker cut-off).

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  • andros_rex@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    You can cut decals out of t-shirts and use them for appliqué!

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    • Novocirab@feddit.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      That’s a really good idea, I will from now on inspect disused garnments for parts that one can use for patches

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    • HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      oh dude, you may have just resurrected my favorite race shirt. my wife is gonna hate you

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• PapaStevesy@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  I personally would hyphenate “stupid cheap” in this context, I thought you didn’t like hand sewing at first.

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• espentan@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Well, if it’s stupid I think I’ll refrain. /s

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• quick_snail@feddit.nl ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  Us traveling kids just use floss for thread. Works great.

  Welcome home, fam.

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• fartographer@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  And if you’re a fan of puzzles, try wearing gloves and then hand sewing your hands together

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• etchinghillside@reddthat.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  The crotch on a couple of my pants are held together with a backstitch.

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• NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Depending on where you live, those thrift store shirts are not material you really want to use for anything you would touch. “Lightly worn” means very different things in different areas and the more bougie areas tend to get picked clean REAL fast by all the “life hack” kids. And the less bougie areas… there is very much an argument for leaving the thrift shops for those who need them but that ship has sailed.

  But yeah. I would just add on that it is well worth it to pay the extra buck or two for some self threading needles and a thimble. If you can’t thread a needle for physical reasons (e.g. vision or dexterity limitations) you probably don’t want to be doing too much sewing for things that experience wear, but not having to thread a needle is borderline life changing. Just stick the needle in something to stabilize it and then pull the thread down into the eye and boom, you are done.

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  • andros_rex@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    A good trick is to thrift “by touch” - feeling for cotton or heavier materials. There are a lot of quality cotton XXL blood drive/college or work event t-shirts that no one will ever want. I’ve volunteered doing some sorting through donations for a homeless shelter before, and they weren’t lacking for those at all. It was more a lack of dress pants for job interviews that were needed.

    Resellers are usually going for names and not necessarily quality from what I’ve noticed.

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• krunklom@lemmy.zip ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  I don’t need anything sewn to my hand, thank you very much.

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• stoly@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  They tried to teach me to sew in high school and I immediately knew that I was shit at it and ran far, far away.

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• tonylowe@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  So many different kinds of stitches to use and learn. I love the Henson stitch. Yay Muppets!

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• RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  Interested to see a citation on how it can reduce impact on the environment. I mean like, yes technically it is a reduction but is it really a meaningful reduction? I would imagine the impact is probably pretty negligible for the average person.

  The cloth and thread are manufactured in the same facilities as clothes, and transported along the same methods. Needles, spools, and other sewing related products would have their own footprint that is factored into the footprint of regular clothes at a reduced fraction. If one uses a sewing machine, the same would be said for the electricity generated to operate it. The only thing you are really cutting out is the time that the cloth spent being assembled into an article of clothing in a factory and potentially pad prints/silk screening. Which is fine, except this is brought up as a hobby and not as a skill for repairing existing clothing to last longer and reduce amount of clothes sold. Not that it really matters because clothes are wastefully over-produced and unsold units are sent to a landfill in another country.

  As a hobby, one will often be more wasteful as they are less skilled, leading to higher initial volume of cloth purchased. Also, a lot of “practice pancakes” likely to end up directly in the local landfill.

  Not that learning how to sew is bad, even as a hobby or anything. I am just skeptical on the environmental claim. I don’t see it really making that much of a difference for the average person, personally.

  Plus, and this is probably just because I live in California, but fabric is morbidly expensive here. Even the cheap stuff. Its been getting more expensive since at least 2014. This has led to multiple fabric selling stores closing in my area. Cant buy what you cant afford.

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