Reconstructing Clothes: What to Avoid Trying to Fix

[Guest guest]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reconstructing Clothes: What to

Avoid Trying to Fix

Adapted Reconstructing

Clothes For Dummies

 

 

 

 

If

you usually shop at regular stores, you may not be accustomed to checking for

some flaws typically found in reused clothing. Don't buy second-hand clothes

with the following issues, no matter how inexpensive the garment or lovely the

pattern.

Armpit problems

Before

you buy, look what lies beneath that sleeve and put it back if you see the

following:

 

Torn

underarm seam

 

 

Sweat

or deodorant stains

 

 

Pills

(that yucky balled-up effect that clothes get when they're rubbed

together)

 

Beadwork and other

adornments

Cutting

through a section of beadwork (or sequins, thick embroidery, embroidery with

metallic thread, or embedded mirrors) typically cuts through the thread that

keeps it secure. Not only will this result in a loss of beads, but a loss of

continuity in the beading design. Plus, cutting through beadwork can ruin your good

sewing scissors.

Unless

the adornments are well out of range of any area that you might be cutting up,

steer clear of these garments.

Lice, bedbugs, and other

creepies

There

are nasty things out there that can infest your home via used clothing:

 

Never

pick clothes up off the street!

 

 

Be

savvy of your thrift stores and how they handle donations.

 

 

Know

what's going on in your neighborhood. If you hear of a bedbug problem,

hold off on purchasing any used clothing.

 

 

Wash

all clothing before handling or storing it away for future projects.

 

Bedbugs,

fleas, and lice are not the only critters that can make a nightmare of your

reconstruction dream. Boxes, bags, and undisturbed piles of clothing or fabric

are a virtual palace for mice.

Pills

It's

easy to have grand plans, hopes, and dreams when you are still in the

second-hand shop. It's a whole other ball of wax when you get stuff home.

Often, things don't look so bad on first sight, especially if there's bad

lighting. But upon further consideration, you'll be wishing you thought twice

about it. Take a good look at the garment. A once-over glance is not enough.

Pills are most common in the following locations:

 

Underarm

area

 

 

Under

the breast

 

 

On

the back (where the fabric rests on a chair)

 

 

Between

the thighs

 

For

the partial pills, give it a test-fix. Pinch one of the pills between your

fingers and see if it pulls off easily. If so, the garment might be worth

salvaging.

Fragrant fabrics — if you

have to hold your nose, put it back!

Second-hand

clothes sometimes are ridden with odors that you just can't get rid of, even

after repeated runs through the wash cycle and dousing them with all sorts of

odor removing miracles. Here's a list of some odors that are particularly

difficult to get rid of:

 

Mildew

 

 

Mothballs

 

 

Perspiration

 

 

Perfume

 

 

Pets

 

 

 

Copyright © 2007

& Trademark by Wiley Publishing, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goddess Bless!

 

 

GrannyMoon

 

 

 

 

 

The GoddessSchool Bookstore

http://astore.amazon.com/ancestordetect08/

 

 

 

 

 

" Do not ask Goddess to guide your footsteps if

you are not willing to move your feet! " ~GoddessSchool.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.13.39/1045 - Release 10/2/2007

6:43 PM