Archive for November, 2008

My friend Sara came to my house the other day with a basketful of mending and  a plate of chocolate cookies.  I am fairly certain the cookies were meant to bribe me into doing the mending but instead I poured her a cup of tea and began teaching her how to sew on a button.

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Sara is a busy, stay at home mother to three boys who can be really tough on clothes.  Her husband just got laid off from his job and the usual concerns about money were worrying her.  It was time to make clothes last and dollars needed to stretch further.  Here are the tips I gave her.

1.)  When sewing a four hole button sew two buttons and tie off then sew the other two holes and tie off.

2.)  Use dental floss to sew on buttons, it is a lot stronger.

3.)  Put a small dab of clear nail polish on center of button.  No one will notice and the button will stay secure.

4.)  Clothes that are beyond repair but still have the buttons.  Cut them off and save them.  Buttons are lost all the time and using a button you already have is better than paying for another one or putting another thing in a landfill.

Sara and I worked our way through the sewing, ate the cookies and drank our tea.   It’s funny how doing something pro active toward your finances and chocolate help  to calm the fear.  The friendship and laughter didn’t hurt either.