How to Care for your Me-Made Clothes so they Last Forever!

We’ve all been there. Behind the sewing machine, creating something through a labour of love, pleased with the end result, put it on, wear it out then BAM. We spill something down it. Or a friend borrows it and it comes back misshapen. Or god forbid… a hole appears.

Making our own clothes already instils an appreciation for the process in us, we wouldn’t wish to undo all that hard work through poor care.

Did you know, in the fashion industry, dry cleaning is a dirty secret used by designers? Assigning “Dry Clean Only” often avoids any risk of customers incorrectly caring for clothing and therefore allowing the brand to dodge unwanted, unnecessary complaints.

Anyway, the point is our me-made wardrobes are sewn with love into the seams. Therefore, they deserve to be treated with longevity in mind, after all, loved clothes last. So have a read of these three quick tips to add life to your garments.

wardrobe wisdom

One day, my loving partner decided to surprise me by putting his washing away. (And they say romance is dead, eh?!) - what followed can only be described as a scene from a horror movie. In the eyes of a fashion designer at least.

He picked up his t-shirts in his big manly hands and proceeded to wrangle and shove a hanger into them… via the neckline! I watched him stretch the crew neck with such disregard I almost whimpered. Okay, he’s a farmer, but I was sure that couldn’t be the only reason he blazed through his clothes, and here it was, the evidence. Caught red handed. He was stretching his necklines out by refusing to hang them correctly!

So if you’ve made a beautiful top of any description, don’t hang it up by pushing the hanger through the neckline! This will stretch your garment out of shape over time and eventually ruin the fit. Always put the hanger through the bottom of the top as if you were putting the garment over your head.

fashion fix

Sometimes, my love can’t help but to get caught on barbed wire when playing tag with a sheep. The result of these outdoor activities are lots of little snags, tears and holes in his t-shirts. The same kind of defects can be the outcome of hungry moths or, more preferably, nibbling puppies with their pin-like teeth.

Whatever the cause of wear and tear on your garments, I have a secret magic trick for you. Click here to watch my super easy, super simple and super effective fashion fix technique.

TRY TO DYE

Let’s talk stains. However gross that sounds, they do happen. Especially for the Mum’s of the world and their angelic little darlings. Or maybe you live a blessed life of spill free bliss, but find yourself growing bored of a certain colour? Maybe you’re not sure what mad bolt of inspiration you experienced when you selected that lime green textile for that summer dress once upon a time? Maybe you’re currently experiencing that exact bolt of inspiration and want lime green to enter your wardrobe?

Whatever your relationship with stains, colours or clothes - you can squeeze a whole new life out of your wardrobe with a simple decision to try dye.

If you’d like to up-level your wardrobe, get the most from your me-mades or challenge your creativity, why not check out The DPL Atelier?

Have you tried any of these techniques? Let me know in the comments!