Thread: BASIC LIST / SUGGESTED ITEMS FOR LONG TERM SURVIVAL

Mending Basics: 4 Simple Techniques to Repair Damaged Clothes

By Becky Striepe On October 3, 2012 · Add Comment




Fall is here! As you pull your fall gear out of the back of the closet, are you finding any pieces that have a few imperfections? Maybe there’s a split seam here and a missing button there. Don’t let these little things stop you from hanging on to an otherwise wearable garment! Check out these basic mending stitches to repair damaged clothes.
Why mending?

We live in a world of fast fashion. So many big box companies design and put together clothes that are meant to be worn for just one season, maybe two, and then replaced with whatever’s trendy next.

New clothes are fun, and splurging for a few good-quality pieces of clothing can help spice up your wardrobe, but the cycle of ditching clothing is terrible for the planet. Discarded clothes clutter our landfills, and it takes energy to manufacture and ship all of that new clothing all over the world.

That’s why mending what you have is so much greener than replacing it with something new.
Next time a cuff comes loose or a small tear mars one of your favorite pieces, try these simple techniques to repair them!

Next>> Fix broken seams with a simple ladder stitch.

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by quinn.anya




A split seam might feel like the end of your favorite top or skirt, but this is actually a very easy fix with a simple ladder stitch. Check out the video above showing you how a ladder stitch works, and first we have a few extra tips to make your repair invisible:

• Use coordinating thread – Choose a thread color that’s as close to the color of your garment as possible. For prints, choose a dominant color in the design.
• Use small stitches – Bigger stitches make the repair go faster, but doing more stitches that are smaller makes your finished product stronger and your repair less obvious.
• Start and end past the tear – To make your repair stronger, begin stitching about 1/4″ before the tear in the fabric and continue 1/4″ past the end of the broken seam.

Next>> Think you know how to replace a button? This trick makes your repair sturdier and longer-lasting!

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“Come on!” you must be thinking, “Anyone can sew on a button!” Sure, you could figure your way through it, but if you sew the button down flat, the stitches take extra stress every time you button or unbutton your garment. Check out this video for a simple trick to sew sturdier buttons, just like a pro.
Isn’t that nifty? Her illustration of how to tie the knot is great, too.

Next>> Mend an unraveling cuff with a whip stitch.


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Unraveling cuffs are super annoying, especially on long pants. Luckily, that saggy cuff doesn’t have to mean the endtimes for your favorite pants or skirt! A super simple whip stitch will fix you right up. Just like with the ladder stitch, you’ll want to use a coordinating thread color and begin your repair about 1/4″ before the damaged part and finish up about 1/4″ after.

Ready to whip it? I apologize for the terrible music in the video above, but it does a great job illustrating how to do this simple stitch.

Next>> Repair small tears with an applique.


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I added a heart applique to this sweater to hide a small hole. This is machine stitched, but you can also sew your applique by hand.


Whether it’s a snag on your sweater or a rip in your favorite skirt, you may be able to use an applique to fix things right up. “Applique” is sort of a fancy word for “patch.”What I love about an applique is that not only does it cover an unsightly tear but it adds a totally unique little detail to your clothing. Have fun with choosing your applique fabric and shape!

Here’s how to sew a basic applique:
1. Measure the tear you need to cover.

2. Choose coordinating or contrasting fabric – your choice! Have fun with this! Once you choose your fabric, cut a shape out to use for your repair. I like to use hearts, because they’re simple to cut and sew, but you can cut whatever shape you like.

3. If you have a sewing machine, pin the applique to your garment and use the machine’s zigzag stitch to sew all the way around the outside edges. If you’re sewing by hand, use a small whip stitch to sew your applique down. You want your needle to come up through the applique and go back down right outside the edge of where the applique ends. This will secure your patch and also prevent fraying.

Do you have a favorite mending method that we missed here? Let’s talk clothing repair in the comments!

Tagged with: clothing • Fast Fashion • how to fix clothing • how to repair clothing • mending • mending clothing • reuse • slow fashion

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Turmeric Prevents One of The Most Malignant Cancers In The World

October 15, 2012

Marco Torres, Prevent Disease
Waking Times

Powdered turmeric has been used for centuries to treat a host of illnesses. Its active ingredient, curcumin, inhibits inflammatory reactions, has anti-diabetic effects, reduces cholesterol among other powerful health effects. A new study led by a research team at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat (LMU) in Munich now shows that it can also inhibit formation of metastases.

One of the most comprehensive summaries of a review of 700 turmeric studies to date was published by the respected ethnobotanist James A. Duke, Phd. He showed that turmeric appears to outperform many pharmaceuticals in its effects against several chronic, debilitating diseases, and does so with virtually no adverse side effects.

Cancer is no exception. Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancies in the Western world, and is often diagnosed only after metastatic tumors have formed in other organs. In three percent of cases, these metastases are lethal. A research team led by PD Dr. Beatrice Bachmeier at LMU Munich has been studying the mode of action of a natural product that inhibits the formation of metastases. The compound is found in turmeric, a plant that has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years, and is a major ingredient of curry.

Duke noted that in the handbook Phytochemicals: Mechanisms of Action, curcumin and/or turmeric were effective in animal models in prevention and/or treatment of colon cancer, mammary cancer, prostate cancer, murine hepato-carcinogenesis (liver cancer in rats), esophageal cancer, and oral cancer.

Bachmeier’s research centers on curcumin, the polyphenol responsible for the characteristic color of curry. Curcumin is well tolerated and is therefore, in principle, suitable both for prophylactic use (primary prevention) and also for the suppression of metastases in cases where an established tumor is already present (secondary prevention). In a previous study Bachmeier and her colleagues had demonstrated that the substance reduces statistically significantly the formation of lung metastases in an animal model of advanced breast cancer.

Mitigating metastasis The new study was designed to investigate the efficacy of curcumin in the prevention of prostate cancer metastases, and to determine the agent’s mechanism of action. The researchers first examined the molecular processes that are abnormally regulated in prostate carcinoma cells. Breast and prostate cancers are often associated with latent or chronic inflammatory reactions, and in both cases, the tumor cells were found to produce pro-inflammatory immunomodulators including the cytokines CXCL1 und CXCL2.

The researchers went on to show that curcumin specifically decreases the expression of these two proteins, and in a mouse model, this effect correlated with a decline in the incidence of metastases. “Due to the action of curcumin, the tumor cells synthesize smaller amounts of cytokines that promote metastasis,” says Bachmeier. “As a consequence, the frequency of metastasis formation in the lungs is significantly reduced, in animals with breast cancer, as we showed previously, or carcinoma of the prostate, as demonstrated in our new study.”

Curcumin and chemoprevention Bachmeier therefore believes that curcumin may be useful in the prevention of breast and prostate cancers — which are both linked to inflammation — and in reducing their metastatic potential.

“This does not mean that the compound should be seen as a replacement for conventional therapies. However, it could play a positive role in primary prevention — before a full-blown tumor arises — or help to avert formation of metastases. In this context the fact that the substance is well tolerated is very important, because one can safely recommend it to individuals who have an increased tumor risk.”

A daily intake of up to 8g of curcumin is regarded as safe, and its anti-inflammatory properties have long been exploited in traditional oriental medicine. Men with benign hyperplasia of the prostate (BHP) are one possible target group for prophylaxis, as are women who have a family history of breast cancer. The agent might also be valuable as a supplement to certain cancer therapies. At all events, curcumin’s beneficial effects must first be confirmed in controlled clinical tests. Bachmeier is now planning such a trial in patients who suffer from therapy-resistant carcinoma of the prostate.

Turmeric Prevents One of The Most Malignant Cancers In The World - Waking Times : Waking Times

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