For the last 10 years, I have always had a pair of "rock" trousers on the go - namely black combats covered in band badges. Since leaving university in 2009, they have seen less action than they were used to, probably because they can't be considered appropriate work attire...
What they are appropriate for, however, are gigs! But only when they don't have a huge hole in the backside...
They have been ripped for several months now, sitting proudly as part of my Mending Pile. What it took to finally get them under the sewing machine, was a gig! We were going to see my favourite band, Linkin Park, on Monday evening, so on Saturday, I sat down to repair them.
I have a certain style of patching ripped clothes, notably involving contrasting fabric. I had some bright blue satin leftover from a party dress I had aged 8, which I thought would look really cool! Being satin, however, I had to line it with interfacing to make it hardier. This is the reinforced patch piece being held horizontal.
I used iron-on interfacing because... Well frankly, it just keeps life simple. First, I tacked the patch in place on the inside using contrasting thread.
I used a straight stitch about a half centimetre from the tear to hold it in place. Then turned it inside out, trimmed the patch, and went on to use a zigzag stitch to oversew the edges - all this in matching black thread so you can't see it on the right side.
After tying off all the threads and making sure nothing was going to unravel, I turned the trousers back out the right way, et voila! Hopefully this should be strong enough to withstand the rigours of rocking out...
Oh, and they did get tested on Monday, and they stood the test of Linkin Park!
