You'll get far in life just knowing these four basic hand stitches and what they're used for.
1. Repair the holes in a moth-eaten sweater.
2. You can close pretty much any hole using a technique called "darning," and you can also use it to fix a hole in your sock.
3. Darning is also an easy way to hand-mend a hole in your jeans without having to patch it up with an extra piece of fabric.
4. If a piece of clothing you own has come apart at the seams, the ladder stitch is the one hand-sewing stitch you need to know.
It's also sometimes known as a slip stitch.
5. Pockets tend to give out way sooner than your jeans do. Repair a hole in a pocket by cutting off the hole, flipping inside out, and sewing around the perimeter.
6. Easily repair a detached zipper by sewing the zipper teeth back onto the zipper tape.
7. Raise a saggy neckline by putting a dart in the back.
8. Extend the life of your baby's onesies by adding an extra piece of fabric that snaps on.
9. Here's the proper way to sew a four hole button.
10. Let out the hem on a pair of jeans that are too short.
11. Repair a hole in your jeans by hand using Wonder Tape (or any kind of double-sided tape), a similar-fabric patch, and similar-colored thread.
Instructions: How to Repair a Hole in Jeans
12. If a buttonhole on your jeans tears and becomes loose, you can tighten it up using a buttonhole purl stitch.
13. If the button on your jeans falls off, you don't actually need to sew it back on — you just need a pack of dungaree buttons and a pair of vice grips.
14. Here's how to repair a fallen hem using the whip stitch.
15. Reattach a lining using the fell stitch.
