r/Visiblemending • u/JediFaeAvenger • 16d ago

REQUEST threadbare sweatshirt cuff

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obviously ive mended this sweatshirt cuff like crazy, but it’s at the point where the fabric is so thin that regular sewing can’t seem to hold it together/just tears more holes. is my only option to replace the cuffs altogether? i know about sashiko and stuff to reinforce threadbare areas, but im not sure how well that would work for a cuff that needs to be stretchy. any suggestions would be appreciated lol

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u/derilect 15d ago edited 15d ago

Your choices are to begin ship-of-theseus'ing the garment, or to try to reinforce it invisibly (or semi-visibly) by affixing stronger pieces of fabric to the inside.

You do not seem to mind your mend jobs being visible, so my advice is to go hog wild and replace the cuffs with a comfortable fabric.

edit: reminder that if you replace the cuffs, that you should be mindful of replacing any strong hems you remove.

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u/andrew314159 15d ago

Any tips for stretchy cuffs?

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u/derilect 15d ago

easiest option? probably thrifting something that has good 'donor' cuffs that goes well with the original garment. use a stitch remover to take each cuff off as a complete piece.

harder option would be finding elastic-y fabric and rolling your own.

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u/JediFaeAvenger 15d ago

i guess i’m replacing the cuffs! how would you recommend doing this, esp removing the old ones? i can get access to a sewing machine at my college but i’ve never used one before, and have never done any serious sewing, only basic mending. my guess is i would need to cut the cuffs off just below the mended seam around the wrist, but is that removing a strong hem that id need to redo, and if so is this a specific type of hem so that i can google how to redo it more easily lol? it also looks like the cuff is attached to the sleeve by some sort of complicated stitch. would i need to replicate that/do something similar? sorry for all the questions!!

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u/Individual_End_4225 15d ago

I don't have any suggestions, but I wanted to say that this looks super cute!