Gabrielle Sieben

Last winter, I trudged mournfully through the snow and the biting wind, wearing the same American Eagle parka every day because it was my only warm coat. Underneath it I had to wear two shirts and a sweater, but I was still freezing my butt off. This winter won’t be like that because I bought a vintage fur coat off Craiglist for $100! It’s from the 1960s or 70s, and it’s made of raccoon.

Here’s the problem: after I took it home I realized there was about a 1.5-inch tear under one of the arms. I wasn’t super freaked out about this because the same thing happened to my mink coat (another vintage piece, from the 1950s). Last time, I was on the mainland and my grandma fixed it for me. I was too scared to try, in case I made a mistake.

This time though, it was up to me to fix it. I’ve been getting more confident with my hand sewing skills, since my machine is still on the blitz. So I gathered some materials.

I chose to use some dark brown embroidery thread: first of all, because it’s thicker and stronger, and second of all, in case any of the thread would show through on the front side. I did split the embroidery thread into two strands though, so that it wouldn’t be super thick.

Here is what the rip looked like. You can see it’s quite long, and vintage fur can become delicate over time. I was worried that it would rip even further.

First, in order to get to the back side of the rip, I had to seam-rip the lining. Now, I could actually open up the coat and sort of turn it inside out so that I had access to the rip.

Here’s what it looked like once I opened it all up. You can see that the rip is right up against the black strip of reinforcement which connects the arm hole to the rest of the coat.

I ended up doing a whip stitch (like my grandma told me to) horizontally across the rip. My needle had to penetrate both sides of the fur, as well as the black reinforcement. That’s a lot of thick layers to sew through, so I needed to use a very old-fashioned tool…

A thimble!!

This saved my finger from literally getting stabbed every single time I needed to push the needle through the material.

In the end, here’s what the seam looked like from the inside. Both sides are tightly stitched together and won’t be able to tear further down.

Here’s a before-after comparison. You can still see the seam a little bit from the outside, but luckily the long hairs cover it up (and it’s underneath the armpit anyway). Obviously, I am not an accomplished furrier!

To finish it off, all I needed to do was re-attach the lining to the black piping at the bottom hem of the coat. It was a really long hem, but I just did a quick whip stitch. This whole process of fixing the coat, from start to finish, took me about 45 minutes.

Overall, I think it would have cost me almost as much as I spent on the coat in the first place in order to get someone to fix it. It also would have been hard to find a furrier, because the fur industry is kind of dying. In a sense, it makes me feel even happier to have the coat because it feels like a relic of a bygone era. It’s very satisfying to take something old and broken and give it life again. I probably said the same things when I wrote about mending that wool sweater, but it just feels wholesome when you take the time to fix things. Now, when I wear this coat in the winter, I can feel proud that I played a role in its journey.

I have literally never felt like such a domestic goddess before.

I went to work. I came home. Did all the dishes. Did some homework. And then I finally got around to a task I’d been meaning to work on for two weeks: mending! I actually fixed something that was broken! It’s so satisfying. Everyone should know how to mend.

First of all, here are the materials I used:

Scissors to cut the thread, a needle, a seam-ripper, and somehow I randomly had the EXACT same colour thread as the sweater. So that was unexpectedly cool.

Here’s what I had to work with:

It’s not my usual colour, but it was $5 for 100% lambswool. Made in Scotland. How could I resist?

The sleeves, however, were not looking so hot. Do moths actually eat wool or is that a thing of the past? Because it looks like moths have been munching on this sweater…

Sleeve #1 may not look too bad at first glance. It only has a couple tiny holes. Until you notice that its previous owner had done quite an awful mending job with a mismatched bright green thread. They didn’t do an invisible stitch either, so the thread is clearly visible. Luckily my grandma taught me how to do an invisible stitch when I was a kid, so I remember how to do it. Sleeve #2 is obviously in pretty bad shape too.

I started by twisting the thread around my finger a few times and then rolling it off with my finger and thumb to make a knot. Not sure if that makes any sense at all, but it’s basically a way easier method than squinting and trying to tie a teeny tiny knot. I started from the inside of the sleeve so that my knot, and any thread tail, would be hidden. Then, I did an invisible ladder stitch. I found a tutorial on Youtube that shows you how to do it.

I did this stitch on both sides of the holes and tightened the stitches, bringing both sides of the fabric close together and successfully closing up the hole. Let’s see how it turned out.

Now, sleeve #1 looks much better. My stitching is hidden, but even if a tiny bit of it shows, it’s a matching colour! Sleeve #2 looks a tiny bit wonky because the hole I had to close up was very large. Now there’s a slight gather that appeared when I pulled the two sides of fabric closer together. That’s okay. It’s better than having a big hole in the sleeve!

Tonight I transformed something worn-out into something wearable. I think that’s a win for sustainability and slow fashion! Now I just have to wash it. I was too scared before in case the holes would get even bigger, but this sweater smells like old lady perfume. Don’t worry, I won’t put it in the dryer!!

I haven’t bought any brand-new clothing since the summer because I took the Secondhand September challenge. Since then, I’ve learned a few things about thrifting and developed some strategies to be successful. I wanted to share them in a post in order to make thrift shopping more accessible for everyone! (Also, I’m taking a break before I get back to studying and writing papers).

Tip #1: Go to the right thrift store!

If you’re new to thrifting, you should check out several different stores in your area, but not all thrift shops are equal. I have a few personal favourites. The closest one to my house is the Salvation Army at Cedar Hill Cross. Not only is its location ideal, but they have regular sales (every other Friday, they have some kind of 50% off deal). On regular days, you could spend $10 on a sweater or top, but I prefer to get them for $5 of course! Even more awesome is the fact that there is no sales tax – Salvation Army is a non-profit organization. When you buy from them, the money goes right back into the community to feed, clothe, and shelter people who are in need. Another great organization is Women in Need, or WIN, which is located downtown on Pandora Avenue. They specifically support women in the community. You can often find great brands downtown as well!

I used to go to Value Village quite often when I lived in Abbotsford, but I find that the one in Victoria can be quite overpriced. Tops can be $12-20 depending on the brand, and they rarely have good sales. They are a for-profit organization so naturally they charge more; plus you’ll be paying sales tax.

Tip #2: Look in all the sections. 

I don’t mean literally all the sections. But say you’re usually a size small in tops. Go through all the sizes! Items that end up in the thrift store are often marked incorrectly, put back on the wrong rack, or you can just go for the oversized look which is so popular right now. If you’re a larger size, don’t be afraid to skim through all the racks because things can definitely be misplaced. Another place you can look is the men’s section. I find so many soft cotton flannels – some that I bought for my husband, and one or two that I kept for myself! To be honest, these tips kind of only apply to tops, because so far I have been shockingly unsuccessful at thrifting pants. I wear an uncommon size and so far haven’t had any luck finding it. However, I have heard that you can sometimes find vintage Levi’s in the men’s section, so if they fit you, definitely give that a try!

Tip #3: Look for natural fibres. 

I never used to care what my clothes were made of; only how they looked. But last winter I pretty much froze my butt off every single morning when I walked to the bus stop in -10 weather at 6 AM. That made me realize that polyester and acrylic simply aren’t warmenough for winter! I have had amazing luck thrifting outerwear – most notably, a coat made in Italy that’s 80% wool, and another one made in Poland that is 55% wool. Both of these will be so much warmer than the one I got off the sale rack at Guess. And, they were both right around $12 (I love those 50% off sales). More recently, I picked up a 100% lambswool sweater made in Scotland, a 100% silk blouse ($3.50), and a black turtleneck with a nylon/polyester/merino blend. It doesn’t have to be 100% natural to be good. Even if you have some wool content, it will keep you MUCH warmer than synthetic fibres. Also, this is stuff that I’d never be able to afford brand-new. A wool sweater would be over $100 and a silk shirt would be at least $50!

Tip #4: Check the items REALLY carefully (and don’t be afraid to ask for a discount). 

I’m guilty of not following the first part of this rule. When it’s the sale day, I don’t care that much if the item isn’t perfect, because I can get out tiny stains or stitch up tiny holes. But if it’s a full-price item, then I’ll ask for a discount. They’ve been really good about that at Salvation Army – I got some black leather ankle boots that were scratched, and they gave me about 30% off (originally $15 down to $10). Definitely inspect as carefully as possible, especially if you aren’t willing or able to fix the item. If the jeans have a big rip in the crotch or the white shirt has gross pit stains, it’s better for that item to just get recycled. (That’s what thrift stores do with the clothing they can’t sell).

Tip #5: Get out of your comfort zone. 

The best thing about thrifting is that you can find totally unique items that no one else has. You can put those items together in all sorts of creative ways. Sure, some of those items are butt-ugly, but that’s why you have to go on a treasure hunt. Try on some stuff that you’ve never tried before and see if it looks good on you! Maybe you would have never considered buying an item at full price, but then you try it on and end up loving it. Skim the racks with your eyes and see what jumps out at you: prints, patterns, fabrics, details… this is an opportunity to develop your personal style.

Those are my top 5 tips, but above all, make sure to leave yourself enough time so that you can be relaxed, try stuff on, and most importantly have fun! Thrifting is a good habit for so many reasons. You can minimize your carbon footprint while saving money and finding unique items all at the same time! I highly recommend thrift shopping and I hope these tips were helpful! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments section.

I’ve been pretty swamped with homework and assignments since last week, which is why I haven’t posted here in awhile. However, I procrastinated by knitting for a few hours on Saturday because I was almost finished my scarf! I finally completed it after finishing my 6th ball of yarn. This scarf cost me about $35 in materials, and it is made from nearly 600 metres of yarn. I was getting really nervous while casting off because I ALMOST didn’t have enough yarn left. I ended up with only about two inches extra!

Anyways, I have to go back to writing a paper, but I’m happy that I managed to create something cozy, warm, and functional.