What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[igorsMistress]

I just blew out the backside of one of my favorite work blue jeans. It was a Wrangler jean with lots of pockets and hoops to hang tools on and such. After many years, it just wore too thin and last night, while working out in my unheated garage, I felt a chill running down my leg! What the heck?! Turns out the jeans split wide open just below the back pocket of my right leg.

Dear Wife says the jeans are going to get tossed. Well, probably so. But I thought I would ask here if jeans split wide open under the back pocket can be saved? If not, any ideas of a second life for the jeans? I mean, the legs and most of the other parts of the jeans are still good. Could that blue jean material be used for something else?

FYI, I bought these jeans, used, at our local thrift store about 5 years ago for only $2.25. They were not brand new but were in good shape. I have used them a lot and got my money's worth out of them long ago.

You know, there are a lot of young women and teenagers running around with brand new expensive jeans that are pre-ripped and faded. Some of those jeans are ripped in places where I would think modesty would prevent a person from wearing them out in public. Having said that, I asked Dear Wife if my genuinely old, faded, and ripped jeans are hip today and would anyone really care if my old man underwear was seen through the rip much like the young girls are wearing their jeans today flashing their undergarments?

Dear Wife said I would not be in fashion no matter what I wore and that my ripped jeans were headed to the trash. Turns out that my old worn and ripped jeans are considered garbage whereas new jeans that are pre-faded and ripped are not!

Well, more seriously, these were like my favorite work jeans because of all the extra tool pockets and hoops for hammers and such to hang on. So, if anyone knows if they can be patched, or how to patch them, I'd be willing to try it just because I liked those jeans so much. Even if it's only for working jeans at home, out in the yard, I would be OK with that. Not too concerned about the looks, obviously, but hate to lose all those tool pockets.

EDIT: OK, I found a Google picture of the type of rip I have under the right back pocket of my blue jeans. Obviously, this is not me. But the rip is the same. Can my jeans be patched?

Well you’d be in fashion if you wear them as they are so why bother? Or sell them? You might make a fortune

You could try some iron on patches but that’s a pretty big rip. All I can think of is to use them to make a purse, make into rags, etc.

 

[igorsMistress]

Unfortunately, the rip on the leg is wider than the pocket. So, I don't think that would work.

But your idea has given me the thought that I might be able to remove the back pockets from that jeans and sew them on another pair of jeans that have a ripped back pocket. If that is possible, then maybe I can remove the extra tool pockets and hoops from that pair of ripped jeans and sew them on to another pair of jeans that are good, but don't have all the extra pockets!

That would be a nice way to rebuild a new pair of work jeans out of my old jeans.

@saysfaa, would it work to remove the tool pockets and hoops from my work jeans and sew them on another pair of jeans?

Of course, the only problem now is that I have no sewing skills. I'll have to see if Dear Wife will be willing to show me how to use her sewing machine. She does not sew much either, but will hem up her pants if they are too long.

I was very glad I took shop class when I was in school, but I wish that boys were also allowed to take Home Economic classes to learn stuff like sewing and cooking as well. When I went to school, we were not allowed to take those Home Economic classes with the girls and the girls were not allowed to take shop class with the boys.

I think things have improved and all children are now allowed to learn those life skills regardless of their gender.

My husband is the seamstress here, I don’t have the patience for it. He sews by hand and uses the sewing machine. He’s currently making a skirt for a table so I can store extra water underneath it.

 

[gtaus]

You could try some iron on patches but that’s a pretty big rip. All I can think of is to use them to make a purse, make into rags, etc.

I think I'm to the point where I will just end up using the material for things like tool storage roll up cases (not a purse), or a drawstring tool bag (also not a purse), and any smaller pieces I salvage might be good for rags.

FYI, I went to the local church Thrift Shop yesterday and found another pair of these work type blue jeans, with all the extra pockets and tools loops attached to the pants. The pants have gone up in price to $2.50, but it was like brand new. So, I was pretty excited about it.

Unfortunately, when I tried them on for fit, they were too tight. Seems I put on a few extra pounds this winter. It was the exact same size jeans as the pair I blew out, but I know that different brands can fit differently. Anyways, I had to take a pass on getting those jeans until/unless I can drop a good 10 pounds.

 

[saysfaa]

I found out that wringer washers, like the picture or other kinds, use much less water than standard washing machines, even the new styles. I've been looking into them to market the ones my parents had.

 

[saysfaa]

Yes, very easy to repair, and they get clothes clean. In both cases, more so than new washers and new models are expected to be even less so for both.

There is a downside, of course. The wringer washers require more labor to operate.

 

[Jenni Hen]

Yes, very easy to repair, and they get clothes clean. In both cases, more so than new washers and new models are expected to be even less so for both.

There is a downside, of course. The wringer washers require more labor to operate.

But if you fold the clothes and put them through the wringers carefully, there's no need for ironing!

 

[alwaystj9]

Ironing?? People still do that?

 

[gtaus]

But if you fold the clothes and put them through the wringers carefully, there's no need for ironing!

My grandmother had one of those wringer washers way back in the day. I remember watching her wring out the clothes and then hanging them up on a clothesline. I also remember her ironing most of the clothes. But I was very young at the time and can't say for sure how much she had to iron. There was no dryer in the house, so everything went out on the line to dry.

 

[alwaystj9]

My grandmother had one, also, and there's a family story about my Aunt Sandy getting her arm in the wringer. Aunt Sandy is 80 now, I'll tell her about seeing this on a chicken website and she'll get a laugh!

 

[saysfaa]

I remember my grandmother "sprinkling the sheets." And towels and probably other clothes. If they dried too much or unevenly, she would sprinkle water on them then roll them up in neat little tight bundles and set them aside while she made dinner. Then unroll them, one at a time and iron them. With a sad iron heated on the coal stove in the kitchen.

I still have a couple of those sheets. They weren't just all cotton; they were very heavy fabric, more like the weight and weave of a table cloth than like today's sheets.

Anyway, I think so much more ironing was because there was so much less polyester, rayon, and such in the fabrics. And so much less formaldehyde (in today's wrinkle-free and stain-free fabrics even when they are 100% cotton. Not because of the wringers. My parents used these wringer washers to wash towels and such of their business up to ten years ago or so. The towels didn't come out more creased than when they were washed with a conventional washers. Perhaps they were pressed harder but then couldn't be left in that pressed position. Or weren't left, anyway, you have to catch them coming out of the wringer so it makes sense to give them a snapping shake before putting them in the basket.