What do you do with . . .

[ledzepplon]

Kids clothes that have stains/holes?

Specifically, my dd gets lots of holes in the knees of jeans. And we have some t-shirts with little stains that I can't get out. Do you do patches? Have you successfully dyes shirts with stains?

I hate throwing out clothes that still seem to have some life in them, but I don't really want her looking like too much of a raggamuffin.

[Aeress]

No ideas but I was just noticing my 5 yr olds things are very worn looking. still wearable but faded and some holes.

I thought about making some of the pants into shorts and I do use new short sleeve t's over old stained long sleeved t's.

[wombat]

I put those iron on patches on the inside of dd's jeans when she gets little holes in the knees. It helps hold the whole thing together and often prevents it getting worse.

I buy most clothes from the thrift shop so I wouldn't bother dying a t-shirt. The dye would cost me more than another t-shirt. It's hard to get jeans to fit dd though so I look after them.

[ledzepplon]

Thanks, mamas. So far I've been layering her stained t's under long-sleeved shirts. I did try some of applique-type patches on a few shirts (iron on), but they didn't seem to stick. They kept coming off. So we'll see if I can get the other kind to work.

Keep the ideas coming, ladies!

[KMK_Mama]

I'd donate them and get new. :

But if you want to save them, how about getting some puffy paint or some permanant cloth markers and letting her decorate them to her liking? THAT would be fun!

[*Jessica*]

I use the shirts for rags. So far they are growing out of pants too fast for them to wear out, so I don't know what I would do with jeans with holes in them. I would probably keep a few for outdoor play clothes.

You could use embroidery floss to make pretty flowers around the holes in the pants. My mom did that with a favorite button-up shirt of hers in the early 70s. I stole the shirt from her in high school.....the shirt was almost 25 years old!!!

[frog]

I dye stained shirts all the time.

[momto l&a]

Holes and rips- those clothes get thrown away.

Stains, we have very few what we do have get used for play clothes. We live in the country so the girls play hard.

Most clothes are bought at yard sales/thrift shops.

[chel]

I patch holes in jeans. Most stained stuff gets turned into rags. I've just recently started a pile of clothes that dd can cut up to turn into doll dresses.

[Llyra]

If the stuff still fits, we just keep it and use it for messy play or gardening. DD is really hard on her clothes, and spends a lot of her time in the mud or with finger paint and the like, so she needs clothes to wear so she can enjoy herself without me stressing out about keeping her clean.

Outgrown stuff I've been saving for the twins, holes and stains and all, for the same reason, but if something's really past usable, I'll tear it up and turn it into rags, or stuffing for a pillow or doll, pieces of a quilt, or similar things. I don't really throw clothes away at all-- seems wasteful to me.

[embers]

Pet bedding. Throw it in a ferret or rat's cage, or fluff up a dog or cat bed...

[aiccerb]

My boys have this UNCANNY ABILITY to only stain their good clothes! I often wonder about the laws of physics that food only lands on the one brand new/designer shirt they own

Sorry, excuse the rant...dont know where that came from: I tend to buy their clothes from second hand shops/garage sales including items that all ready have stains on them. I just make a paste of oxiclean and apply to the stain, toss in the hamper and wash with the next load (usually the next day.) If it is an organic stain (food, blood etc) I would say 95% of the stains come out. If not I repeat the oxibleach again.

If I ruin the knees in my pants (I do it ALL THE TIME) working outside in the garden...I just make them into shorts if the rip/hole is higher up in the pant. If its knee level or lower I just add ribbon/strip of fabric to the bottom and make 'em into capris.

I'd love to know if anyone has had success in dying stuff and the how to's:

[frog]

Originally Posted by Llyra

Outgrown stuff I've been saving for the twins...

I have no idea how I missed this news! Congrats on the forthcoming twins!