Shear Fashion Fears: 3 Hauntingly True Stories

It’s Halloween! I couldn’t think of a better way than to kick-start the day with a good ol’ sewing pun in the title (Fabric shears, anyone?) and share some fashion horror story moments that I’m sure are #relatable. So, grab a hot apple cider, hot chocolate, tea, or coffee, and let’s dive into it!

BEWARE, dear reader, not to accidentally spill your drink on yourself in the process of reading this (because we’re not covering that today)! In all seriousness, though, today I’ll be sharing some of my most memorable fashion mishaps that I was luckily able to turn around for the better. It’s happened to everyone at least once in their life; you have your favorite pesto pasta and accidentally spill some of the sauce on your shirt, the button on your favorite sweater pops off, or the fabric dye on your clothes rubs off on your pants … Oh, the horror! Most times you get in a panic that your clothes may very well be ruined forever. The thing is that all hope is not lost; here’s why …

#1. Buttons that Mysteriously Fall Off

It was so hauntingly quiet that you could hear a … button drop.

“But it was on just a minute ago! Where did it go?” Just like when hair ties mysteriously go missing, buttons do the same when they feel like it. I always have an appreciation when clothing brands are thoughtful enough to make sure that spare buttons are sewn onto tags on the inside of clothes or attached in a mini plastic bag (with additional yarn or thread). Though, there are a majority of clothes that don’t include spare buttons, which sometimes makes it hard to find a perfect match.

Last year, I bought a pair of dress pants that fit perfectly. I wore them to work every week. After so much wear, the thread started to loosen to the point where the button was one wear away from being lost forever. To prevent this from happening again, I used 100% polyester thread to sew with (instead of cotton), because it has a higher abrasion resistance. I sewed on the button as I normally would, but before piercing the needle through the other side of the fabric to knot the thread off at the end, I went through the last hole on the button and wound the thread around the entire button several times to make it more durable through constant wear and washing. This method works the best with flat buttons.

If you’re a part of the missing button club, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! All it takes is a little measuring and a Hobby Lobby coupon. One of the things that I love the most about Hobby Lobby is that they always have a 40% off coupon  for one full-priced item on the home page of their website. You can either print it off and bring it in or have it scanned from your phone. (You best bet that I used that every time I had to buy fabric for my design classes!) It can be especially helpful when you want to buy new buttons to replace the ones that are missing. In order to find out what button size to buy, all you need to do is measure the diameter of the buttons that you may have left or the actual buttonhole. From there, you can take that measurement with you to the store to buy your new buttons!

Bonus Sewing Tips:

• I normally use a seam gauge to measure buttonholes because it has a place marker and is super precise; however, you can also use a ruler.
• If you have other buttons that you want to switch out, you can take off the thread with a seam ripper. 
• Try to match the thread to the button. If you can’t find an exact color match, you can go one shade darker. 

#2. Dye that Transfers onto Clothes

There’s nothing more horrifying than realizing you have a red stain on your clothes …

I had just bought a new shirt on clearance last year; it was this beautiful burgundy color. I thought it would look cute paired with white jeans. I had worn it at work all day, and afterwards drove to my grandparents’ house to visit them for a few days.

However, when I used the bathroom, I realized that the color from the shirt had transferred onto the button, pockets, and the back and sides of my jeans. It looked like a reddish/pink tinge. It was awful. I had never had something like that happen to me before. Luckily, my grandma had a stain cleaner that she let me use, called Spray n’ Wash, which worked wonders and got the stains out completely!

Lesson Learned: 

• Always wash new clothes before wearing them. 

#3. Oil Stains on Clothes

There’s nothing like the cringe-worthy moment of accidentally dropping food on your favorite clothes …

Raise of hands: How many people have accidentally dropped food on themselves? It’s happened to me numerous times, but the most memorable time that it happened was (years ago) at my aunt and uncle’s wedding anniversary party at a fancy tapas restaurant. I was wearing a new top that I had bought which had these pretty little gemstones sewn all over the front. The waiters kept refilling the bread basket at the table, so I decided to indulge myself with some bread dipped in olive oil, and that’s when everything went down. Some of the oil spilled off of the bread as I was eating it and ended up on my shirt.

My aunt went to a nearby grocery store with me after lunch and helped me find the Ivory Ultra Classic Scent Dishwashing Liquid that she suggested to use on the oil stain. She told me to rub in the liquid dish soap on the spot, let it sit for a little bit (about 10 – 15 mins.) and then wash it out with cold water. After following her directions, my shirt was as good as new!

Lesson Learned: 

• Always eat as close to your plate as possible with oily food. 

 

I hope that these tips are able to help if you ever happen to find yourself in a fashion horror moment!

Happy Halloween!

p.s. What’s one fashion horror story moment that you’ve had?

Share in the comments below!

FTC: Not sponsored.