Just a reminder that I’ve got way more than usual giveaways going on right now, with one of them closing tonight. If you’ve ever thought about what will happen to your parent’s home movies someday, or what to do with all of those video clips of your kids on your iPhone, then you need to read this short and sweet book I’m giving away tonight. Enter for the Get “Reel” book just by leaving a comment, and then check out the other giveaways, too!
How to Replace a Drawstring
You know that pile of mending that hides in your closet? Let’s tackle just one pesky wardrobe problem today. I have had these red pants forevah! I love them except for one thing: every time I wash them, the drawstring comes out. I’m going to show you how to replace a drawstring and keep it in place. This will work for drawstring pants, hoodies, bags, anything that has a drawstring.
My original drawstring must have been ugly or broken, because I replaced it with this satin ribbon years ago. But since it’s satin, even if I tie it together going into the wash, the darned thing comes out. Every. Darned. Time. I considered putting beads or buttons on the ends, but then I’d have bumps on my midsection when I’m wearing them. No thanks. I don’t wear them as much as I could, because they always need fixing.
Replacing a drawstring
So I’m re-stringing it one last time, and you can watch. I haven’t crocheted in decades, but I keep crochet hooks for this very purpose. Tie a knot in the end of your string, and slip the hook through the knot. Then start with the opposite/straight end of the crochet needle, feed it through the pocket, like this.
You can also pin a large safety pin through your string and do the same thing, but I find that takes longer.
Prevent a drawstring from coming out of clothes
If you really want to solve this pesky problem once and for all, once the string is through, make sure it is even, and tie a knot in the loose ends. For these pants, I found the very back seam, and lightly tacked the ribbon from the inside. Make the tack up at the top of the waistband. Just three stitches, and that baby is secure. You can still draw it up as you normally would, but now, the string can’t break loose from the pants in the wash. I’ll still tie a quick knot before throwing them in the wash so the string doesn’t escape to the inside (also fixable with a little fishing around with the crochet hook.)
Having the right tools here, as in much of life, is a big part of the solution. Even if you don’t crochet, this is a reason to keep a crochet hook on hand.
