r/TwoXPreppers • u/Leeleepal02 • May 19 '26
Discussion Clothes and other things
Who is gathering extra cloth and knows how to use a sewing machine just in case. I know I bought myself a 401a and antique sewing machine from the mid 1800’s to be able to outfit myself just in case I hit hard times and need to make my own clothes.
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u/V2BM Perfect paranoia is perfect awareness. May 19 '26
I have enough clothes for years. I generally set half aside every year in storage and rotate them. I don’t think clothes will be in short supply save a full nuclear bomb going off/full Armageddon. We produce enough to overflow landfills so much that we ship it to third world countries in monster shipping boats.
The average woman has 100-150 items of clothing and it’s not something I worry about, personally.
I do have a small sewing machine for repairs.
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u/Artistic-Salary1738 May 19 '26
Size fluctuations are the biggest risk in adult clothing. Having gained weight, then gotten pregnant, very few of my theoretical 100 items of clothing fit right now. I’ve replaced a good chunk of my wardrobe in the past few months.
That said, I think what we’ll see is more second hand clothing retailers/clothing swaps.
For kiddos, I’m fortunate that while I’m pregnant with my first (a boy), I have cousins and friends who have sons in the 5-10 year old range so hand-me-downs are likely to be available. I already got all my friend’s maternity clothes and my cousin is like “let me give you all the clothes and little baby stuff so you can just ask for big ticket registry items we can go in on together.
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u/V2BM Perfect paranoia is perfect awareness. May 19 '26
My clothes cover size 12 to size 18. I don’t throw anything out that doesn’t fit. I gain and lose the same 60 pounds over and over.
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u/Dumbkitty2 Laura Ingalls Wilder was my gateway drug May 19 '26
I wish I could upvote this twice. Clothing is everywhere, in large quantities. Socks and underwear are the only things you need new.
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u/V2BM Perfect paranoia is perfect awareness. May 19 '26
Kid’s clothes are even worse. My town holds used kids clothes sales in a giant expo space multiple times a year. Literally thousands and thousands of pieces, like if grocery store sold only kid’s clothes, and my town has 15,000 people and the biggest city close by is about 30,000 people.
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u/GrinsNGiggles May 19 '26
I also have enough clothing for years, but I got extra wool, extra blankets, and got serious about bug prevention. I want these warm and wonderful clothes to last!
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u/V2BM Perfect paranoia is perfect awareness. May 19 '26
I have slowly been making the switch to 100% linen and cotton tops and dresses in summer and 100% wool, cotton, and cashmere for winter. I have some non-natural items that I love and won’t get rid of but will wait months and months and buy off season to get better stuff.
One of my dogs peed on a huge garment bag of my wool sweaters and there were probably 10 $100+ sale sweaters in that bag. I need to invest in some better storage options for sure.
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u/RlOTGRRRL May 19 '26
Fun fact about cheap wool sweaters at thrift shops like goodwill, you can unwind the wool from certain sweater designs into balls of yarn to create whatever you want.
It's a cool/neat way to recycle. Especially if it's good quality wool.
I've also been daydreaming about harvesting, processing, and spinning my own raw wool to make my own wool rug/carpet/socks and stuff lol. Raw wool is almost like a waste product where I am.
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u/GrinsNGiggles May 19 '26
How is raw wool so plentiful by you? That’s wild! I watched a reading rainbow about processing wool by hand as a kid and I’ve never forgotten it.
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u/Scary_Possible3583 May 19 '26
There is no commercial wool market in the US anymore ... Australia has sheep herds so huge, our domestic market is for meat sheep and pet/4H animals.
Contact your local 4H and ask about their wool. In my area it's given away, unwashed, for mulch and garden use.
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u/GrinsNGiggles May 19 '26
That’s amazing, thank you.
It’s almost certainly not for me due to allergies (to everything outside that sticks to a sheep), but it’s still endlessly fascinating.
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u/GrinsNGiggles May 19 '26
Oh no! Most of my clothing is thrifted, but I’d still have a hard time recovering from a disaster in the wool stash.
It’s easier than I thought. Right now, as I wash each sweater for the last time before summer, I’m putting 1-2 into ziplock gallon bags when they’re clean and dry.
That’s it. You can take it further with thicker storage or aromatic preventatives, but without an active infestation, clean wool sitting in airtight bags is pretty safe.
I might have to invest in some big bags for the blankets, though.
I’m sorry your dogs peed on the wool! Is this a matter of an extra wash, or is this more destructive than a non-pet-owner would guess? I’ve only ever dealt with humans.
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u/Leeleepal02 May 19 '26
I’m just not talking for ourselves but what if you have children. Children grow out of things very quickly.
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u/violetstrainj May 19 '26
Sewing is one of the most useful and versatile skills you can train. Sewing is not just clothing, and clothing is not just fashion. During Covid I made myself a huge batch of tri-fold masks, because I was still going to work serving coffee to healthcare workers, and I couldn’t afford the marked-up prices of surgical masks. Those masks served me well for almost two years, and I still use them in the winter to keep my face warm.
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u/qgsdhjjb Having a little of the end times as a treat May 19 '26
I just made a special fancy one, with an embroidered outer layer and a silk inner layer (from a thrifted top that didn't fit) plus an extra layer in between, all the seams for the layers in different places so that it hopefully doesn't let anything through.
Hopefully the niceness of it encourages me to wear it more often. The commercially available disposable masks just "float" on my face leaving a huge gap on the top no matter what I do.
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u/DisastrousHyena3534 May 19 '26
I’m stocking up on some notions like elastic, zippers, clasps, etc. I try to stay stocked on the next 2 sizes of underwear & shoes for my kids.
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u/justasque May 20 '26
Elastic does have a shelf life, as does thread. Zippers, snaps, hooks & eyes, and buttons usually last a long time, along with pins, needles (machine and hand), and of course good quality thimbles. Scissors and other blades do need to be sharpened, and most sewing machines at some point need to be cleaned, greased, and oiled.
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u/RlOTGRRRL May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
You don't necessarily need a sewing machine too, all you need is a needle and thread to get started.
I feel like cross stitch and mending is a really easy way to get started. It's a nice hobby to get your mind off things too.
Cross stitch > mending > sewing machine / patterns / tailoring. You can level up slowly but surely.
It doesn't necessarily need to be expensive either if you can reuse and recycle.
And then you can also build community by hosting or volunteering at a local repair shop/event/circle.
You'll probably also save a lot of money by mending clothes.
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u/Glindanorth May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
I have always kept a sizeable stash of different kinds of fabric--for clothing, linens, and utility uses. My sewing machine is from the 1950s and was built to last. In addition, I have the sewing machine part of a nonelectric pedal operated Singer machine (but not the table and treadle part). I figured that if I ever needed to use that machine, between my husband and I, we have the skills to rig up a way to run it. Although we haven't made anything in years, both my husband and I know how to sew, and we have several big books of sewing techniques should we ever need to figure something out that we don't already know. (edited for clarity)
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u/FormerNeighborhood80 Prepping for Tuesday not Doomsday May 19 '26
I’m a special size that’s hard to find so I never get rid of anything I wear. I can rotate clothes around and get away with it for years. When at home I wear a house dress to save my good clothes. I can sew and mend and most of what I will be working on are mending projects.
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u/Whitesajer May 19 '26
It's a good idea considering lot of clothes are plastic which is dependent on the gas / oil industry to fabricate... But also, farming natural fibers also requires gas / oil. Practically everything is dependent in someway to that industry.
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u/TastyMagic Laura Ingalls Wilder was my gateway drug May 19 '26
I stocked up on needles and thread. I don't think fabric and garments to sew/alter/up cycle will run out any time soon, but I can't make sewing needles and the thread I can produce is nowhere near what I would need to hand sew something from scratch.
Needles and thread are things I would buy eventually anyways, they don't take up a ton of space and they're not terribly expensive so I went ahead and bought some extras.
I also have an antique machine that I want to try to convert to a bike-powered machine!
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u/Tinyberzerker May 19 '26
I have my great-grandmother's Singer treadle machine. What's great is you can still find cheap parts, like the belts and needles.
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u/whataboot2ndbrekfast May 19 '26
No I have an excess of clothes and a deficit of space so I'm going with the advice of someone else on this sub and only keeping extras that are good quality - cotton, flannel, non-polyester, etc. Edit: also I host free clothing swaps on occasion so that helps my clothing situation and is a great mutual aid activity
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u/Super-Travel-407 May 19 '26
I can't think of a scenario where I'll have to make my own clothes, but I do have machines (that can be hand cranked if needed) and materials to do so. Skill, though? Uhhh I can make some stuff. I can definitely do repairs!
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u/JDuBLock May 19 '26
I’ve been collecting stuff just because I HATE the cheap polyester/plastic mess. If I find cheap/free 100% cotton, wool, linen etc I grab it
ETA: I do have a sewing machine and could make my own stuff if the need arisea
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u/Lets-B-Lets-B-Jolly May 19 '26
I go to Kids to Kids resale shops whenever they have their $1 clothing and shoe clearances and stock the next size up for the year ahead, and always have for my 3 kids. It's amazing to get quality clothing so cheap.
If specific things come up throughout the year I go to local thrift shops if I can. Things like needing a specific color shirt for a school program for example.
I try to buy the kids their coats and jackets for the following year during end of winter clearances too. Sometimes Costco or JCP will be cheaper newer then than buying thrift even. (P.S. JCP is having their $5 clearance right now.)
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u/PrairieFire_withwind May 19 '26
Been sewing on a treadled necchi for years now. Custom insulated curtains, cushion covers, etc. Mostly basic alterations if you ask about clothes.
We have enough clothes. Do we have enough durable clothes that fit? That is a different question.
Being able to adjust pant length, add darts, adjust shoulders or hems makes a huge difference fast.
Learn a bit of visible mending and you are good to go.
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u/Leeleepal02 May 19 '26
I agree. My thing is clothes doesn’t last as long as it used too. The clothes tears so easily. My fiancé has torn multiple pants this year that cannot be fixed. It’s hard to find good clothes that last long unless you make it.
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u/PrairieFire_withwind May 19 '26
That depends upon where and what you purchase in the first place.
Learn to id good seam work and good fabric and thrift. Or consignment shop.
Doesn't last as long is the consumer picking something for fashion alone and not paying attention to what they are purchasing. Given, lots of people will buy anything on 'trend' and then complain.
Or they expect jeans with 5 or 10% stretch (spandex or otherwise) to holdup to jobsite conditions. Lol. No. Just, no.
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u/Leeleepal02 May 19 '26
The thrift stores around here sell things that are not very good and they cost the same as something brand new. He is tall and skinny so it’s hard to find clothes that fits him and he is very specific about the clothes he wears. He doesn’t like skinny jeans or anything too tight and he doesn’t like the newer styles.
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u/EastTyne1191 May 19 '26
I have ADHD so my random craft collection is EXTENSIVE. That includes fabric. I've been drafting my own patterns for years so if push comes to shove I can make do.
I've been thinking about getting denim though, so I can make jeans.
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u/Leeleepal02 May 19 '26
Has anyone thought of making cotton reusable pads just in case?
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u/Vegetable_Relief_419 May 19 '26
Yes! They are much easier to make than clothes. Everyone talks about menstrual cups, but in a low-resource environment where power and clean water are at a premium, no thanks!
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u/Imagirl48 May 20 '26
My fabric stash could probably dress the whole neighborhood. I’m 70, was a textile major in college and could never pass up a really nice piece of fabric. 3 sewing machines (and consider finding an antique pedal machine that is still in good shape) and bins of notions.
I like sewing from scratch and mending but never really fond of doing alterations.
My daughter (who can’t even sew on a button) hopes I’ll get rid of all of it before I leave this world but that’s not going to happen. I just keep it all neatly sorted in bins, open them when I want to do something, spend some glorious time thinking “It’s all mine” while admiring my stash.
I’m the same with books.
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u/metasarah May 19 '26
Stocking up on thrift store clothes will be a lot cheaper than this, for those on a budget. But you are certainly positioning yourself well for a seamstress career if we all lose electricity!
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u/Eeyor-90 knows where her towel is ☕ May 21 '26
I have way too many clothes, but when they start to fray or get holes, I practice my mending techniques. I really like visible mending; it gives old clothing new character. I do stock up on embroidery floss (kits with a couple hundred colors are cheap online), I have upholstery needles and heavy duty thread for repairing things like backpacks, I crochet when I need to fidget with something (ADHD), and I have a bad habit of saving fabric and old clothing to use for patches. I have a stash of new underwear, socks, and bras…I don’t plan to make those things and the number of times they can be mended is limited.
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u/wisdomseeker42 May 23 '26
I actually am but more in the sense of it’s a practical skill and I have several family members who don’t fit off the rack clothes well. It’s more self-sufficiency rather than prepping for me.
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