[Review] Fix Your Clothes by Raleigh Briggs

Title: Fix Your Clothes: The Sustainable Magic of Mending, Patching & Darning
Author: Raleigh Briggs
Publisher: Microcosm Publishing
Publishing Date: April 11th, 2017
Pages: 64

Ever had to say goodbye to a favorite item of clothing because of a busted zipper, fallen hem, or gaping hole? Want to save money and the world by not buying new clothes all the time? Concerned about the labor practices of fast fashion? If so, learn to repair your clothes from this cheerful, handwritten and hand-illustrated guide. 

Raleigh Briggs, author and illustrator of the bestselling Make Your Place: Affordable, Sustainable Nesting Skills takes us on a mending journey through stocking your supplies, quick fixes, types of knots and stitches, buttons, mending seams, patching holes, darning holes, hemming, fixing zippers, waterproofing canvas, leather, and nylon, and so much more! Raleigh’s style is simple, playful, friendly, fun, and builds your confidence. You can do it!

4 Triquetras for this short and sweet book!

Hey all! Today I have a cool lil' book to review for you! This one is called Fix Your Clothes by Raleigh Briggs, and I'm really happy to have this in my collection. 

Over on goodreads the reviews and ratings are a little harsh, so I figured I'd swoop in with my thoughts on the tiny text. It is a very short book at 64 pages, and a few of them are full page illustrations, so there's even less text/instruction. Some people really seemed to hate this, but I didn't mind, because I knew what I was getting into when I purchased the book. 

If you're looking for an in depth manual on how to mend clothing, then you'll probably be disappointed with this. 

If you're looking for a painless introduction on how to fix your clothing that has some illustrations, if you do well with written instructions, or if you're already familiar with sewing and need a guidebook that compiles common fixes into one location then this will be the book for you. 

This book does not cover every single stitch. It does not cover mending in intricate detail, and very close diagrams and illustrations. This is basically an expanded pamphlet/zine on how to begin your journey with eco-friendliness, and sticking it to the ThrowAwayCulture. 

I also saw that someone thought (understandably based on the subtitle) that this was about sustainability magic, so if you're looking for eco-friendly spellwork/ritual, then you won't find that here. Instead, try to look at the art of mending clothing as part of Daily Magic and smaller things you can do to heal the Earth, one darned (get it?) pair of socks at a time. 

Overall, I was really happy with this book, but because it's so basic and was a little pricey ($6.95) I'm giving it 4 stars. I would have liked a little more out of something for that price, when most mass market paperbacks are around that price point for about 200+ pages.

Then again, as I'm thinking aloud here, this comes from Microcosm Publishing a kickass publishing house that is indie so in actuality I'm ok with my dollars going there to support the indie/zine/solarpunk vibe they've got going! 

About the Author

Raleigh Brigs is the best-selling author of Make Your Place: Affordable, Sustainable Nesting Skills and several DIY zines. She lives with her husband and two needy cats in Seattle, WA