Don't waste money by throwing away clothes that just need a small repair. Here are a few of the most commonly needed repairs, which are simple enough to do yourself: how to repair a zip; how to repair a tear; how to mend a seam; how to replace a button; how to mend a hem...

By Janet Palmer. Illustrations: Terry Evans

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If the runner slips off the teeth, the zip should ideally be replaced, but in an emergency it can be repaired.

1 Pull the runner down to the bottom. About 1cm/½in above the bottom, cut the zip tape between the teeth on the disengaged side.

2 Pull the runner up past the cut in the tape, working the teeth into the runner above the cut.

3 Just above the cut, sew overcast stitches to hold the two sides together and form a new bottom stop.

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Lay the garment wrong-side up on the ironing board. Butt the edges of the tear tightly together and press. Cut a piece of iron-on mending tape larger than the tear and iron on (left, top). On the right side, work small stitches backwards and forwards across the tear, by hand or with a three-step zigzag on the machine, as shown (left, middle and below), using thread to match your fabric, then press. Iron-on mending tape is available from John Lewis (0845 604 9049). If you can’t get a good match, use fusible fleece to fix a piece of matching fabric in place.

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When it's just a case of the stitching having come undone, simply restitch the seam from the wrong side either by hand or by machine, making sure the new stitching overlaps the ends of the old stitching, and fasten the end threads securely.

If the fabric has ripped, you'll need to mend it first. Press an iron-on patch on to the wrong side to hold the edges together or use double-sided fusible fleece or hemming web to press a piece of lightweight fabric onto the wrong side. Sew small running stitches backwards and forwards across the tear. Depending on the size of the tear, either sew small overcast stitches to hold the edges together or sew small running stitches backwards and forwards across the tear. Then restitch the seam as described above. If there's plenty of room in the garment, the seam can be restitched inside the original stitching line to hide any fabric damage completely.

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The fabric may be torn beneath the button, in which case mend the tear first. Press an iron-on patch on to the wrong side to hold the edges together or use doublesided fusible fleece or hemming web to press a piece of lightweight fabric onto the wrong side.

Sew small running stitches backwards and forwards across the tear.Sew on flat buttons with a thread shank so the fabric lies smoothly when the garment is fastened. The thicker the fabric, the longer the shank should be.

Using double sewing thread, sew on the button quite loosely, stitching in the same direction as the rest of the buttons. Wind the thread around these stitches between the button and the fabric to form a shank. Finish the stitching securely on the wrong side of the garment.

Use strong button thread for jackets and coats or if sewing on metal buttons, as these can cut through the thread.

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On a garment with a machined hem, restitch it in the same way. If it is blind-hemmed, restitch it by hand. Pin the hem in place. Using a single thread, lift the edge of the hem and catch-stitch, picking up just one thread of the fabric on the garment and then a thread or two in the hem.

Sew the stitches about 1cm/½in apart and keep them loose to prevent puckering. The stitch should be hardly visible on the right side. For a no-stitch quick fix, use hemming web to fuse the hem in place.

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