https://archive.org/details/the-new-dressmaker-with-comple-butterick-publishing-company <--is from 1921, but very clear illustrations and useful.
A good wool sweater is worth it, especially if you run cold, but you may not get much use out of it if you live in like the tropics. Can you purchase something smaller that you may use more, like a hat?
This book, while slightly dated, is an excellent resource for the base skills needed for sewing and understanding how garments work in order to effectively repair them. I own a copy from 1952 that my grandmother gave me, and another copy from '77 that I bought for like 3 dollars at a used book store so I can keep my grandma's copy in archive and put up. It explains different types of fabric, how to launder them, how to hand sew, and some basic sewing machine maintenance and tips on top of more advanced sewing techniques like pattern drafting and decoration. I use it constantly, especially when buying fabric. This blog post is a great guide to the basic hand sewing stitches and when to use them. If you need a tip about a specific item, please post it and we'll help.
Not overly experienced with silk so anyone feel free to correct me. You have a couple options depending on what state your clothes are in, you can use some silk thread for darning over holes or patch mending with the same silk fabric (or get a fusible fabric) to repair. Honestly the easiest and least noticeable way is to start with reinforcing the parts of the shirt you know are weak areas like adding some small and tight stitches to seams as you notice them fraying or adding some extra fabric layers to the armpits. You can also get some silk seam binding tape to add to the edges of the seams
@heisenbuug is right on the money for how to mend. Silk is very delicate and makes a very delicate fabric, unfortunately wearing it with any regularity will just result in what you are experiencing. It will never last as long as a polyblend or even cotton. That's just how the cookie crumbles.
Make sure it's legal for you to plant cotton in your area; it's a protected plant in many states, and if it's not legal for you to cultivate it and TPTB catch you growing your own you could be in some serious shit. Basically there are some pests that fuck up cotton, and commercial cotton production knows how to deal with them. At-home growers may not know how to deal with them, and if you're near to a cotton production zone and those weevils get big and move into their field it could fuck up the supply.
I don't live in the US and as far as I've checked it's legal where I'm from, but Its still good to know. I'll keep an eye out for bugs. If it fails it's no big deal I got the seeds cheap from a friend and I can always get more and try again.
Ooh! Green cotton fibers with no need for dyes! That sounds so lovely, I'd love to get some to play with!
I struggle with this as well and unfortunately irl commitments have impeded upon my shitposting and stitching time. Once I am able to I hope to begin posting some of my more recent endeavors, identifiable info obscured, but it looks like that will be awhile from now. I would love to upload some of my resources and make a generally more helpful OP for the thread too. If there are general topics people would like to see covered please feel free to suggest them!
What is everyone working on? What are you planning on working on next? And what other fiber hobbies are you interested in/hoping to pick up? Currently I have a pair of colorwork socks that I started on about a month ago. Had to frog the toe and add another inch to the overall length since I hecked up measurements. Also planning on repairing a hole in a shirt which I may or may not post photos of.
Not to be nitpicky, but I think this thread is just for advice and not for general stitch-n-bitch. We already have a sewing circle/general crafts threadWelcome to the thread @JanuaryViolet and @Quack_Quack! If there's anything I hope to contribute to KF it would be an active TERF stitch n' bitch/knitting circle. I'm happy to see there are supporters to my cause.
I struggle with this as well and unfortunately irl commitments have impeded upon my shitposting and stitching time. Once I am able to I hope to begin posting some of my more recent endeavors, identifiable info obscured, but it looks like that will be awhile from now. I would love to upload some of my resources and make a generally more helpful OP for the thread too. If there are general topics people would like to see covered please feel free to suggest them!
In general I think any discussion is helpful at this point, even if we can't share current or past projects.
It depends on where the hole is. I would take this to a shoe repair first, this isn't the sort of thing you can do at home. The problem is that genuine shoe repair services are getting rare, and it's becoming a lost art. If you have any inclination to learn this sort of thing as a trade, I encourage you to do so.
