Letter Re: Sewing, Mending and Altering Your Clothing After the Ball Drops

James Wesley,
I have a few comments on the recent clothing article:
 
Good heavy work clothing is around, if you know where to look. Carhartt, Prison Blues, Roundhouse, Wild Ass jeans and Dickies to name just a few of the better known names. Treat this clothing as an investment and buy it even if its expensive as it’s worth every penny.
 
Buttons.  Lay in a store of metal buttons.  I can’t tell you how many plastic, conventional buttons I’ve smashed working on something.  Metal shirt and pant buttons don’t break and wear for years. Plan on making clothes using buttons, including suspender buttons.  Zippers break, jam and are far harder to replace than good metal buttons. 
 
Lay in a pattern for overalls.  Sure, they look dorky but there isn’t a better piece of clothing for hard work.  You can get them with double knees, all of them have the metal buttons, and the well made ones are made with 12 ounce denim, so they wear well for years.  Lots of pockets for tools, easy to layer up under them in cold weather, it’s no wonder they’ve been in use for decades. – Bill S.