Ever notice the celebrity walking the red carpet in a barely there dress, waving and sashaying while all the important parts stay covered?  Have you noticed how the button up shirts of your favorite male and female TV actors never gap to reveal a bit of skin in between?   Lastly, have you watched a dancer turn, flip and jump and notice the costume stays perfectly in place?

The entertainment industry has known for years how to keep a wardrobe in place using double sided fabric tape.  Whether you are in the spotlight or not, we recommend double sided fabric tape for temporary repairs and quick fixes.

Double sided fabric tape comes in a little roll that looks similar to a roll of scotch tape.  You can find this item at a fabric store, drug store, grocery store and online.  It’s inexpensive, clear, and won’t leave a residue or damage your clothes.  The application is quick and easy with no need to iron or sew.  Fabric tape can be used on a variety of fabrics including leather and denim.  However, be careful when applying to delicates such as silk.

Most common uses for double sided fabric tape:

Quickly repair a hem in your pants or skirt.  Turn the garment inside out and lay it flat.  Cut the amount needed and place sticky side of tape below the hem stitching on the backside.  Fold over the fabric of the outside of the hem and smooth with your hand.  Press to secure.

Secure a bursting button down.  Place one side of the tape right above the buttons.  Connect the other side secretly underneath the part of the shirt that loops over the button

Tape down the top of a gaping shirt.  Tape along the top edge of a shirt that gaps when you bend over.  Connect the other side of the tape to your own skin so that it doesn’t reveal all when you bend down to pick something up.

Other uses for double sided fabric tape include: 

• Tack down a button down shirt collar
• Fix a peek a boo bra strap to spaghetti strap tank tops & party dresses.
• Secure a wrap dress
• Secure a loose sling back shoe
• Keep your scarves and belts in place  

We recommend having double sided tape on hand now before you really need it.  It’s especially handy when traveling this season. 

What have you used double sided tape for?  We’d love to hear your tips! 

If your garment needs permanently altered or repaired, Classic Cleaners has a full service seamstress at our main plant on Bash Street in Castleton.

Buttons have it rough. With all of the pulling and snagging they endure, sometimes they crack, come unraveled or break into pieces. At Classic Cleaners, we sew on new buttons should there be any broken or missing ones on your laundered shirts. If you’re at home, you might want to take care of the replacement yourself.

No matter what style of seamstress or dresser you are, the process for sewing on a button stays the same. So here are two tutorials for two different audiences. Pick your favorite.

Quickie, How-to Sew on a Button, Threadbanger. So, you’re a hipster with a lose button. This video is for you.

Wisdom from Grandma: How to Sew on a Button. Grandma gives you a lot of details and encouragement.

Even if you little one is an angel or a princess this Halloween, devilish stains can cause monstrous headaches for the person in charge of laundry. Here are some tips on getting out those spooky Halloween stains.

Chocolate

From kisses and nuggets to coatings and coins, chocolate is a tough customer. Here’s how to get it out:

1. Lay the stained area down on a couple layers of paper towels and blot the backside of the stain with a heavy-duty liquid detergent. This will help the stain leech out onto the towels.

2. Launder according to fabric care label.

3. If the stain remains, take it to your dry cleaner.

Chewing Gum

If it takes a jar of peanut butter and bag of ice to remove chewing gum from your child’s hair — if you haven’t resorted to scissors — imagine what it can do to her clothes. Here’s how to get it out:

1. Place garment in plastic bag and put in freezer.

2. Scrape off frozen gum.

3. If residue remains, blot with oil solvent or mineral spirits.

4. Rinse with isopropyl alcohol; let dry.

5. Follow up with an enzyme detergent before washing.

6. If the stain remains, take it to your dry cleaner.

Lipstick

So you’re little one dressed up as a rock star for Halloween. Of course, a little strategically smeared lipstick was necessary to pull off the look. Here’s how to get it out:

1. Gently scrape off excess lipstick.

2. Using an eyedropper, apply a dry solvent such as mineral spirits and tamp with a soft-bristled brush.

3. Rinse with isopropyl alcohol and tamp.

4. Repeat until all of stain is removed.

5. Once removed, spray area with diluted dishwashing-soap solution.

6. Follow up with an enzyme detergent before washing.

7. If the stain remains, take it to your dry cleaner.

It’s back to school time and we have some tips for getting your guy or gal ready to take on the world.

Growing Like Weeds

Your kids are growing by leaps and bounds. They could have grown an inch just over the summer break. Before you find yourself sending them off to school in ankle-length jeans and ¾-length sleeve sweaters, do a little trying on.

Ask them to slip on a pair of pants, a long-sleeved shirt and, for the girls, a skirt. Once you have one of each of these items that is the right leg length, sleeve length and skirt length, you can run through the rest of their clothing and compare.

Pass along or donate clothes that are either too worn to keep around or are beyond your child’s size. The same goes for school uniforms. If pants or skirts are just a bit too short, bring them into Classic Cleaners to let the hem out. Our alterations experts can help.

Good Night’s Sleep

Be sure your little one is getting enough sleep. If your kids have been staying up later during the summer months, ease them back into a pattern of going to bed early. Research shows that healthy minds need sleep for improved recall of what you’ve learned, concentration and attention, and problem solving and idea creation.

Our bodies need plenty to sleep so that our muscles, bones, and skin can grow and repair themselves properly. Sleep also helps us fight sickness, which is especially rampant when so many kids are together sharing germs.

Besides encouraging a habit of going to bed early, you can make your child’s bedroom extra comfortable. At Classic Cleaners, we can help with our down pillow rejuvenation and bed linen services.