The Gift Of The Magi

I love clothes. Getting dressed is one of my favourite forms of expression. But I’m trying to focus more on extending the life of the clothing I have rather than acquiring new garments. I’ve explored ways to mend and upcycle in the past but I’m also researching ways to prevent clothes from wearing out prematurely.

That’s why my Christmas presents to myself this year are a new clothes shaver and a portable lint brush. I was partially inspired by a post by Die Workwear, a men’s fashion blogger. He was responding to a question about garment care. I already have most of the the suggestions on his list (mesh laundry bag, fabric brush, shoe shine kit, Oxy Clean, garment drying rack) but one recommendation that I lacked was a Sweater Shaver.

I love wooden things which means that my two biggest enemies are moths and pilling. I have spent whole evenings snipping pills off of sweaters. I’ve tried electric sweater shavers before but usually cheap small units from Dollarama that didn’t really work. But snipping can damage fabric. So I’ve decided to give the sweater shaver one more chance.

I picked up this large Unique & Creative Lint Remover from Walmart. I like it because it’s rechargeable (trying to cut down on batteries too). I’ve tested it out on a wool overcoat and a pair of knit pants with good results.

Since I was travelling for the holidays I also picked up a portable lint brush (I have a very good but oversized one at home) at the local Fabricland. This one has two surfaces for lifting up loose hair and lint. It can really revive the surface of a fabric!