Appropriate Attire and Repair

So what are you wearing in the garden? Well, I can tell you right now I'm not wearing the hand-me-down overalls my cousin gave me since I ripped the leg out of them. Well, almost. The rip went about halfway down the leg. But it made me think about what we wear in the garden and why. And yes they are being repaired. I can't make myself part with them. I'll touch on the repair later.

When I started out gardening, I was given a list of what to wear. It looked something like this:

Plus it even said wear long sleeves to prevent ticks and scrapes...and to be honest, who does that in 100° weather? There, I said it. But there are still some standards and flexibility as well. I don't wear knee pads or an apron. I usually wear a cap or hat, and I'm fair skinned so I try to put on sunscreen.

As for my apparel, my shirt depends on the season. The gloves depends on what I'm doing. If it's summer and I'm volunteering at the old cemetery then I'll sport a t-shirt, overalls, sneakers and a cap. And I'll use my long leather gloves since I'll likely deal with roses. In fall it's overalls, t-shirt, gloves, hat, and a Carhartt jacket. The Carhartt jacket was a gift. The overalls were purchased at Tractor Supply. I find that they are better than a garden apron as they have pockets and stay out of the way.

In summer months I also bring a neck fan and water. There are also breathable sleeves that I can slip on that keep me cool and protect from cuts and insects. In fall and winter I wear steel-toed, water repellent boots. And yes they are men's Brahma boots but they do the job.

Now as for rips in clothing, like the overalls. If the rip is at a seam, those can be easily repaired. If it's a shirt, I'd get out the fancier machine so I could do a straight stitch and then reinforce it with a zig-zag stitch, but we are talking about overalls...and old ones at that. For that I'll just get out one of my treadle sewing machines (that's not a typo) and do two straight stitch seams. If the power goes out when I'm doing this, treadle on. Once you learn your rhythm there they aren't hard, in fact now that I've been doing it a few years I could get my treadles going before I can get the fancy one going. So enjoy the laugh at my expense. Happy gardening!