mending & alterations

Does your favorite sweater have a hole? Did you thrift an amazing pair of slacks but they do not quite fit perfectly? BARA BARA SOFTS WARES offers mending and alteration services for local Bay Area customers. 

Mending and alterations are nuanced and very context dependent. Garments made of 100% or majority natural fibers are much more amenable to mending. Examples of garments that BARA BARA does not mend include items such as athletic wear made of spandex or lycra (leggings, running shorts, bra tops, etc.). Additionally, BARA BARA currently does not have the equipment to mend leather goods or heavy denim. Please contact us for a specific quote and include the following information:

  • Name
  • Detailed description of the issue such as:
    • MENDING ~ A detailed photograph of the tear/hole or issue that needs fixing, a photograph of the overall garment, a photograph of the clothing label. Please specify if you would like visible or invisible mend.*
    • ALTERATIONS ~ A photograph of the overall garment and a detailed explanation of what part of the garment you would like altered.

Please contact for a quote, however, some general pricing guidelines are as follows: 

Knitwear

small hole (less than .5"), thick yarn (4 sts/in -), light colored — invisible mending $12, visible mending $8

small hole, thin yarn (6 sts/in +), dark colored — invisible mending $20, visible mending $12

Woven (not stretchy) wear

small tear (less than 1") within .5" of a seam, medium weight fabric (10-12oz), no patch required — $10

large tear (3-5") in the middle of a fabric panel, medium weight fabric, patch required — $35-65

We will contact you to schedule a 15 minute in-person consultation to clarify the details. Please keep in mind that most mending requires a minimum of one week turn around time. Pricing is variable and will be determined after consultation.

*A note on visible versus invisible mending: invisible mending attempts to restore the integrity of the garment as seamlessly as possible. The degree of invisibility is highly dependent on the nature of the issue and the materials available for mending. For instance, a red sweater with a hole can be fixed with a red yarn, though the red yarn used to darn the hole may not perfectly match the original sweater's yarn. Visible mending, in addition to restoring your garment, offers you the opportunity to personalize your clothing. Examples of visible mending include patches, creative stitching patterns, etc.