Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago

---

Question: Have you ever repaired clothing?

Chelsey Byrd Lewallen is a senior instructor in the Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences at U of I and a sewist who’s rethinking the way we wear, care for and keep our clothes. In this episode, she discusses her new book, “Clothing Alterations and Repairs: Maintaining a Sustainable Wardrobe” and shares how small choices — like repairing instead of replacing and buying better garments from the get-go — can make a big impact on our closets, our wallets and the planet.

Chapters
0:00 Have you ever repaired clothing?
2:55 Getting to know Chelsey Byrd Lewallen
3:55 On writing a book
5:55 Clothing manufacturing 101
12:44 Building a sustainable wardrobe
17:44 Clothing repair basics
20:26 Building a sustainable mindset
24:32 Pick one small change
26:18 Final thoughts

Read Chelsey's bio at https://go.uidaho.edu/4gZXuWQ

Learn more about the Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences at https://go.uidaho.edu/3KrkCRR

Check out Chelsey's book “Clothing Alterations and Repairs: Maintaining a Sustainable Wardrobe” at https://go.uidaho.edu/4o7syGp

Find more Vandal Theory Podcast episodes at https://uidaho.edu/newsroom/the-vandal-theory