Chapter 1
Tailoring in Build 42
Every bite starts as a hole in your clothes. Tailoring closes the holes and thickens the cloth. It is the quietest armor skill in the game.
Tailoring lets you patch torn clothing, pad intact clothing for more defense, and at high levels fully repair holes. Build 42 also added craftable clothes, bags and armor pieces.
Patch
Close a hole with fabric. The patch adds defense based on the fabric and your skill.
Pad
Add fabric to a spot with no hole. Same defense boost, no damage needed.
Craft
Bandanas, bags, wraps and leather armor from strips, thread and wool.
The tailor's loop
- RipSpare clothes into strips.
- ThreadLoot it, pick it, or spin it.
- InspectRead each body part of a garment.
- SewPatch holes. Pad weak spots.
- WearLayers stack.
- Re-sewAfter big skill jumps.
Why it matters
Leather patches at high Tailoring can push scratch defense on a limb near 100% and bite defense very high. A tailor walks through fights a bare survivor does not survive.
Watch out: Build 42 changed thread
In old versions, ripping clothes gave thread. Not any more. Ripping gives strips only. Thread is its own supply chain now. Chapter 4 covers it.
Chapter 2
Build your tailor
Tailoring XP is small per action, 2 per sew, so books and traits matter more than usual.
Tailor (job)
The new Build 42 tailoring job. Starts with Tailoring levels and knows clothing recipes.
Sewer (trait)
+1 Tailoring. Cheap and solid on any build.
Fast Learner (trait)
130% XP. Because 2 XP per sew is slow.
Thick Skinned (trait)
Not tailoring, but the same goal: fewer scratches get through.
Watch out: point costs change
The game makers still tune traits and jobs. Always read the numbers on your own character screen.
Tailoring is a normal skill with 5 books at 3, 5, 8, 12 and 16 times XP. Level 1 needs 75 XP, so at 2 XP a sew that is about 38 sews without a book, or 13 with Tailoring I.
Chapter 3
Needle, thread and fabric
3 things on the table. Only 2 of them get used up.
Needle
Kept, not used up. Metal, bone, brass or forged needles all work. Bone needles come from Carving. Needles have condition and wear out slowly.
Thread
1 use per sew. Spools from loot. Or make it. Twine works for some early recipes.
Fabric
1 strip per sew. Ripped sheets, denim strips or leather strips. Must be clean.
Make strips
Right-click a spare cotton garment and rip it. You get ripped sheets. Denim and leather clothes need scissors or a sharp knife to cut into denim strips and leather strips.
Secret: dirty strips get washed
The patch menu only uses clean strips. Wash dirty ones in water. Bloody rags become bandages and patches again.
Chapter 4
Where thread comes from
Thread is the bottleneck of Build 42 tailoring. Know all 3 sources.
| Source | How | Gives |
|---|---|---|
| Loot | Spools of thread in bedrooms, sewing kits and stores | A spool with many uses |
| Pick Thread | Tailoring 1. Destroy a ripped sheet or denim strip with a needle, tweezers or awl in hand | 1 thread use per strip |
| Spin it | Raw wool or heckled flax on a spinning wheel, Carpentry 5 to build | 20 thread per wool or flax |
Secret: sheep are thread factories
Shear a sheep, spin the wool, get 20 thread. One flock keeps a tailor supplied forever. See the Animal Care guide.
Secret: flax is a crop
Grow flax, process it into heckled flax, spin it. A farm can feed the sewing kit too.
Watch out: sinew thread is different
Animal sinew from butchering becomes sinew thread. Some crafting recipes accept it. Check the recipe before you count on it for patches.
Chapter 5
Inspect: read your clothes
Every garment covers several body parts. Inspect shows you each one.
Open the garment view
Right-click a piece of clothing and choose Inspect. A panel lists each body part it covers, with holes, patches, and scratch, bite and bullet defense numbers.
Hole
A torn spot. Zero defense there. Offers Patch Hole.
Intact
No hole, no patch. Offers Add Padding.
Patched
Already sewn. Offers Remove Patch.
Secret: the tooltip shows your future defense
Hover a fabric choice and it shows the exact scratch and bite bonus at your current level. Compare before you sew.
Watch out: some items have no fabric type
Many helmets, hard armor pieces and some shoes cannot take fabric patches. When they break, replace them.
Chapter 6
Patch a hole, step by step
This is the core action. 2 XP each, and real defense on the spot you sew.
Gather the kit
Needle, thread and clean strips in your inventory.
Inspect and pick the part
Right-click the garment, Inspect. Right-click the body part with the hole. Choose Patch Hole.
Pick the fabric
Ripped sheet, denim strip or leather strip. Leather is best. The tooltip shows the numbers.
Watch out: defense is locked in when you sew
The patch's defense is set by your Tailoring level at that moment. Leveling up later does not improve old patches. Re-sew important spots after big jumps.
Watch out: a patch is not a full repair
Patching closes the hole and adds defense. It does not fully restore the garment's condition. Full repair comes at high level, in Chapter 9.
Chapter 7
Padding: armor before the hole
You do not need a hole to sew. Padding adds defense to an intact spot.
Add padding
Inspect the garment. Right-click an intact body part. Choose Add Padding. Pick the fabric.
Where to pad first
- Neck. Bites there are the killers.
- Forearms and hands. Where zombies grab.
- Chest and groin. Big targets.
- Legs last.
Secret: layers stack
Defense adds up across everything you wear. A padded shirt under a padded jacket under a padded vest is 3 layers of leather on the same arm. That is how players reach near-total scratch defense.
Defense stacker
Scaled from the player-reported level 10 leather patch: about 20% scratch and 10% bite. Denim is about half, sheet about a fifth. An estimate for one body part.
Chapter 8
Which fabric where
3 fabrics, 3 tiers. The best goes on the outfit you actually wear.
| Fabric | Defense | Where from | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ripped sheet | Low | Any cotton clothing | Training, and cheap padding |
| Denim strip | Medium | Jeans and denim jackets, cut with scissors | A good everyday outfit |
| Leather strip | High | Leather jackets and pants, cut with scissors, or tanned hides | The outfit you fight in |
Players report a level 10 leather patch gives about 10% bite and 20% scratch defense per patch.
Secret: XP does not care about fabric
A ripped sheet patch gives the same 2 XP as a leather patch. Train on sheets. Save leather for the level 8 outfit.
Secret: the hunter is the tailor's supplier
Tanned hides cut into leather strips. A deer a week keeps a tailor in leather. See the Butchering and Hunting guides.
Chapter 9
Full repair and removing patches
High level tailors do not patch. They restore.
Full restore
Above Tailoring 7, if the patch fabric matches the garment's own fabric, the hole is fully repaired instead of patched. Cotton on cotton, denim on denim, leather on leather. The garment is as good as new.
Remove a patch
Inspect, right-click a patched part, Remove Patch. Needs a needle. You get the strip back only sometimes: 10% at level 0, plus 5% per level, so 60% at level 10.
Secret: the remove-and-resew grind
Patch a spot, remove it, patch it again. Each patch is 2 XP. It eats thread and strips, so do it with ripped sheets on a junk garment.
Watch out: sources disagree on the repair level
One fan guide says above 7. Player reports say 8. Either way, it is a late reward. Plan for 8 and be pleasantly surprised.
Chapter 10
Crafting clothes and armor
Build 42 turned Tailoring into a crafting skill too. Rags become bandanas, bags and armor.
| Craft | Needs | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Rag bandana | Needle or awl, 2 ripped sheets, 1 thread or twine | The level 0 grind. 8 base XP each. |
| Neck guards and wraps | Fabric, thread, needle | Players report these as the mid-level grind. |
| Garbage bag clothing | Garbage bags and duct tape | No needle or thread needed. Rain gear and early XP. |
| Leather armor pieces | Leather, thread, higher Tailoring | Real armor from tanned hides. |
| Tire armor | Tires, a hacksaw, a magazine | A late Build 42 addition. |
| Bags and sacks | Burlap or leather | Burlap is woven from dogbane or hemp on a loom. |
Watch out: shortening clothes gives no XP
Cutting jeans into shorts makes strips. It does not level Tailoring. Sew things instead.
Chapter 11
Heat, weight and the cost of armor
Armor is not free. Every layer costs something.
- Heat. Layers and leather are warm. In summer, a fully padded survivor overheats. Overheating slows you and hurts your aim.
- Weight. Heavy clothes tire you faster.
- Speed. Some armor slows your swings or your run.
- Vision. Some headgear narrows what you see.
Secret: a summer kit and a winter kit
Keep 2 outfits. Light and padded for summer. Heavy and layered for winter. Tailoring makes both.
Chapter 12
Training plan: 0 to 10
2 XP per sew. 8 per bandana. The plan is volume, done with cheap fabric.
Level 0 to 1: bandanas
Read Tailoring I. Rip spare cotton clothes. Sew rag bandanas: needle or awl, 2 ripped sheets, 1 thread or twine. About 10 to 40 bandanas gets you to level 1.
Levels 1 to 5: pick thread and pad your outfit
Unlock Pick Thread. Turn spare rags into thread. Pad every part of the outfit you actually wear with ripped sheets. 2 XP each, real defense too. Read II and III as you go.
Levels 5 to 10: sheep, spinning wheel, leather
Build a spinning wheel at Carpentry 5. Spin wool for thread. Now the grind is unlimited. Remove and resew junk garments if you want speed. At 8, re-sew your real outfit in leather.
Secret: garbage bag clothes for a no-loot start
Garbage bags and duct tape make clothing with no needle or thread. Players use it for the first levels in low-loot worlds.
Level by level: Tailoring
The best single thing to do at each level. Read the matching book first when one exists.
| Level | Do this for most of your XP | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 1 | Read Tailoring I. Sew rag bandanas | 8 XP each, about 10 to 40 to level 1 |
| 1 to 2 | Pick Thread unlocks. Pad your worn outfit with sheets | 2 XP a sew and real defense |
| 2 to 3 | Pad every body part on every layer you wear | Dozens of sews per outfit |
| 3 to 4 | Read Tailoring II. Remove and resew a junk garment | The loop that never ends |
| 4 to 5 | Build a spinning wheel at Carpentry 5, shear sheep | Thread stops being the limit |
| 5 to 6 | Read Tailoring III. Craft neck guards and wraps | Crafts pay more than patches |
| 6 to 7 | Resew the real outfit in denim | Better defense while you grind |
| 7 to 8 | Read Tailoring IV. Full repairs with matching fabric | Repairs count as sews |
| 8 to 9 | Resew the fighting outfit in leather | Locks in high-level defense |
| 9 to 10 | Read Tailoring V. Leather armor pieces | The top crafts |
Sewing kit checklist
Tools
Fabric
Plan
Your ticks are saved in this browser, on this device only.
Chapter 13
Tips, tricks and fixes
20 tips from the sewing table
Setup
- Take Sewer or Tailor.
- Grab every needle, spool and sewing kit.
- Keep scissors. Denim and leather need them.
- Wash dirty strips. Only clean ones sew.
- Read the book before a sewing session.
Sewing
- Train on ripped sheets. Same XP as leather.
- Pad the neck, forearms and hands first.
- Sew the outfit you wear, not the one in the crate.
- Check the tooltip before choosing fabric.
- Re-sew key spots after a big level jump.
- Layer. Defense stacks.
- Above 7 or 8, match fabric to fabric for full repairs.
Supply
- Pick Thread at level 1.
- A spinning wheel and sheep end the thread problem.
- Flax and hemp are crops. Grow them.
- Hunt deer for leather strips.
- Shortening clothes gives strips, not XP.
- Garbage bag clothes need no thread.
- Keep a summer outfit and a winter outfit.
- Replace helmets. They cannot be patched.
Fix-it table
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Ripping clothes gives no thread. | Build 42 changed it. | Loot spools, Pick Thread at level 1, or spin wool. |
| No Patch Hole option. | No needle, no thread, or dirty strips. | Get all 3 in your inventory. Wash the strips. |
| I cannot patch my helmet. | No fabric type. | Replace it when it breaks. |
| My old patches are weak. | Defense was locked at sew time. | Remove and resew at your new level. |
| Patching did not fix the condition. | Patches close holes only. | Full repair needs high Tailoring and matching fabric. |
| I cannot cut denim. | No scissors or knife. | Get scissors, not dull. |
| I am overheating. | Too many layers. | Strip a layer in summer. |
| Tailoring is slow. | 2 XP per sew is normal. | Books, bandanas, and the remove-resew loop. |
| Shortening jeans gave no XP. | By design. | Sew the strips into something. |
| I lost my strip when removing a patch. | Reclaim is a roll. | 10% plus 5% per level. Accept the loss. |
Chapter 14
Tailor's test
7 questions. Get them all right and you can sew armor.
Chapter 15
Words and sources
Tailor's word list
- Patch
- Fabric sewn over a hole.
- Padding
- Fabric sewn onto an intact spot for extra defense.
- Strip
- A piece of fabric: ripped sheet, denim or leather.
- Pick Thread
- The level 1 recipe that turns a strip into thread.
- Spinning wheel
- A Carpentry 5 station that spins wool or flax into thread.
- Heckled flax
- Processed flax ready to spin.
- Inspect
- The garment view showing every body part.
- Full restore
- A high-level repair that removes the hole entirely.
- Awl
- A pointed tool that can stand in for a needle in some recipes.
- Loom
- A station that weaves fiber into burlap.
How sure are we?
Every fact here was checked in September 2026 for game version 42.20.4. Order of trust: the official wiki, then well-sourced fan guides, then player reports.
- Thread rules, Pick Thread, spinning, scissors for denim and leather, padding raising defense. Confirmed on the official wiki.
- 2 XP per sew, 8 per bandana, the 75 XP first level, reclaim chances. From fan guides reading 42.19 data.
- Full repair level. Sources say above 7 or at 8. Flagged in the guide.
- Per-patch defense at level 10. A player report.
- Job and trait values. May change.
Sources
- PZwiki (the official wiki): Tailoring, Tailoring (crafting)
- PZfans tailoring guides for 42.19 (XP values, defense at sew time, reclaim chance, bandana grind)
- Projectzomboid.wiki tailoring page (inspect loop, craftable armor)
- Vortex Gaming tailoring guide (garbage bag clothing, neck guards)
- Steam Community discussions (level 10 patch defense)