mend
That word, for me, conjures up images of Caroline Ingalls (Little House on the Prairie) or Marilla Cuthbert (Anne of Green Gables) sitting with needle and thread and a basket of worn clothing beside them. It was a time when "re-use" was neither quaint or trendy. It wasn't even really considered "responsible" because it was normal, expected, necessary. Come to think of it, I have clear memories of my own mom doing a fair bit of darning back in the day.
While cleaning up my sewing studio as part of the January Cure, I discovered a basket full of things needing repair and decided I should get to them. The problem is, darning, patching, mending the old way is JUST SO BORING! So, in an attempt to make things more interesting, creative and fun-to-do, I broke the rules --finding inspiration from traditional Japanese boro stitching. Instead of trying to make near-as-invisible-as-possible fixes, I went for the shamelessly obvious ones!
While cleaning up my sewing studio as part of the January Cure, I discovered a basket full of things needing repair and decided I should get to them. The problem is, darning, patching, mending the old way is JUST SO BORING! So, in an attempt to make things more interesting, creative and fun-to-do, I broke the rules --finding inspiration from traditional Japanese boro stitching. Instead of trying to make near-as-invisible-as-possible fixes, I went for the shamelessly obvious ones!
I'm pretty sure Ma Ingalls and Marilla would be horrified, but I like the results!
Beautiful. There is something so satisfying about making something "as good as new". I recently had to darn my old hand-dyed, hand-spun, hand-knit purple cardigan. The one I made for myself decades ago. The elbows were literally threadbare and I had stopped wearing it for fear of wearing the elbows right through. Now, with reinforced elbows, I can wear it again knowing it will last another decade or 2.
ReplyDeleteA sweater with many stories to tell! I love it!
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