Help for Mending Clothes (or, To Mend or Not to Mend?)

Two things about me.  First, when I find clothes I love to wear, I wear them until they are almost threadbare.  Second, I really dislike repairing clothing.  These two facts are in opposition to each other, but I do mend clothes sometimes.  Until lately my thought was that mends should not call attention to themselves, should be as close to invisible as possible.  These days, along comes the idea that patches on clothes can be an accent, a point of interest, a fun way to show individuality.  I'm not quite there yet.  After all, how can a 75-year-old lady not look like a bag lady when she's walking around with patches covering her clothes?!  But I'm game to give obvious mends a try on the clothes I wear only at home.

I think these three books I found at the library are very helpful.  Mending is a popular topic these days!

Disclaimer:  To be honest, I did not read every word of every page of these books.  I used them more as reference manuals.

Make Thrift Mend. Stitch, Patch, Darn, Plant-dye & Love Your Wardrobe by Katrina Rodabaugh

Topics include 

• making new, embellishing, making something new from used fabric
• making natural dyes and dying clothes
• mending, tools, techniques; darning knit clothing (socks, gloves, sweaters)
  

There are well-explained examples, clear photographs, and detailed how-tos for every mend and every process.  I was pleased to see she included mending holes, rips, or tears in crotches and underarm seams.

The author's choice to make, thrift, and mend is based on sustainability, ethical soundness, and creative satisfaction.


The Mending Directory. 50 Modern Stitch Patterns for Visible Repairs by Erin Eggenburg

Eggenburg's reason for mending is to honor the work of the many  hands who grew the fiber, wove and dyed the cloth, cut, and stitched the garments we wear. 

Yes, this book is primarily stitch patterns for both woven and knit clothing.  She moves from planning the mend, explaining how to patch, the tools to use, and then explanations of how to mend.  Following those explanations are large photographs showing the stitches and how to create them.  

Also included in a pocket at the back are iron-on transfers for each of the stitches. 


Mending with Love. Creative Repairs for Your Favorite Things by Noriko Misumi

The author says, "Mending is love."  She makes sketches of ways to mend items of clothing.

She covers

• Mending socks.  My mom taught me to darn as close to invisibly as possible.  These socks have bright, colorful heels, toes, and balls of the feet.  Lots of detailed instructions.
• Mending holes and frays and to cover stains in ways that they seem natural to the item of clothing and blend in or enhance the item of clothing.  In this section, she covers felting to repair wool clothing.
• Basic patching techniques
• Covering stains with stamps
• Remaking old items into some other useful thing
  

All of these include directions, photos or illustrations, and refer to the appendix of mending techniques.

Of all three books, this is the book that encourages me to mend the old clothes I have that I so dearly love to wear.  I have a silk/wool blend sweater that I've worn for years.  I've mended it many times, but finally, a year or so ago, a worn place from just below my collar bone and about six inches long appeared.  Do I dare try to mend it--a large mend right over my breast?  The sweater also has holes in the sleeves....   My underwear wear out after a few years and I can't buy the style I like now.  They are starting to have patches on patches.  Cotton socks, elbows in knit shirts,....

The most fun mending I've seen among bloggers is in this post (scroll down) at Cynthia's blog.  She's shared other mends but I couldn't find them. 

Do you have favorite clothes that you don't want to let go, and do you mend them?

--Nancy.