NEW INTENTIONS: MENDING

January 26, 2022

In 2022, let's love our clothes a little longer!

One of my personal intentions this year is to tackle my mending pile. You might have something similar — a growing stack of jeans, jackets, and sweaters waiting to be stitched or patched. Always put off until tomorrow.

These mending projects seem like an arduous task, but in truth, once I start one, a sort of meditative delight takes over. Similar to knitting, there’s a quiet satisfaction to watching something reach completion, row by row. By the end, I’ve brought an old favorite back to life, to be worn again and again.

It’s a win we could all use right now.

MENDING INSPIRATION

A few of my favorite folks to admire, follow, and learn from:

1. Upcycled Stitches

Sashiko information and supplies from one of the most passionate and pleasant business owners I have come across! You will find wonderful explanations and tutorials about this Japanese art form and how sashiko differs from "visible mending".

Follow on: YOUTUBE | INSTAGRAM

2. Marlen Meiners

Marlen has made me look at my socks with a new appreciation. Although I have been darning wool socks for years, I must admit, cotton socks only get a muttered "darn it!" before making their way to textile recycling. Marlen can take the finest socks and fix them up beautifully. Her Etsy shop carries all the tools so that you can save your socks, too.

Follow on: INSTAGRAM

3. Collingwood-Norris

Flora has a colorful knitwear line, so it's no surprise that her mends are delightfully cheerful. It's as if each piece is oozing with love. Mends are far from boring! She offers workshops and recently published the book Visible Creative Mending with her style of mending.

Follow on: INSTAGRAM

4. Katrina Rodabaugh

Katrina's book Mending Matters inspired me to mend a favorite pair of jeans for the first time. Her books have great instructions and her enthusiasm and care for her readers success is clear. The jeans modeled on my site are stitched in the style as taught in Mending Matters.

Follow on: INSTAGRAM

IN THE SHOP

New Visible Mending Kits are here to support your various mending needs or simply brighten up your old denim.

Each kit contains:

Three 100% cotton denim patches of varying weight and size (5" x 5" or larger)
Three 5-yard bobbins of 100% cotton sashiko thread
Two heavy-duty Olympus sashiko mending needles (1 15/16" and 2 5/8") with large eyes for easy threading

I've dyed the denim and thread in my studio with a variety of leftover dye baths and food waste including madder, cutch, onion skins, and pomegranates.

TO READ

Whether you're new to mending or want to pick up more advanced techniques, there are so many excellent books out there to learn from. I've collected some of my favorites on Bookshop.

I'm sure I'll share updates as these mending projects get underway. I'd love to see yours too! Tag your colorful mends with #pirttimending on Instagram.

— Anne-Marie