I’ve been doing this repair job on my partner’s favorite coat off and on for a few months and I think I’ve got all the holes now. This parka is 20+ years old and 100% cotton, and the fibers have become so soft and fragile with age, I know it will continue to be an ongoing labor of love. That’s one of the things I love so much about mending — seeing pieces continue to change the longer they are loved and used. Â
I’m finally beginning a major mending project on this beloved hoodie I’ve been wearing for ~20 years. The fabric has become transparent in many places, the zipper is broken, the grommets are tearing away… I’m not only looking forward to being able to put this piece back in my regular rotation, but excited about the process of caring for it through extensive repair!
Here’s a before/after showing what a huge difference the new flannel lining is making:
It’s pretty significant! Obviously it will also be much warmer. This is a great project to sit and do on the couch watching a tv show too. I’m putting the lining in piece by piece, which is a little finicky, but once basted it goes much faster. I decided to do all the non-structural stitching intuitively, changing techniques based on my mood or what shapes it feels like my fingers want to stitch right now.
From this horrendous mess…
and this nonfunctional lunchbox…
to this well-stocked, organized mending kit! It’s amazing how much more pleasant my supplies are to use when I’m actually able to find what I’m looking for. Not pictured: my darning egg, currently in use 🙂
This soft handle is stuffed with tiny scraps of fabric, yarn, and sewing thread — I love finding ways to reuse materials that would normally be thrown away! It’s a huge upgrade from the plastic manufactured handle, which I couldn’t even fit my hand in.Â
I don’t know when this even happened, but I found this sneaky little bite in one of my dog‘s sweaters. Who could have done this! 🤔 It gave me a chance to try some Swiss darning — I think I need to redo a few stitches but am pretty satisfied overall…
Here’s what it looks like tidied up:
I’ve been working on repairing this old cotton parka. The technique I used here was inspired by @mendingmayhem‘s wonderful Making Zen workshop! This part is patched from the inside, repairing a shredded lining. The entire coat needs attention and is giving me loads of opportunities to practice different mending techniques. It’s a very enjoyable ongoing project!
Several years ago I accidentally got some epoxy on this Betty White shirt while making a batch of ceramic magnets — the sensory aspect of it creeped me out so much (crunchy!!) that I stopped wearing the shirt altogether. I just found it in a stack of old textiles and had an epiphany! Since I already felt it was unwearable, why not just cut the crunchy spots out and patch them up? So I did, and I am happy to report that this project turned the whole garment around immediately. Problem solved 🙂
I’m so happy with how these came out! These headphones have been good to me, but the pleather started cracking and peeling off a while ago as it’s wont to do. I can’t stand that! So I decided to do something about it. I picked a couple of scraps with a lot of stretch from my fabric stash and sewed them right on the peeling headphone band. So much more enjoyable to use now!!
