This week seemed to have an inordinate amount of BIG fixes. The kinds where you have to bring in the experts... electricians, contractors, etc. I had moments of feeling overwhelmed by the
"when it rains, it pours" syndrome. To keep my wits about me, I turned to my mending basket. Ripped seams, missing buttons, torn pockets? These are fixes I'm familiar and comfortable with. Finding a sunny spot, I curled up with my neglected basket and felt like I was doing something worthwhile... as small as it might be.
Do you have a mending basket that sits around gathering dust, too? It felt so good to resurrect some favorite clothing items for everyone in my family. A fixed seam on my daughter's favorite pajamas says "I love you" without words. My son's ripped backpack strap that finally got repositioned spoke of caring for him
and his books... quietly. My husband's newly attached buttons were like little kisses on his sleeve. You may think I'm a silly romantic... and you're right. I believe that mending clothing holds an emotional component that is very different than unclogging drains.
I gathered some helpful links:
-how to sew by hand video: clear and useful
-10 clothing fixes that everyone should know
-how to mend it.com potentially interesting for all kinds of repairs. Check out the clothing section for basic instructions.
And here are some of my favorite mended items in the world:
Boro- patched and repaired textiles of old Japan found at SRI Threads in Brooklyn.
I'd love to hear about your fixes: big or little... What have you given a new life to recently?
Have a great weekend and do check out the comments in yesterday's
Earth Day give-away. You all provided fantastic ideas for greening up your life!
I tried to fix a leaky faucet in a bathroom, but I couldn't. Will add this to a growing list of jobs for a plumber.
ReplyDeleteSigh.
Taking your cue, Maya, I will pull out my mending basket after lunch. THAT I know I can handle!
hey there Maya
ReplyDeletewell I'm not to sure that my oven is a fix it thing but i have you to thank for the motivation.... i also mended a top... great minds think alike!!! next week i hope to get the recipe book sorted out!!!! happy friday :) x
http://misstracianderson.blogspot.com/2010/04/fix-it-friday-23042010.html
I couldn't agree with you more. Some of my fondest memories are of mending something when asked, so a loved one could wear that item in the near or immediate future.
ReplyDelete"Mom can you fix this?" is like music to my ears.
as our home is 35 years old there are always fix it's as well as the usual. ONE FIX IT RIGHT NOW WE ARE TACKLING IS OUR FRONT DECK (oops cap's got hit) it has 3 levels and the wood is starting to rot in spots, sink on one side. You had to look hard to see this but it was there. So it is being removed in sections, section 2 this weekend, and we are recycling as much wood as we can, mostly to repair a back deck as well. I fixed the fire pit yesterday by digging it back out and dumping the ash in the compost in the woods. other fix its? a tank i knit last summer, the straps are too long, the walls in daughters room, just rough on the paint, etc... yo u know the usual!
ReplyDeleteI have a bowl of jewelry given to me by friends, family, and co-workers full of "if you fix it, you can have it items..."
ReplyDeleteIt's been gathering dust for almost a year... you've inspired me to at least start sorting it!
Yes, I have a big basket of mending that glares at me every time I walk by it! It misses me... gonna go spend some quality time with it this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteYour sewing sentiment is the extact thought behind everything I've ever made for my husband.
ReplyDeleteI recently stitched up all the growing holes in an upcycled quilt my mom made me while I was shortly out of college. It is made of denim, old work shirts and flannels and it is the heaviest, most comfortable quilt to snuggle under. Not the prettiest thing ever, but she made it to be comfy... and to use what was on hand. Some of the more worn shirts ripped at seams over the years, and just a couple days ago, I sat down, thread in hand and mended every loose stitch in the quilt. And snuggle under it each night on my bed.
ReplyDeleteI agree that mending is a labor of love. It seems to be turning into a lost art in our throw away society. I have a mending basket and just recently mended some of the things that had been sitting waiting for a stitch or two. I still have a few more to go but it feels good to get your treasured clothes back from the basket!
ReplyDeleteHy Maya, i thought i'd leave a meassage here as well, not only communicate through twitter. Your blog is wonderful, and i really like you as well :))
ReplyDeleteI am a little bit in love with vintage Japanese textiles at the moment - I am resisting the urge to sahiko embroider everything I own! Thanks for another great link.
ReplyDeleteI mended an old quilt last week. Simple muslin doubled over to reinforce and reform the edge. I love making 'broken' things useful again.
ReplyDeleteI felt that same way when I installed hockey puck lights under the kitchen counter because my husband complained that it wasn't lite very well when he's chopping, etc. to prepare dinner. I felt like it was my little gift to him since he gifts me every night with a yummy nutritious dinner each night.
ReplyDeleteIt was also a gift of laughter because since I'm pretty short, I found it easiest to install the lights by laying on my back on the length of the kitchen counter. My husband caught me mid-sorta surprise install and called me Michelangelo.
I'm terrible about getting around to mending things. I have a big pile of things that I will mend 'one day'. I really ought to do something about my daughter's trousers...
ReplyDeleteDarn, I leave town and you go and have a giveaway...
My dryer broke down and I fixed it with the help of my son. Does that count me in? I love this idea. Ill be back definitely as there are so many things to fix/mend around here!
ReplyDeleteI can remember an evening in the garden last autumn, I sat and sewed three buttons onto my husbands favorite wool shirt. I don't think your thoughts are silly at all. More recently I have been mending sheets, though I'm still not sure how my girl's sheets got such big tears in the first place...
ReplyDelete