Darn it [projects]

[rebeccmeister]

Approximately four aeons ago, Buyolympia.com had a piece of artwork that included the saying, "The one who sews has the newest clothes."

That's what has been running through my head while working on the mending pile.

Here's the motheaten hat, in progress:


I didn't have an exact color match, but the maroon yarn is a very durable sock yarn, so it should help the entire hat hold up for longer. The hat has an extra band of fleece for covering one's ears, so I'm glad there are ways to keep it in service.



This has been a nice sweater to have at work, but it's not so nice to run around wearing it, knowing there are holes in the front.



The darning mushroom is helpful for stabilizing the fabric, and also makes it easier to rotate the fabric and stitch at right angles.



I didn't have any hot pink thread among my sewing supplies, either, so I had to make do with light red thread.



I know there are people who are embracing "visible mending," but I'm not so into it. If I can just get things mended, I'm pretty satisfied.



George is also satisfied. Well, actually, this photo is a falsehood. George would like me to play with him more. But having his picture taken feels at least a little bit like getting some attention, at least.

Comments

[halojedha]

Darning mushrooms are great! I think that light red is a pretty good colour match honestly. This post has reminded me that I have a sweater that needs mending too - I'm quite tempted to give the visible mending thing a try though, cos I saw someone with brightly coloured darns on a jumper earlier this week and it looked fab.

George is such a cutie!

[rebeccmeister]

Thankfully, all told, the red is a close enough match that I don't feel embarrassed by wearing this sweater at work again. To me it would be a bigger shame to not get to wear this sweater anymore!

I hope that you are successful with your visible mending! It can look quite nice...I'm just mostly putting my energy towards other projects these days instead.

And yes, George is a cutie and a ham, and it's a good thing because he sure wants all the attention he can get. :^)

[ranunculus]

I don't know what happened to my mother's darning egg, I hope that one of my sisters took it. I purchased one when I was a young 20 something, but rarely if ever used it. Part of that is because I'm allergic to wool (lanolin). Makes me break out in a red rash and makes the garment actively painful on my skin. For decades all my clothing was black, for use at work and had to look black, so, while I don't like synthetics, they lasted a lot better than cotton. Since I was wearing cotton socks that were really sturdy they almost never got holes before they were completely worn threadbare.
Recently I tore a triangular tear in an otherwise new pair of jeans. I don't particularly like the pair of jeans, but didn't want to waste them. For a while I contemplated making art out of it, and then got my iron on mending tape, ironed the patch in place and used the sewing machine to make a very serviceable, really ugly patch.
Can't figure out how to fix the holes in my hats (sadly plural) that have melt holes in them from burning brush. These days I'm careful to use only hats that already have holes when I'm burning.
One of my beloved sweatshirts got tears in it at least 8 years ago. It received hand sewn patches. They are now falling off, and ready to be resewed - which I am wavering about. The sweatshirt really is in tatters.

[rebeccmeister]

Yeah, patching melt holes sounds like a real challenge! And if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be darning wool much, either, heh. Thankfully there are lots of other good fabric options out there for folks such as yourself with allergies.

There does come a point where patches no longer really make sense...but it's also so hard to give up on a beloved piece of clothing!

[ranunculus]

Yeah, the old sweatshirt is about done. It has a very heavy towel like lining which is now so matted that it has no loft. I've brushed it out several times but...
I'd much rather wear something I can compost, so cotton is my go-to cloth.

[cmcmck]

My darning mushroom was inherited from my paternal grandmother

[rebeccmeister]

I love that! I had to go out and buy one for myself, but one that has history to it would be so special.

[asakiyume]

The darning looks great!

I sometimes do visible mending (like with bright patches), but other times I do unobtrusive mending.

(LOL re: George)

[rebeccmeister]

I really wish I was a person who did more visible mending...but I'm reminded of the point where I started trying to learn embroidery, and that quickly indicated to me that at this point in my life, my interests are elsewhere. But I totally love and admire it when other folks make it. There's something so special about beautiful handmade touches.