Thanks so much for these refreshing insights and how-to's, Sarah. I recently cleaned out the closet of a friend who had passed on and found 2 groovy patches. I had missed them on my first go-through, of course. They are the daisies of the sewing world. (I only pick daisies.) I can't wait to attach them to the pants I ripped out on a hiking spill recently. My favorite time to patch is having a cider with friends around the campfire. Thanks for bringing back ritual and fusing it with modern good sense artfully.
Cider around the campfire + sewing patches--I love the image that conjures up! And I especially love how when you sew your friend's patches onto your own clothes, you'll think of them every time--it's so personal to do this and we need more of that in our culture! Thank you Kristin!
Sarah, I loved this video! Patching connects me to the garment, and it connects me to those who contributed to making the garment to begin with. So that makes me feel that I am honoring their original efforts. I probably do more modifying than patching, but in either case I feel like I have a new piece of clothing when I'm done, a nod to my bohemian fashionista vibe. I also like to shop at the Goodwill. A good washing or two with vinegar added to the wash removes most odors. And my twin sister and I agree we are unable to tie off a hand stitch knot with less than 3 knots due to the teachings of our 7th grade Home Economics teacher, Mrs. Johnson. Here is my best patching story: I have a really cool leather purse I bought in the 1990's, which had some fringe and leather patch, with a stone feature. Our kitty barfed on it while the purse was lying at the bottom of my closet. I didn't realize it for a day or so. Yuch. So I cleaned it up with saddle soap, but it left a stain. I had some scraps of leather, so I chose a contrasting color, and sewed it over the stain. To this day, I always get admiring comments when I carry this purse. The Zen of the Art of Garment Maintenance.
LISSA!!!! I love this story about your purse. So many people would have thrown it away or donated it. I love that you transformed it. And then, afterwards, this beautiful purse with its scars has lived to tell the tale of your cat, the secretive vomiter, plus continue to hold the energy of the original craftsperson, and then become something new from your loving imaginative mending vibration! That makes me so happy!
And when we turn our old clothes or linens into our patches, we weave their histories into the garments we are mending and wear these stories on our bodies.
Our world can feel so giant and unconnected living in a high tech, perhaps overdeveloped society and country, but it's in these specific personal actions and interactions that we integrate and reintegrate ourselves with the world directly around us. I love it.
So awesome! I wish I still had the old bell bottom jeans from my college days that I patched and patched til there was nothing left to attach a new patch to!
Thank you for inspiring me to begin doing this again ❣️
Yay! I love it, those are the comments I most often hear when I'm standing in line at the grocery store--"I had a pair of patched jeans like that in college back in the day..." Nostalgic. A little bit wistful maybe. Maybe remembering a little part of themselves they forgot about it?
Please show me your patched creations whenever they happen! <3
Your video is inspiring! Maybe I can start doing this too! In fact, this is perfect timing, because I just got a notice from the repair shop that my sewing machine is ready! I am not much of a sewist, but I can do a little, and your encouragement will help. I also feel very unskilled at hand sewing, so I I appreciate your encouragement for that. This may sound silly, but maybe I'll get warmed up by fixing some hankies that have torn. The stakes are very low there. :)
I also love how your video really shows that patching can be not only practical but beautiful. That's great that you get compliments all the time on your patched clothes -- by the young and old alike. Those Japanese fabrics you showed were really gorgeous.
AND -- I would love a (slow) video on how to knot thread for hand sewing. My mom always did it with one hand, the way you did in your video, but I never grasped it. I'd like to learn. :)
Thank you for another great post! I so enjoy the range of topics you cover.
I think mending hankies is the PERFECT place to start, especially with hand sewing. As soon as I hit 'publish' I remembered the main tip I wanted to share! And that was, if you do want straight lines when you hand sew, just draw a line! You can use a light pencil, a sewing chalk or a disappearing marker designed for sewing. A few drops of water eliminates the line when you're done. I'll work on a short knot tying video! I'm so glad you like the range of topics too because I can only write about what interests me, which, it turns out, is a little bit of everything! :D
Those pants are so fun! I love that skeleton print. I have a pile of clothes i've been meaning to mend...I even bought one of those loom things to mend holes and never used it before. Maybe now is the time!
Yeeesssss--do it! I always stall a bit whenever I get a new thingamajig or tool, but I'd love to find out if you have success with your loom. I'm gonna get myself a darning mushroom next. And thanks about my kooky work jeans--a friend gave me that skeleton print and a few other scraps from her sewing stash when she moved. It actually fades nicely too after a few washes and matches the pants a bit more. :)
Wow Sarah! Thank you and perfect timing (as often is the case...). I have a beloved salmon-colored short dress that's wearing out. It's made of linen and cut on the bias. A great dress. The fabric is tearing under the arms now. I was going to stitch the tears, but now I'm inspired to patch them. I have a great sewing machine, but I'm going to it by hand. Will send a photo or two when I'm done (I need to find the right fabric patch first!). Cheers!
LOVE this idea! I have a tunic that getting threadbare under the arms and it’s in my to do pile! You are now inspiring me to get that done. I look forward to the photos of your patched salmon dress, so definitely please send!
Great idea Sara. Patching. Thank you. I love sewing and find it relaxing and meditative not thinking of anything. Just sewing. I do everything now by hand. I always have to alter clothes as well. I will keep an eye out for fabric that is appealing to me for sewing and use for Patches or other ideas. Good idea.
Yay Sally! Sewing by hand is truly soothing. Very cool to hear that you alter your clothes by hand! I recently took in the side seams of a one size fits most linen shirt that felt a little billowy, and I'm much more pleased with it now. I did do that by machine though. The other place to keep an eye out for fabric is a thrift store--the garment doesn't have to fit, you just have to like the fabric!
Thanks so much for these refreshing insights and how-to's, Sarah. I recently cleaned out the closet of a friend who had passed on and found 2 groovy patches. I had missed them on my first go-through, of course. They are the daisies of the sewing world. (I only pick daisies.) I can't wait to attach them to the pants I ripped out on a hiking spill recently. My favorite time to patch is having a cider with friends around the campfire. Thanks for bringing back ritual and fusing it with modern good sense artfully.
Cider around the campfire + sewing patches--I love the image that conjures up! And I especially love how when you sew your friend's patches onto your own clothes, you'll think of them every time--it's so personal to do this and we need more of that in our culture! Thank you Kristin!
This is really great Sarah! You hit in so many areas and keep it all related to patching. Love it.
Oh, thank you Andree!
Great video! Discovering boro made me realize I actually was a fashion guy lol.
It was the first time a particular style caught my eye.
Omg, I love that so much! Booorrroooo!
Sarah, I loved this video! Patching connects me to the garment, and it connects me to those who contributed to making the garment to begin with. So that makes me feel that I am honoring their original efforts. I probably do more modifying than patching, but in either case I feel like I have a new piece of clothing when I'm done, a nod to my bohemian fashionista vibe. I also like to shop at the Goodwill. A good washing or two with vinegar added to the wash removes most odors. And my twin sister and I agree we are unable to tie off a hand stitch knot with less than 3 knots due to the teachings of our 7th grade Home Economics teacher, Mrs. Johnson. Here is my best patching story: I have a really cool leather purse I bought in the 1990's, which had some fringe and leather patch, with a stone feature. Our kitty barfed on it while the purse was lying at the bottom of my closet. I didn't realize it for a day or so. Yuch. So I cleaned it up with saddle soap, but it left a stain. I had some scraps of leather, so I chose a contrasting color, and sewed it over the stain. To this day, I always get admiring comments when I carry this purse. The Zen of the Art of Garment Maintenance.
LISSA!!!! I love this story about your purse. So many people would have thrown it away or donated it. I love that you transformed it. And then, afterwards, this beautiful purse with its scars has lived to tell the tale of your cat, the secretive vomiter, plus continue to hold the energy of the original craftsperson, and then become something new from your loving imaginative mending vibration! That makes me so happy!
And when we turn our old clothes or linens into our patches, we weave their histories into the garments we are mending and wear these stories on our bodies.
Our world can feel so giant and unconnected living in a high tech, perhaps overdeveloped society and country, but it's in these specific personal actions and interactions that we integrate and reintegrate ourselves with the world directly around us. I love it.
So awesome! I wish I still had the old bell bottom jeans from my college days that I patched and patched til there was nothing left to attach a new patch to!
Thank you for inspiring me to begin doing this again ❣️
Yay! I love it, those are the comments I most often hear when I'm standing in line at the grocery store--"I had a pair of patched jeans like that in college back in the day..." Nostalgic. A little bit wistful maybe. Maybe remembering a little part of themselves they forgot about it?
Please show me your patched creations whenever they happen! <3
So good to hear your wonderful message, Sarah. I hope you know I was smiling at the screen as you smiled out from my desktop. Thank you!
Thank you Paula. I love that image! <3
Your video is inspiring! Maybe I can start doing this too! In fact, this is perfect timing, because I just got a notice from the repair shop that my sewing machine is ready! I am not much of a sewist, but I can do a little, and your encouragement will help. I also feel very unskilled at hand sewing, so I I appreciate your encouragement for that. This may sound silly, but maybe I'll get warmed up by fixing some hankies that have torn. The stakes are very low there. :)
I also love how your video really shows that patching can be not only practical but beautiful. That's great that you get compliments all the time on your patched clothes -- by the young and old alike. Those Japanese fabrics you showed were really gorgeous.
AND -- I would love a (slow) video on how to knot thread for hand sewing. My mom always did it with one hand, the way you did in your video, but I never grasped it. I'd like to learn. :)
Thank you for another great post! I so enjoy the range of topics you cover.
I think mending hankies is the PERFECT place to start, especially with hand sewing. As soon as I hit 'publish' I remembered the main tip I wanted to share! And that was, if you do want straight lines when you hand sew, just draw a line! You can use a light pencil, a sewing chalk or a disappearing marker designed for sewing. A few drops of water eliminates the line when you're done. I'll work on a short knot tying video! I'm so glad you like the range of topics too because I can only write about what interests me, which, it turns out, is a little bit of everything! :D
Thanks for that tip about drawing a line, too. 😊
Those pants are so fun! I love that skeleton print. I have a pile of clothes i've been meaning to mend...I even bought one of those loom things to mend holes and never used it before. Maybe now is the time!
Yeeesssss--do it! I always stall a bit whenever I get a new thingamajig or tool, but I'd love to find out if you have success with your loom. I'm gonna get myself a darning mushroom next. And thanks about my kooky work jeans--a friend gave me that skeleton print and a few other scraps from her sewing stash when she moved. It actually fades nicely too after a few washes and matches the pants a bit more. :)
Wow Sarah! Thank you and perfect timing (as often is the case...). I have a beloved salmon-colored short dress that's wearing out. It's made of linen and cut on the bias. A great dress. The fabric is tearing under the arms now. I was going to stitch the tears, but now I'm inspired to patch them. I have a great sewing machine, but I'm going to it by hand. Will send a photo or two when I'm done (I need to find the right fabric patch first!). Cheers!
LOVE this idea! I have a tunic that getting threadbare under the arms and it’s in my to do pile! You are now inspiring me to get that done. I look forward to the photos of your patched salmon dress, so definitely please send!
Great idea Sara. Patching. Thank you. I love sewing and find it relaxing and meditative not thinking of anything. Just sewing. I do everything now by hand. I always have to alter clothes as well. I will keep an eye out for fabric that is appealing to me for sewing and use for Patches or other ideas. Good idea.
Yay Sally! Sewing by hand is truly soothing. Very cool to hear that you alter your clothes by hand! I recently took in the side seams of a one size fits most linen shirt that felt a little billowy, and I'm much more pleased with it now. I did do that by machine though. The other place to keep an eye out for fabric is a thrift store--the garment doesn't have to fit, you just have to like the fabric!