Mend.
No, it’s not the word of the week. And I haven’t done much mending lately.
It’s just that Mark asked if I could mend/repair his beloved Dude Cowichan Sweater. Both elbows were worn. I brought it home with me from Ohio.
There’s an incredible sense of satisfaction in having accomplished this task.
I got some yarn and mended the holes first, and then I ordered elbow patches and stitched them on using a blanket stitch. The tiny perforations weren’t easy to get the needle through and I wish I had my mother’s thimble. It’s in my house but I didn’t look too deeply.
Mark’s sweater looks brand new.
No, I didn’t knit it. I mended it.
Just repaired the holes in the elbows and added the patches.
Scroll down to listen to Al Green sing-
and thanks to dictionary.com
Mend- to make (something broken, worn, torn, or otherwise damaged) whole, sound, or usable by repairing: to mend old clothes; to mend a broken toy. 2. to remove or correct defects or errors in.
We were just laughing about how my mom used to turn a collar on a worn shirt. Mending is almost a lost art today.
I never learned to use a thimble in everyday sewing but often try to use my grandmother’s , when the fabric is too dense. My mom and grandmother never sewed without one!
People mended and patched instead of discarded. I’m going to find that thimble. Thanks Debbie.
Good work, Ruth! Mark will be happy!
Thanks Toni. You know it.
Can you sew this Mom? Can you sew this Grammie? Each and every time we visit our children and grandchildren there is a pile of mending and “Grammie” lovingly applies each stich with little, nimble fingers. Her sewing bag is an essential piece of our luggage. Like our children and grandchildren, Mark and family are fortunate to have a talented Mom/Grandmother.
I can picture Tookie tackling the pile. I’ve done surgery on many beloved dinosaurs, long soft snakes and baby doll arms that were hanging by a thread. Thanks Jack.❤️
Obama emulated a credible version of Al Green
I will check him out, Cindy. Thanks. Hope it’s on youtube.
Nice work – and I agree, I seldom see mended things nowadays. In my heritage lies this thing with mending and never throwing away without giving it a last chance. I do believe this was closer to our hearts when I was a youngster and a child, because clothes were more thoroughly made and from better materials. I still have some of my home knitted sweaters and my grandmothers’ knitted socks. I mend them. With love – and fear of losing them. Hugs to Mark.
Excellent mending job. You are a great mom. I would have said , “here’s the money. Go buy anew one “
Like you Ruth, I do the mending in my family. I cringe when asked to replace a zipper. I have mended seams on Barbie dresses, which does not leave much room for error. Have attached a butterfly patch to a worn favorite pair of jeans, put dangling button eyes securely on teddy. It is an honor to be trusted
Thanks Colleen for your description of your mending tasks. Yes, it is an honor to be trusted.
I love that you mend …. who does that anymore? And I suspect you’ve mended a few little broken hearts too. I have the knitting pattern for that sweater and might tackle it this year. JB
I bet he’s chuffed, it’s good for a few more years, well done. It’s good to see something being mended in our throwaway world.
Great job, Ruth. My Mom was an avid mender and darner of socks, and I’ve done my fair share too, although not of late. Nothing seems to wear out these days, and if it does it’s not worth mending, like hubby’s work jeans. 🙂
I feel deep satisfaction in repairing/mending something vs. throwing it away. Excellent handiwork; I bet Mark is going to be exceedingly pleased!