Mend and Make Do

It’s back with a difference!

If you’re of retirement age, you may well have memories of your mother (or father) darning socks. Cuff and elbows of knitted jumpers were also repaired with darns, and many a thread bare collar on a work shirt was ‘turned’ in order to get a little more wear from it. The knees of work trousers were patched, and a skilled stitcher could even make an ‘invisible mend’ to a special garment. By the time your teenage and early adulthood years arrived, it was a different story. Imported clothes were more readily available, and growing cheaper all the time. Before long, thread bare garments were more likely to be turned into cleaning rags than repaired, and the art of ‘mend and make do’ was all but lost.

However, what goes around, comes around, and the move to sustainability, along with a desire to sidestep fashion industries which fill up to 85% of landfills each year with clothing and textile waste, means mending has made a comeback. In fact, more than that: it’s become a trend! Haberdashery stockists report needles, thread, and thimbles are flying off the shelves, and a quick search of the web brings up numerous ‘how to mend’ videos. In Japan, where fashion can reach some of its most extreme styles, a very special style of mending called ‘sashiko’ is making headlines.

Sashiko was first used by Japanese working class families to repair clothing and household items such as blankets. Translating as ‘little stabs,’ this style of mending grew into an art form where, rather than the mends being disguised, they were highlighted in contrasting thread (usually white thread on indgo-blue denim). Mending patterns were varied, from cross-stitch stars to checker-board squares and zig-zags. Check out the ‘how-tos’ of this visible mending on one of many internet videos.

But Sashiko isn’t the only visible mending to have taken the world by storm. Menders of woollen garments, especially, delight in using contrasting yarn to create fun repairs. To do so, they often take traditional mending techniques, such as Scotch darning, and ‘mix it up’ by using contrasting thread to highlight the mend. Mends to jumpers can become highly sophisticated with weaving stitches and multicoloured threads.

Visible mending is not only a way to be artful and practise sustainability; many who enjoy it treat it as a form of meditation, and a way to slow life down in a busy, throwaway world. Others find picking up a needle and thread is an absorbing and creative hobby that allows them to enjoy fabric and stitching without having to devote themselves to constructing an entire garment. Others see mending as ‘embroidery’ with a purpose, while still others, who enjoy cutting patches from pre-loved and worn out garments, view mending as a way of recording ‘history’ through the use of familiar fabric. In many ways, this sort of repair is a new form of patchworking.

For op-shop enthusiasts, mending is the best excuse in the world to head to their favourite outlets in search of threads and fabrics, and interesting garments in need of repair. For those who enjoy learning a new craft, visible mending workshops can be found nationwide, and many are free to attend (just check the net to find one).

One of the best things about the art of invisible mending, especially if you live in a down-sized home, is you get to sew without the need to own (and store) a sewing machine. All you need is a mending kit, and away you go in the company of others who like to do just the same thing. If creative mending sounds like you, check out the net for community groups that gather on a regular basis to enjoy the art (some of them even offer sewing machines for larger, more traditional clothing repairs). If you find yourself running short of creative ideas for your next patch, join one of the many Facebook groups devoted to the art!

Mending has changed a great deal since our parents’ day, and now it’s far from being a chore. Could it be your next hobby?