This winter I’ve spent a handful of evenings on the couch, not knitting, but patching. I go in and out of favor in terms of patching my two boys jeans. Last fall, when school began I ordered them all new jeans. When December rolled around there were holes ripped in almost every single pair. These are rough and tumble boys, these boys of mine. With Christmas in full swing there was no time to be had patching, so I ordered them a whole new round of jeans. They had holes in them within 6 weeks. This time I took to patching. It seems rather silly in a way to spend an hour patching a hole in a $10 pair of pants. It’s so much simpler to buy them, but as I’m sure you well know, there is a worldwide price to pay in buying cheap clothes, so if I have extra time on my hands I enjoy patching them. If not for thrift or political statement then for the beauty of a little handmade on their factory made pants.
My hand knit socks had taken a beating on the heels. Unfortunately for me, these socks had been sitting in the mending basket all winter and now that the weather has turned warm, I finally found time to patch them. Since I hand knit them, there was no way I was going to toss these into the trash without trying my hand at fixing them. I had never repaired knit socks before, but I just retraced my original knitting stitches with a new strand of sock yarn and I think I found success. I’ll be all set for cozy autumn weather next October.
Patching things in this day and age seems sort of a luxury as it takes time. And not too many people have that sort of time on their hands. Usually I don’t. And I think a fair amount of people, maybe the majority of people, would rather go out shopping than sitting under a bright light with a needle and thread. I can understand that. And at certain times, I feel that way too. But most of the time I really don’t like either on-line shopping or in person shopping and I would much, much prefer to sit at home on my couch and repair what I already have. It’s a satisfying feeling to use your mind and your hands to fix and mend a broken thing that no amount of shopping could ever recreate.
And don’t you find as you hold the garment that belongs to someone you love in your hands and work the mending thread through it, your mind fills with thoughts of them? I find it both a prayer and an act of love, and my family needs both of those far more than a new $10 pair of jeans any old day.
I am proud of you Kendra! And I enjoy your posts so much.You are such an inspiration to many who desire to return to a natural,simple way of living. And i mend socks too!
Hi, your jeans patches look so neat and tidy. How did you do them? I find it really hard to get he needle through two or three layers of denim.
I am not on a budget but, yes, I like to patch and mend, too. There is something very loving behind a patch and a darn.
I just love what you do and how you’re choosing to live such a “good” life. You are such an inspiration and will be putting your family in such good stead for the future. I believe there is a new world coming and we will all need to go back to basics as all the cheap conveniences the world has come to rely on simply won’t be there any more. The wealth of knowledge you share with us all is such a valuable resource and I hope you appreciate how much we all appreciate your generosity of spirit!
Look at Lands End for “Iron Knee Pants” ;they have the patch already built in, on the inside. I love Lands End!!
I am a SAHM so I am lucky to have the “extra time”… but after a crazy long day that starts before the sun rises I really enjoy sitting down and patching, sewing buttons on, heming fallen cuffs and torn belt loops. Hand sewing is a dying art. My Great Grandmother was my teacher. I find it very satisfying and honestly very relaxing. Plus it saves money which as a mother of 3 every penny is needed. Plus I can get creative which is how I make my living! 😉
Beautiful patching jobs Kendra! I am so with you – I would way rather sit in my cozy home and fix what we’ve got than go shop for new cheap stuff.
It’s great that some people are keeping these old skills alive. I too am a mender. Most people would’nt have a clue where to start.
I am envious of your sock darning skills!!!