Mending Services
Stitching and Mending
I am an artful mender, sewist, fiber, and collage artist. I believe that extending the life of our clothing is as good for us as it is for the planet.
Much of my work will be handstitched. If machine stitching is important to you, please mention it to me.
Although visible mending is my passion recently, I also like mends that challenge me to go on the hunt for the mended portion. When it is easier to find Waldo than the mend, now that’s a thrill.
I am listed on A World map of Mending a very cool site by Kate Sekules.
I am currently only accepting visible mending, embroidery and hemming projects.
Upcycling
Some garments need more than a quick fix. Reworking a favorite item of clothing or working a piece of a favorite item into a remix is very rewarding. It’s a new life for everything involved. Most of my accessories are made from second cycle fabric, fabric that ended up on the cutting room floor, or leftovers.
The hole front and center made this shirt unwearable. After patching the hole a sprig of flowers was embroidered.
These slipper boots seemed unredeemable. The layers were secured one by one and then embroidery added to coordinate with other mends.
The neckline of this sweater had detached. After securing the edge embroidery was added to personalize the sweater.
You can see some of the ways I can hide a hole with visible mending above. Check out some of my creations in my Etsy shop to get an idea of what I can do.
Visible Mending.
Visible mending is the rage these days. For good reason! Whether patches, additions, subtractions, embroidery, embellishment, darning, or color are featured, visible mending stands out. Visible mending is unapologetic. Visible mending shows the journey a piece of clothing has taken. Those of us who love visible mending tend to think that the textile in question becomes more valuable with the additions. It certainly creates a unique item no one else will have.
In addition, wearing visibly mended clothes opens one up for discussion about big issues of our times - the problems of fast fashion, the overfill of landfills, overconsumption, and creating a sustainable future.
I love this type of mending as it allows my creativity free range. It allows me to mix and match fabrics from different items. On the left, you can see part of the mend on my father’s plaid shirt. The poinsettia flower was a motif on my mother’s handkerchief.
Invisible Mending
Invisible mending is what people think of when they first think of mending. The mending that was done by our grandmothers and great-grandmothers was meant to repair a garment back to regular. It was not supposed to be seen or acknowledged.
When I was young my mother had made me an outfit - pants and top with a sailor collar out of the cutest blue and white gingham with cherries and flowers in the white squares. I loved it so much.
One day I fell off the swings and ripped a hole in the knee. I was distraught. Mom was unphased. After all she had skills. She took a leftover piece of fabric from making the outfit, lined it up exactly with the pattern, and inset it seamlessly. I thought my mother was magic.
Fast forward to when I had my own daughter. For her 5th birthday, I gave friends and family quilt squares to embroider their signatures on. One boy brought it back to me sheepishly and confessed that his pet rat had chewed a hole in the piece. I was alarmed as I had very little extra fabric to work with. A little wiggling and a piece that would fit as an exact match was cut. The picture to the right is enlarged to show the mend. While at this size it is not hard to spot, it doesn’t stand out in the quilt.
Memory Garments
Sometimes when a special person in our lives passes we hang onto the physical things they left. Quite often there are clothes to deal with. Making a keepsake from these things that have a special meaning is a collaborative and creative process.
My signature element is a hand-embroidered for-get-me-not. This paired with textiles and trims from the one who has passed makes for beautiful and meaningful designs.
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— Squarespace