Monday, March 16

making things a 'hole' lot better!

Some years ago, when in a charity shop, I came across a modern punky interpretation of a woman's kilt in a dark grey, black and cream tartan. A heavy full skirted affair cut across the bias with a multi layered handkerchief hem.  

I loved her. She twirled and swirled and hung with a weighted and rebellious charm.

Then, for some reason she seemed to migrate to the back of the wardrobe. Quietly becoming invisible and then forgotten.  


One winter we had a terrible infestation of clothes moths and several items of clothing were rendered as holey as sieves. Some were given careful repairs, others thrown or repurposed and one or two mended very visibly with joy and defiance.

Couple of years later, now that I am at home and feeling feral and free (although my freedom slightly curtailed by truculent weather) I decided to continue with my 'operation de-clutter' and targeted my wardrobe. EVERYTHING was hauled out and piled on the bed, then the space was given a wipe down and refresh. 

Now I was ready to go through each item of clothing.


I was honest with myself - would I really wear that again? Does it still fit? Do I actually still like it? Did I like it in the first place? By the end I had a large pile for the charity shop, a small pile for the bin, a clean and surprisingly well arranged row of clothes ...... and my skirt ... which had inexplicably been missed when I did the clothes moth check.


My skirt seemed to have been feasted on by the clothes moth caterpillars and created a rather 'fetching' network of holes on one side. There was only one thing for it - reach for my embroidery thread and repair all the holes with love and defiance.

Randomly selecting a colour then enhancing each munch hole and adding little seed stitches around kept me busy for a couple of evenings (especially as I had to unpick several embellishments coz I stitched them inside out - duh)

15 holes later - I was done.  All my skirt needs now is a wash and a light press and she is good to go! 

I might just be wearing her again a lot more this year!


Have you been mending?
It is certainly a form of rebelling against fast fashion.

Did you also get 'mothed' a few years ago? - I remember the infestation even made the news!

Is it still raining where you are?

It is here and us three - Pan, Willow and I are heartly sick of it. We do all still go out but - enough now!






19 comments:

  1. It is still raining..strong gusty wind.
    I've been shopping by car. Coming out of one car park I heard this vibrating rubbing noise....which carried on after I stopped. I was the wind playing around the roof bars...

    Every now and then I check the mending box...chuck or mend?!

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    1. I'd forgotten we used to have a set of roof bars which would scream if we drive any faster than 62 miles an hour.
      Fortunately the rain has gone and I'm about to get some washing out on the line! Woo hoo

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  2. I mend my stuff too. Painted a big yellow smiley face on the patch for the hole in the knee.of an old pair of jeans a few years ago. Like a bit of rebellious repairing.

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    1. I love the visuals in my head with your smiley knee ๐Ÿ™‚
      I have patched my jeans several times, can't bear the thought of chucking a pair of jeans that, bar a hole, are perfectly serviceable

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  3. I’m so please you are finding plenty of things to keep you occupied in this new chapter. It is so lovely to just have the time to do the things that you never got round to whilst working as something else was always a priority. I know what you mean about the rain though. Looks like we may have a few days of sunshine coming up and I’m more than ready for them ๐Ÿ˜€

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    1. Today - it is glorious - been out all day either walking or working in the greenhouse - and it is bliss ☀️☀️

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  4. A proper labour of love! I do like a bit of tartan myself. X

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    1. So do I! Didn't really realise how many items I have in tartan fabric, including a tote bag๐Ÿ˜

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  5. Rain here and here and here and I am getting depressed! I heard about the clothes moths but we were spared, however I am now realising I ought to check Beloved’s wardrobe and another cupboard that stores blankets/sheets that could be used…. I am seriously declutterring and am slowly training myself to look at ‘stuff’ and not just walk past it…. I still have a lot to do but I’ve started! X

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    1. hope you have been outside today - it is glorious! Spent most of it either walking or working in the garden. Just come in for a brew and then off out again :)

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  6. I was brought up with a Granny who made a lot of our clothes and mended them, so that has been instilled in me, although I don't do as much as I should. I also need to go through my wardrobe and be honest about whether I will ever wear some of the stuff in there. Mending a good quality piece of clothing that you love makes a lot of sense!
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. If you love something and you mend it - it makes it all the more loved :) I found doing the 'declutter-my-cupboard' really cathartic - need another session to tackle the camping and christmas cupboards - they are definitely bottomless wilderness pits and will need major digging out haha

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  7. The kilt sounds amazing and your repairs are superb. I wish I had the skill and the patience to do the same myself.

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    1. I like the 'fiddly-ness' of repairs๐Ÿ˜

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  8. Lovely. I like those little pops of colour. Xx

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  9. What a beautiful repair job! As Orsolo De Castro says, Loved Clothes Last and I think you'd love the book she wrote on the sunject.
    I have never bought fast fashion and all the clothes I own are loved, treasured and repaired over and over again. Our wardrobes escaped the great moth infestation but my brother's, full of expensive John Smedley and Lyle and Scott sadly didn't.
    We've not had rain for at least 48 hours and William's been galloping aroud the garden like a spring lamb! xxx

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  10. Great job. I would never attempt such a project. I admire those who do!

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  11. That's some very neat mending. I used to send anything that needed repairs to my mum, although she wasn't a sewer she was a fantastic mender. I have to do it myself now and I'm not nearly so good so I'm sad to say that many things just don't get done.

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