A Visible Mending Read Me!

I recently listened to an episode of NPR’s Life Kit called “The perfectly imperfect art of visible mending: A beginner's guide.” It’s just over 20 minutes long and serves as an un-intimidating first brush with visible mending. There is also a shorter article version in the link above which also includes the podcast episode.

At the risk of complicating the whole thing, I would like to add further resources. Especially when it comes to books that can help people get started in mending and to develop a problem-solving mindset when it comes to fibers.

What is visible mending?

“Seamless” is not the name of the game here. Visible mending embraces the imperfection of living in your clothes. With fast fashion an unavoidable part of living in the future, our clothes are wearing out much faster than we can get use out of them. Mending helps to extend the lifespan of a piece of clothing and delay its eventual end in a landfill.

Visible mending is making those repairs visible, often in a colorful and whimsical way. But it’s really up to you. Visible mending can add splashes of color across a cuff or collar, or when done is complementary colors, add texture to an otherwise flat piece.

What’s in your kit?

What I love about mending is that it turns what you already have—and aren’t using—into things that feel brand new. Like shopping your own closet where the only cost is an investment of time! The very basics are needle, thread, and scissors. Just those three items can get you a long way. The article also suggests scrap fabric, pins, and a darning mushroom.

Scraps can come from the clothes that are beyond repair. If you already aren’t wearing them, then they can be used to repair the clothes that you do want to wear. If they are still to ratty to use as scraps, it can live a long life as a reusable cleaning rag. (I LOVE making these from stained shirts!)

I find that I don’t use pins as often as I thought I would, since I’m usually weaving patches or using such small scraps that pins get in the way. Before you go out and buy a collection of sewing pins, check to see if you already have safety pins. These are great for pinning scraps when you need to take your mending on the go—they don’t fly out everywhere and stab you when you reach into your tote bag!

Many, many, many things can replace a darning mushroom. A darning mushroom is a slightly domed wooden surface that slightly stretches the fabric you’re mending. This helps keep your tension consistent in your mending stitches. If your piece has a slight stretch, it’s important to accommodate for that. Otherwise the fabric can pucker or sag. But maybe that’s what you’re going for! There are no rules! I personally use a wooden decorative egg to do this. What you’re looking for is a smooth surface that you can’t accidentally pin into.

A note on scissors: I’ve been sewing for years and don’t have “sewing shears” or more precisely, dressmaking shears. If you buy brand new scissors and ONLY use them for fabric, they’ll stay sharp and make long, accurate cuts. A tip for these is to tie a ribbon or scrap fabric around the handle so that you know these are for FABRIC ONLY! Keep them in a safe place too, so that so no one else can use them to—heaven forbid—strip wire or something. (oh the horror)

Consider fiber content

You’re living your life in your clothes (or at least I can only assume so) so they need to be able to move, bend, and stretch the way you do. When choosing how and what to mend with, consider your fiber content. Patching cotton with cotton, polyester with polyester, woven with woven, will help to make the mend move together with the rest of the garment. And they don’t have to be an exact match either. Consider the thickness and weight of the scrap fabric and the original garment. As long as they’re close, it’ll work out.

Or maybe you want a super gauzy patch over the knee of your jeans to get that ripped look over and over again. There’s still no rules!

Patching or darning

I’ve used the words “patching” and “darning” pretty interchangeably so far. There is a bit of a difference between the two, but do one will burn you on the stake about it. Patching is mainly sewing one fabric to another piece of fabric. Darning is when you make new fabric on top of the part that you want to repair. Darning is more appropriate for knit wear and things that stretch. Many mending books go into great detail about how and when to implement each kind. When just starting out, stick to patches or embroidery-style mending until you feel confident. Darning might look complicated, but is just a small jump away from patching.

Mend-spiration!

Something the Life Kit episode emphasizes is looking for mend-spiration online and in books. I want to push books, not just because I’m a librarian by trade, but because they give you a lot more how-to than aesthetic posts. (Even though I eat up the aesthetic posts like candy). Once you have the basics under your belt, you can decipher the steps in most of the mend-spiration you see online.

I really, really, really recommend getting these books from your local library! If your nearest branch is too far away, check to see if they have e-books available or a mobile library route. Calling or emailing your library is the easiest way to hear about all the services they offer. Including clubs and programs about crafting!

If your library doesn’t carry a book you want to check out, find out about how you can request that the library purchases a copy. They’ll want the title, author, and usually the ISBN number.

Then, if you find the book to be a very handy reference, consider purchasing a copy for yourself to support the author and all the work they put into it. Sometimes with reference guides—as mending books are—you’ll find that they don’t cover what you thought they would, or it focuses on the types of mends that don’t work for what you want to do. That’s why I recommend the library first.

Mending Books