Mending

A google search will bring up a plethora of links about the lost art of mending. I see more and more silly things like grown women taking their mending to their mommas and duct tape being used to hem pants. I think it's because people seriously think that mending is a talent that you either have or you don't. Not true. Mending is a skill. And the secret to being good at any skill is......

Wait for it.......Practice!

That's it. The more you practice, the better you get at it. Everyone's first seams and buttons will look a little messy. Occasionally, you will have to redo a job because you didn't stitch it strong enough. But you learn from each mistake and you get better at it.

In today's disposable society, it's much easier to just toss it and buy something new. But this is where mending really works to our advantage. You can find clothes from higher-end stores at thrift stores with nothing wrong but a missing button or a ripped shoulder seam.

All this tossing is not good for our environment either. I want my children to know how to get the most uses out of a garment from mending to extend it's wear, handing down to siblings and others and using in a secondary way to create a new outfit, quilt or even cleaning rags. I let the boys make a felt cup cozy. James sewed buttons on his and did a very good job at it. You never know when they might be grown and on a business trip and need to repair a loose button.

Now I do have to toss some things. Boys (and hard-working men) are brutal on clothes. But before tossing, I cut out the back pockets (for repairing my husband's pockets that get torn from box cutters and keys) and buttons. I save some old jeans and khakis for patches. I keep some things in my crafts supplies like my big jar of buttons. But I also have a mending kit. It's portable and filled with whatever I need. I use it at least once every week for some reason or another.

• thread
• needles
• pins
• seam ripper (very valuable because mistakes will be made at some point)
• thimble (helpful for pushing needles through denim and patches)
• tiny scissors
• buttons
• denim scraps

I got some hand-me-downs for Katie Rose that will be in storage until she is big enough. I washed the clothes and inspect them for mending needs before putting them in the closet. This dress had a different seam than I am familiar with repairing. One side nested into the other side. But a few minutes later and you can't tell which side was repaired and which side wasn't. 

I recently reorganized Katie Rose's closet and got out any clothes she could wear and put away some. I can fit 8 office boxes in the top of her closet. I have one box of baby memorabilia and outfits with sentimental value. I have one box of pajamas and dance outfits. I have two boxes of shirts, short sleeve and long sleeve. I have one box of pants. I have one box of shorts and skirts. I have one box of coats and one box of dresses. I divided by piece rather than size because kids grow differently. I can get out just one box if I notice her running out of wearable pants or short-sleeve shirts.