Wednesday 20 January 2010

Wednesday is mending day...............


Wednesday is mending day in my house. I like mending for a lot of reasons, although when I mention that I do mend to some folks, their response is often one of incredulity."I don't bother..........waste of time.............I just buy another one........give it to the charity shop..........throw it away....." I find that sad in many ways.
I mend in order that an otherwise sound garment or article can continue to be used; I mend because I enjoy it; it saves money; it's less wasteful; I find it therapeutic; it's immensely satisfying to do; connects with the past - my grandparents and parents mended everything!
Clothes, buckets, furniture, kitchen utensils, zips - you name it, we try and mend it if we can - sides to middles on sheets and turning shirt collars too. Half the battle is buying the best quality that you can afford to begin with - as well as lasting and wearing better, these things are usually much more amenable to patching, mending and darning than cheaper items.If it's not repairable, another use is found for it if possible - only then will it go for recycling/to the tip.
Clothes are the prime candidate in this house usually. Today's mending list is two pairs of jeans - one actual mending, one just a new button required - one pair of knitted gloves needs darning, and two pairs of knitted socks; plus mending a collar on a friend's bought (expensive!) jumper that is unravelling, in exchange for a brace of pheasants - a good bit of barter!
It's a good job well done when the mended articles are returned to their owners, and I know that they live on to serve another while.
Ofcourse, if/while I have the machine up and running, I can always slip in a bit of sewing or quilting too..............
I found this photo to share as well:

6 comments:

Juliette said...

Eyes down looking! The girls don't look like they enjoy mending as much as you do!

Anonymous said...

I often do my daughter's laundry...she has 3 sons and is very busy. Everything goes home clean, and repaired...it doesn't take long and I know I'm saving her money and time.

I loved this post....we are not a disposable world despite what many plp seem to think!

Regards to Paco ;)

Coffeee, sue
PS have linked to yr beer again as this week's herb is hops.
xxxx

MrsL said...

Thanks Sue - I'll pop over later. :)
Must admit that "disposable" isn't a word used often around here. You can dispose of it in one sense of the word, but most of it will still be there when you're gone.

MrsL

xx

Kath said...

I mend as best I can, my sewing skills are not the best!
Do you know the thing I have to mend most? Bloomin' underwires popping out from bras! Haha!

MrsL said...

LOL MM - some of mine only have one left in them! Not my favourite bit of clothing, but can't always get the type I want when I need it. Maybe I need to investigate homemade bras now!

MrsL

xx

Big mamma frog said...

I rediscovered my basket of 'to do' mending the other day and dutifully patched and sewed away. I gave the clothes back to the kids only to find that they were all about 2 inches too short. Hmmm...either the kids are growing too fast or I need to mend quicker!