Having now gone mainstream, visible mending has moved past a practical skill to lengthen the life of a beloved garment, and into an artist way to express individuality and a variety of personal values. The fashion industry contributes to microplastic
pollution, carbon emissions and millions of tons of textile waste annually, so many people mend as a counterpoint to fast fashion. For others, it’s a matter of authentically and elegantly embracing life’s imperfections, in physical and metaphorical manners, outwardly showing the patience and care embedded in their way of thinking and being.
In the NPR Life Kit Episode The Perfectly Imperfect Art of Visible Mending, editor Ravenna Koenig explains what she loves about visible mending “…the creativity, the repetition of hand sewing, which takes me out of my head and into my hands, the rush of satisfaction I get every time I transform a holey garment into something I can wear again. I’m not the only one. Visible mending is having a moment.” My hope is that moment becomes embedded in modern culture and it becomes common to see people stitching in line at the store or in the subway.
One of my favorite visible mending techniques is a simple applique with raw edges and whip stitches, as seen in the darker designs on these old beloved worn jeans of mine seen here. I learned this technique of
stencil and applique from the beautiful work of Alabama Chanin and the School of Making and their coffee table books, stained with coffee on my table. Into the holes, I reverse appliqued wedding lace that came from the sale bin of remnants at my local fabric shop, a piece too small for a bride to use but perfect for the knees of my well worn jeans. This piece of mending was certainly a slow stitch process, during which time I was struggling with a deep grief, and my busy hands in the act of restoring the pants helped also to restore some of my peace of mind. Visible mending works on many beautiful and sustaining levels.
If you’re located in the area of Sacramento, California, come sew with me at my monthly sewing Meetup!
