Mending Clothes as an Act of Rebellion - YouLookFab Forum

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Mending Clothes as an Act of Rebellion

Kari

Veteran

Thought this was interesting (I’ve been thinking of this more after my leather jacket repair. I am NOT handy at sewing, mending, patching garments!)

Source: “Unravel: A Fashion Podcast” (which I recommend, they have fascinating discussions.)

On mending and repairing, and our throwaway culture:

“Clothes were patched and mended in times past because they had to be – make do and mend was, for most, a way of life rather than a lifestyle choice. As a society, we have since then, allowed the “new is best, old is rubbish, chuck it away” ethos to permeate our collective conscious to the point that now a ripped knee or threadbare elbow (or at least, one that isn’t there because it was manufactured so), can be death-knell for a garment which might otherwise have a much longer life to live. “Away” is still a mythical place where all the stuff we don’t want congregates without impacting the planet. Yet in the textiles stories of so many cultures, mending and patching is a technique that not only provides longevity to a garment, but increases it’s aesthetic worth, and removes from the equation the need for space to put the things we no longer want, because they become the things that are valued, mended and therefore kept for longer.”

https://thephoenixgreenstore.o.....rebellion/

I also recently watched on Disney+/National Geographic a “The World According to Jeff Goldblum” episode that talked about how prized early Levi Strauss jeans are - found in abandoned mines or work sites, 100 years old - with visible signs of real wear and tear and patches. It’s funny that now it’s fashionable to wear distressed jeans only if it was manufactured that way.

General

18 replies

Latest reply was from

Synne

Veteran

Mending is brilliant, as far as it is possible to do. I can never mend the (again) terrible quality fabric of my faux-tweed Zara trousers. Was these pants really made to fall apart after one wear? Baffling...

Reminds me of how farmers are bying 40 year old tractors, because the new tech-loaded ones are manufactured to be impossible to repair yourself. They'd rather have older tractors, built to last and easy to do maintenance on.

https://www.caranddriver.com/n.....-tractors/

rachylou

Veteran

That’s so true about machinery. Best equipment at the bakery is from the 50s.

I think about this with regard to medieval times. How people stayed clothed. Cloth was so expensive, so laborious to produce. Those folks made things last. I’ve tried my hand at weaving (not too bad at it)(but can’t imagine how fine lawn was woven), dyeing (ok), and spinning (I totally suck at spinning; if I had to make my own yarn/thread, I’d look like a wild matted sheep).

There are good little videos on mending & sewing that I’ve watched on Pinterest. I do love my clothes. I’ll reweave pulled threads on sweaters, iron on patches, etc., to save beloved things. I did give up on repairing this one beautiful white eyelet dress I had... my kitchen drawer handles in my one apartment attacked it like a rabid dog every time it saw it, lol.

April

Veteran

I have recently been re-reading Barbara Pym, and one of her characters keeps sewing bedsheets "edges to middle" to extend their lifespan. I'm guessing these were flat sheets, used for bottom and top before the invention of fitted sheets, and when the center fabric got worn, they would just cut the sheet down the center and turn the worn parts to the outside.

My mother still removes, turns, and re-attaches the collars of my father's dress shirts.

ChrisM

Veteran

Love this idea -

There is a method of Japanese mending called boro that is an art form in itself. The images on Pinterest are amazing -

There are fascinating discussions on YouTube from an increasingly popular subset of “costube”-ers who use historical methods to create period clothes that some of them wear daily. Bernadette Banner, Morgan Donner, Karolina Zebrowska (Poland), Cathy Hay (UK) regularly discuss the importance of mending and small wardrobes - reworking what they have, using scraps instead of throwing away. So interesting.

Of course there’s a whole ‘nuther group of vintage wearers, including blogger Vintage Vixon (UK) who are fascinating reads (Karolina falls into this category too).

More discussions about sustainability from different perspectives -

Helena

Veteran

So true! I actually have a pretty high tolerance for 'worn' clothing ... As long as it's not tat, I figure, clothes are supposed to be worn are they not ... So I'm not bothered by a few pills on a sweater, or a small hole stiched up. (Granted, this is easier done due to my casual lifestyle).

Runcarla

Veteran

In uni I mended and patched my jeans and DH’s and embellished the repairs with embroidery. One pair of jeans would be sacrificed to repair all the others. As far as jeans go, I still prefer a stiff, dark-wash, high cotton content blue jean that will endure. Pre-faded and distressed just isn’t for me.

I learned to hand sew - mend and embroider - from my mother, and a friend’s mother taught me to knit when she taught her daughter around the ages of 6-7. I learned to operate a sewing machine in Home Ec grade 9. I taught my sons how to sew on a machine and by hand when they were little. Making their own teddy bears was a snowy weekend project! My MIL taught the boys to crochet!

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Janet

(website)

Veteran

I feel like some things lend themselves better to this than others - maybe as Synne mentions, some modern fabrics are not of sufficient quality to withstand mending. Some things bear the “worn” look better than others — denim and leather being my two big ones. And yes, I’m willing to tolerate a good deal of wear (and possible patching) on both of those.

I don’t have much tolerance for wear/holes and visible mending/patches on knits. I sewed up a shoulder seam on an old sweater some time back and that is ok, but it’s invisible to the onlooker. I also tried sewing up a hole that developed in an old Vince tee, and it always bothered me. It went to live at the ranch where I have more tolerance for visible wear and patching.
I guess I’m just not that into RATE when it comes right down to it.

I applaud anyone who can embrace the recycle/mend/up cycle/reuse ethic so wholeheartedly!

slim cat

Veteran

I did a lot of mending for my daughter' clothes and a bunch of sweater' mending in Seattle. I still try to prolong the life of fav pieces and so does my mom in Moscow ( she would always ask to help her fixing clothes that she loves when I'm visiting her ).
In my childhood my dad was the one doing most of clothes repairs and tricky adjustments - sweet memories .

LaPed

Veteran

I've always been pretty tolerant of small holes and stains, scuff marks, and other sign of visible wear. Character marks! I'm also lucky to live in a place where well-worn clothing is the norm. I actually feel a bit self-conscious when my things are too pristine.

In terms of repairs, I've overdyed things to hide bleach stains, patched pockets, and re-hemmed sleeves when they start to fray. The things I get stuck on are the ones I don't have the skills to do myself: replacing broken zippers, relining jackets and coats, etc. There aren't many tailors where I live; the one full-time seamstress is able to charge an arm and a leg, so having these repairs done professionally is an expensive prospect.

I also struggle with shoes, because the ones I find most comfortable are rarely resoleable. And I'll admit that I really dislike the feeling of holes in knees, even after they've been patched, so once the knees wear through, I prefer to turn my pants into shorts rather than mend the holes.

I think making an effort to avoid "disposable" fabrics in the first place (all that cheap viscose at Zara!) is an important consideration too. I've found there are a lot of sturdier fabrics (flannel, chamois, sweatshirts) that go through a bad, pilly phase in middle-age, but if you wait a while and keep wearing and laundering them, they get wonderfully soft again and will hold up for several more years.

Kari

Veteran

“ maybe as Synne mentions, some modern fabrics are not of sufficient quality to withstand mending.”

That’s just it, and it bothers me that more and more pieces (even high end!) are not constructed to last.

I’m crap at mending but my mom has helped me salvage knits with small holes.

And as I’m saying this, I just found a big hole that one of my naughty rats chewed in a nice fleece blanket. Argh!

Joy

Veteran

I remember when people would mend collars, especially on men’s shirts, when they were frayed, by removing them and turning the collar inside out, resewing and reattaching. Older fabrics had to be tough to hold up to lye soap and wash boards and irons heated on the stove. Does anyone else remember pant stretchers?

Kari

Veteran

No, what is a pant stretcher for?

(Confession: I do not iron.)

kkards

Veteran

I can’t repair anything to safe my life. But I’ve generally been fortunate to find those that can. It’s part of the reason I spend more on shoes, the ones that are leather, inside & out, can be repaired and so last a long time. I’m hoping that today’s emphasis on sustainability will encourage younger people to learn many of the old jobs, shoe repair, tailoring and re weaving. Not that long ago I read something about shoe repair places closing because there weren’t any young people to take them over as the older generation retired

Gaylene

Veteran

Yes, to pant stretchers—and sock stretchers, too! And mending instead of discarding, like my grandmothers and mother did when being a “thrifty” person meant NOT buying instead of spending time stalking the sales.

“Mending” as an act of rebellion really highlights how bizarre our attitudes towards visible signs of use and age have become today. Just when did I started thinking it was a good idea to toss aside a carefully mended, but high-quality, sweater for a poor-quality replacement which pills and becomes thread-bare after a year?

Maybe, if I choose to buy quality instead of disposable, it’s time to remember “pristine” can mean “clean and fresh” not just “perfect” or “new”. Choosing to embrace a few flaws and scars somehow seems more responsible these days than building more landfills.

Added for Kari:
https://www.lehmans.com/produc.....two-pairs/
These contraptions were used for drying heavy twill pants so they would keep their shape and size after washing. Same for sock stretchers to keep wool socks from shrinking.

Washing clothes by hand in tubs, and, later, using wringer washing machines, involved a lot of twisting so it was easy for clothes to get stretched out of shape. Shapers pulled heavier clothes back into shape while they dried.

Kari

Veteran

Ah, thank you!

And yes, very much what I’m aiming for. I want to buy things that have a good chance of lasting and ability to be repaired.

“ Maybe, if I choose to buy quality instead of disposable, it’s time to remember “pristine” can mean “clean and fresh” not just “perfect” or “new”. Choosing to embrace a few flaws and scars somehow seems more responsible these days than building more landfills.”

Gigi

Veteran

I really hate it when you have to give up a perfectly good pair of tights just because you got a hole in the toe! I taught myself how to darn by reading online explanations, and I have successfully darned the toes of some sweater tights, though the appearance leaves much to be desired (I used wool yarn that was quite a bit thicker than the tights, as well as a different color). But I don't care, because no one is going to see it. The tights cost I think twenty dollars, so I'm not going to throw them out before I have to.

SarahD8

Veteran

I LOVE this.

I also have a fairly high tolerance for patina on clothes and actually prefer things a bit worn in. I love traditions of visible mending like boro.

Re: Gaylene's idea of Maybe, if I choose to buy quality instead of disposable, it’s time to remember “pristine” can mean “clean and fresh” not just “perfect” or “new”. -- the admittedly/deliberately old-fashioned word I'm embracing around this idea is "kempt."

Anonymous

I mend what I can too, though gave up on DHs socks cause the holes got so big- and he said the repaired bits weren't comfortable. Generally I recycle things when the fabric gets too thin or I can't get a stain out.