My son and daughter in law cleaned out their closets right after Christmas and unearthed a pile of things that needed mending. They brought them to... who else? "Sure I can do that for you". Did I hop right on it? Of course not. There were several polo shirts that needed the buttonholes made smaller, a torn jacket that needed some TLC, another that needed the cuffs tacked up and two pair of slacks that needed hemming. Oops, never mind, I've had those slacks for a lot longer than a month, but you get the idea. Things I need to do vs. things I want to do. Do you have similar battles within yourself or is it just me? Yesterday became mending day, simply because I had grown tired of moving the bag of mending around or stepping over it. Like all tasks that I try to avoid, this one didn't take nearly as long to complete as I had unfairly and disproportionately estimated. While I was sewing I recalled Anna, the white haired lady down the street who took in mending for my grandmother and her friends when I was a little girl. If something needed a button, a hem, to be taken in or let out, it was put in a bag to "take to Anna". In my little girl mind I was entranced by the idea of being an expert on something, anything, to the point that your friends and neighbors would seek you out and bring you their clothing for repair. Anna was my hero back then. And so, here I sat yesterday, being all Anna-like as I repaired button holes and hemmed slacks. I was aware of the trust that had been placed in me (forget the fact that the Mom's price is right!) and I felt pride in the job at hand. It was a a good feeling to complete the work, now I can get back to the things I like to do even more than mending. But, just to be clear, unlike this picture: I don't do shoes!Life is Good!
13 comments:
I don't mend. I don't know how. I'm sure I could figure it out but...no.
You put a whole new perspective on mending but I still don't think I will like doing it when it is asked of me.
Why is it that we procrastinate mending? I always feel so satisfied when the job is done. I don't do shoes either - but I have stitched up a leather thimble in order to get a little more use from it *s*
My mother was a mender. Heck, she even darned up the holes in my father's socks! I learned mending from her and have done a fair share in my day, but I don't darn socks. A sock with a hole gets pitched and new ones are bought. Darned spots are lumpy and uncomfortable. Replacement zippers are tricky and I've been known to rely on the greater expertise of my sister-in-law who is a real seamstress. I know so many people who just throw things out if they have holes or ripped seams. Yikes!
I think mending is a lost art. We need to pass along this knowledge to the ones who come after us. Maybe DIL should come for lessons! ;-)
Hugs!
I dont like mending clothes, its always something that needed doing yesterday and when one wants it quickly (sigh) usually the jobs i hate doing such as hemming or,,,patches on already patched up jeans....faithx
You might not do shoes like the lady pictured but I think you were wearing the same little smile!!!!
Reminds me of a story I heard about someone asking Picasso to paint a closet...
I do the mending but don't particularly enjoy it until it is finished and then I feel good about accomplishing a dreaded (and usually procrastination-inducing) task.
I am the mender in my family as well. In fact I was given something just yesterday to fix. I guess in this day and age we will all be doing more mending and less buying. Have a great day!
I, too, am the mender in our family,and I would rather have a root canal, not fun!!!!!
but, I was looking at the pic and was wondering, since I can now wear my shoes,maybe you could help...LOL...
I remember as a young girl watching my mother darn my dad's socks and just couldn't believe how perfectly she could make those socks look. Great post!
Must be the season. My daughter brought over a huge bag of clothes to be repaired. She calls me each week to tell me what she REALLY NEEDS that week.
I enjoyed this post yesterday. Procrastinated when it came to leaving a comment.
I think it's wonderful that you did the mending! I am forever being asked to mend things, and it's always "important" - it must be done NOW. It does feel good to have it done, I must say. I'm proud of you!
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