That's Gneiss! #76 ~ Darn it!
Remember this old saying?
Use it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or do without
Long ago, people used to mend worn clothing as a practical matter - making your clothes last as long as possible was just something you did. Socks, sweaters, pants - every piece of clothing was mended until no longer useful, and then the scraps were used to mend other clothes. Mending and repair of not just clothing was an integral part of life before the age of convenience arrived.
A number of specialty tools were devised to make the process easier. On the simple side, one could get a darning mushroom or egg. Pretty nifty devices, which can be purchased easily today - spend as little or as much as you’d like.
For more serious mending tasks, the Speedweve loom was the tool to have. For step by step instructions, check out Tom of Holland’s blog. Sadly there are no YouTube videos showing how this device is used, but you can see it done on Instagram. These puppies are a little harder to come by - currently if you’re willing to fork over $350 you can get one on Ebay. Yikes. I’m fascinated by them, but not THAT fascinated.
The introduction of synthetic fabrics and inexpensive clothing led to people losing interest in mending and darning as an everyday activity to extend the life of their clothing. Recently however, the tide has turned with the rise of DIY culture and interest in living more lightly on the planet. The current trend of Fast Fashion is just not sustainable, and frankly is a bit mad. Fast Fashion is the almost constant introduction of low cost, poorly made clothing - mountains of garments moving in and out of stores as fashion trends change.
People debate what came first—the desire for fresh looks at an alarming rate or the industry’s top players convincing us that we are behind trends as soon as we see them being worn.
There are a number of things one can do to fight back against Fast Fashion. When purchasing new clothes, buy high-quality garments that are well made (not in sweat-shops) and designed to last. Purchasing second-hand clothing has become one of my favorite tactics - it takes time to search through the racks, but effort is often rewarded with unique finds that don’t cost an arm & leg. Not to mention all the weird things one might see in a thrift store. That’s really my favorite part. I will refrain from digressing.
You may have guessed by now that mending is making a comeback - people are learning the old techniques for fixing holes in socks, sweaters, jeans and any other fabric item with a hole. A few weeks ago I shared the visible mending hashtag on Instagram with you. This iteration of clothing repair proudly announces itself with colorful and creative expression, and I love it! I was sad at the time I first shared this because I had no clothes with holes in need of fixing. I am happy to announce that this is no longer the case! Almost as if on cue, holes are sprouting in my clothes giving me an opportunity to try this out. I have never been so thrilled to see a hole in my pants. I noticed a whole in the elbow of a shirt I wear frequently - oh boy!
I’ve patched jeans before, but haven’t followed any particular method. This time though I’m going to use some of the techniques from this book, which finally arrived from the library.
I would like to get my hands on this book too. In the meantime I will give it a go with my jeans, and patiently wait for more holes in my clothes. Better go check my socks…
It’s late, it’s been a busy day, and I’m going to wrap this up so I can do a bit of reading.
Cheers!
P.S. The house closed and we are done! Just waiting for the money to transfer tomorrow. Darn bankers still keep 19th century hours. By the time it was over Friday, it was a bit anticlimactic.
Tidbits
A gallery of visible mending examples and techniques
Who needs a drone when you’ve got a miniature pigeon camera?
Heaven or High Water - Selling Miami’s Last 50 Years
Popula - blockchain protected journalism (I have a hard time wrapping my head around blockchain)
Would you eat a sandwich in a pickle?
Making: Michael continues to make pedals, and for each I do my bit.
Recently eaten: we had dinner out at Terracotta Red Bistro to celebrate the closing of our house sale. We very cleverly made reservations, so this time we got to sit at a TABLE! It was excellent, and my drunken chicken entree was so big I have two lunches ready for later this week!
Reading: I am determined to finish Michelle Obama’s Becoming soon. It is so good, and so heartbreaking to think about what we’ve lost as a country in such a short time. I finished Uprooted (READ IT). I wanted to keep things light, so I’m now reading Hope Never Dies, the Obama/Biden mystery. Fun!
Video of the Week
No darning egg handy? You can use any round substitute, such as a light bulb! See the process of darning a sock in this short video, with pleasant music.
Question of the Week
Just hit reply to send your answer, and I’ll share it next week. Always anonymous!
What efforts have you made to live more lightly on the planet?
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Last week I asked if you could only eat three condiments for the rest of your life, which ones would you choose?
[What’s considered to be a condiment?]
3 condiments - ketchup, mayo, & mustard.
Olive oil, soy sauce, some type of hot sauce
I’m getting fancy on my condiments answers, because the rest of my life might be lengthy. I choose guacamole, lemon curd, and soy sauce (used separately).
Mayonnaise, mayonnaise and oh, did I mention? Mayonnaise.
1. Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel Seasoning. If I can’t get a decent everything bagel on the west coast, at least I can somewhat recreate the taste by sprinkling this magical condiment on EVERYTHING.
2. Hot sauce, extra hot. I’m not devoted to any particular brand - I like to try them all, especially if they have funny names or beautiful labels.
3. Any type of Grainy mustard. I’m talking pebble-sized grains that can crack a tooth and a sharp tang.
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