swallowsummer - Tumblr blog

[swallowsummer]

Old pillowcase + stitches = tote bag

Tote bag + child’s sizeable collection of gritstone ‘eggs’ = “Mummy, can you mend this?”

Hole + old shirt = problem sorted :)

Thinking about it now, I’m impressed by how well the bag coped with being used for geological samples.

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More mending - this time for the heel-bites on my partner’s jeans

These are also a bit of an experiment to compare the durability of the more dense/less dense patterns.

Why so much mending? My mending/alteration basket was full and nothing else could be added, so it was time to deal with the items.

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Love how the fabric of the patch and the stitch pattern go together.

Finally finished

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Sashiko inspired quilting. Post 2/3

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Had a recent ask about my spinning wheel decals, so I thought I'd give a "tour"/story time about it.

I bought my wheel secondhand in January of 2020, after having borrowed a wheel from my museum workplace for a few months, to practice my spinning over the winter. Of course, we did not go back to work in March 2020, and I suddenly had a lot of quality time with my new-to-me Ashford Traditional.

That same spring, my husband and I started keeping bees! And both being history nerds, myself a literal medievalist by training, I suggested that we paint or decal the new hives with an Anglo-Saxon charm for keeping your bees happy and from swarming away:

Sitte ge, sīgewīf, sīgað tō eorðan,

næfre ge wilde tō wuda fleogan,

beō ge swā gemindige, mīnes gōdes,

swā bið manna gehwilc, metes and ēðeles.

We ended up with me making a sort of stencil with vinyl cut on a Cricut, and the letters that were removed ended up on my spinning wheel! I'd already made the flowers so I managed to fit the words into the space left, but that meant I only had room for the first line of the charm.

And it's been a great wheel for the last 4 years! I only paid $250(?) for it and bobbins and a bobbin rack, which is about a quarter of the cost of a new one, so I got my money's worth! I've only had to make minor fixes to it, which is normal for a wheel I use all the time.

I no longer work a job where I spin in front of the public, but two years ago, I became a full time woodworker for another museum and I plan on someday building my own wheel!

[swallowsummer]

Made some cleaning cloths out of rags. I’m hoping the stitches and slight quilting will make them more effective. As they’re two layers of fabric each, they’re also a lot sturdier than the cleaning rags I have already.

Back of this one was the inside of a destroyed kids hoodie, which was a pain to sew through but dusts well. The chequered fabric is from worn-through pyjama trousers.

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Tried my hand at some visible mending!

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Visible mending on my aunt's jeans - i saw these cute fish with water ripples embroidery all over pinterest and wanted to try it myself 🐟🐠

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Some very quick (and also incomplete because I ran out of the purpleish thread) mending on my work pants! I will literally wear these until they are nothing but scrap fabric patches and embroidery floss.

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Beating Shein

In price, quality, and spiritually, with a tire iron

Here are some crappy Shein jeans and their prices.

Here are my newest visibly mended jeans

Here’s what they cost to make

LL Bean flannel lined jeans: $3.00, half off at goodwill (I know, lucky find)

Denim Patches: $0.00 taken from a much loved and mended pair of jeans that finally gave up the ghost after many years of loyal service.

Flannel patch to mend a hole in the lining: $0.00 from a lot of free scrap fabric my mom found for me in a buy nothing group.

Sewing supplies: $0.00 inherited/stolen from various female family members

Total: $3.00

Beating shein at:

Cheapness

Quality

Appearance (in my opinion)

Probably comfort

Not doing slavery :)

There’s a narrative that sustainable or ethical fashion is more expensive, and often this is true. But there are affordable ways to have a cool sustainable wardrobe.

To leave you: here are some process shots of how the mending was done, in case it helps someone else.

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Keep mending my pyjamas just because I like red on black.

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My first ever visible mending! I made these jeans way back in high school and still wear them all the time.

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My friend asked me to sew back the front pocket of her work hoodie, which had been torn off by an overeager dog looking for treats.

I decided to put a little surprise in the repaired pocket for her.

This one was fun. I should do more freehand embroidery.

[swallowsummer]

If you’re going to mend the same trouser knee again, why not set your child up for lots of hilarious puns at the same time?

Reusing some old embroidery from a stained baby top as a patch for a mend. :) There were another five bees, so more will be coming out of hibernation soon…

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After wanting one for ages, I finally got myself a Speedweve (or a cheap version of one) and got to work mending these socks.

I've had these for around 10 years, and they were made for me by my best friend's Mum, but they have been wearing thin, so I've not worn them much.

Rather than throwing them away or not using them, I wanted to mend them to keep them going as long as possible.

I think I've done well for the first time using it. The 3rd one is definitely the best attempt. The first one was me learning, and the 2nd and 4th had areas too large for one patch so I did it in 2 parts.

Now I know that I can do this, I will definitely be investing in a higher quality Speedweve and different sizes of discs!

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Visible mending for the win! 1 patch down, 2 to go

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Loving how mindful the seven treasures pattern is, stitched as a single path, like a labyrinth.

These are my jeans for a change. They’re actually lavender, not that you can tell from the first photo.