Thank you for the introduction and your mending tutorials. I've sewn off and on since grade school (4-H sewing club, anyone?!). I have so many clothes that I love, and that took so many (invisible to me) resources to create in the first place that being able to mend them and then feel excited to wear them again with their cool embellishments feels so rewarding. I think I'm extending the lifestyle of my hardy wool socks by another 20 years... I am also excited about the intersection of thrifting and mending as a way to continue to express myself through clothing without creating new consumer demand.
I’ve lived a long life, and I feel a special joy in learning new perspectives. Today I learned from you, in your post-election video. I’ve sewn since I was young, and for many years I made all of my clothes. There is something about sewing that does change your frame of mind. It certainly gives you an education on what women’s labor has been for millennia, and how poorly it’s appreciated. Each garment represents an investment of time in someone’s life. Sewing gives you a visceral feeling of the human cost of sweatshop labor. I look forward to reading your future work. Thanks for this essay.
Yes! Being in community, in relationship with our common thread - stitching, mending, making, sharing and talking is also a way of telling our stories and retelling our familial stories of those who have gone before us doing this exact thing. It makes us stronger through connection. Thank you so much 💛
Please don't be hard on yourself about your past dive into entrepreneurship. It's not so easy to make a living these days, and with the online tools we have these days, selling online is an easy and inexpensive way to launch a business. Not too much is lost if it doesn't take off and provide a solid income. While I hate promoting billionaires, they have a stranglehold on our economy, so I don't fault anyone struggling to make a living for using the tools that are available to them.
So good to know some of your history! I got hooked on crewel embroidery as a kid and then sewing, making my first dress at age 11 or 12, as a summer sewing class project. Apparently, I was visibly enough of a stitcher that my daughter snuck into my things at age 7 and stitched her first project all on her own — a lace-trimmed stuffed heart, which I still have. I gave my Bernina to her after she got married, and she’s far more skilled now than I ever was, producing fabulous Star Trek cosplay garments and accessories for her whole family.
I discovered darning a few years back when some favorite sweaters started to fray and have been getting better at it. Looking forward to learning more mending techniques with you to maintain the good quality garments that enjoy most, many from Gudrun Sjoden with their own artisanal touches.
Will you be taking any reader requests? I do have a piece that’s a current challenge — a loose knit top with bleached spots from resting it on a chair at a waterside restaurant where they’d just cleaned the furniture. Would love to send you a photo and get some advice.
It would be cool if I could just buy basic shirts and pants that were made down the block by a tailor without immediately going broke. Maybe I'm romanticizing the pre-industrial village life of my Polish & Slovak ancestors, though.
Thank you for the introduction and your mending tutorials. I've sewn off and on since grade school (4-H sewing club, anyone?!). I have so many clothes that I love, and that took so many (invisible to me) resources to create in the first place that being able to mend them and then feel excited to wear them again with their cool embellishments feels so rewarding. I think I'm extending the lifestyle of my hardy wool socks by another 20 years... I am also excited about the intersection of thrifting and mending as a way to continue to express myself through clothing without creating new consumer demand.
I’ve lived a long life, and I feel a special joy in learning new perspectives. Today I learned from you, in your post-election video. I’ve sewn since I was young, and for many years I made all of my clothes. There is something about sewing that does change your frame of mind. It certainly gives you an education on what women’s labor has been for millennia, and how poorly it’s appreciated. Each garment represents an investment of time in someone’s life. Sewing gives you a visceral feeling of the human cost of sweatshop labor. I look forward to reading your future work. Thanks for this essay.
Thanks for the kind words Dionne! You’re so right about sewing connecting us to the human cost of fashion labor
Yes! Being in community, in relationship with our common thread - stitching, mending, making, sharing and talking is also a way of telling our stories and retelling our familial stories of those who have gone before us doing this exact thing. It makes us stronger through connection. Thank you so much 💛
This is SO well written and I could have read 10x the word count! Glad our paths crossed : )
Please don't be hard on yourself about your past dive into entrepreneurship. It's not so easy to make a living these days, and with the online tools we have these days, selling online is an easy and inexpensive way to launch a business. Not too much is lost if it doesn't take off and provide a solid income. While I hate promoting billionaires, they have a stranglehold on our economy, so I don't fault anyone struggling to make a living for using the tools that are available to them.
Our disposable mindset has devalued many of the things that people used to hold dear in our culture and many others. Hand made used to be high praise.
Repairing clothes and anything else is an environmentally conscious act that should be encouraged.
So good to know some of your history! I got hooked on crewel embroidery as a kid and then sewing, making my first dress at age 11 or 12, as a summer sewing class project. Apparently, I was visibly enough of a stitcher that my daughter snuck into my things at age 7 and stitched her first project all on her own — a lace-trimmed stuffed heart, which I still have. I gave my Bernina to her after she got married, and she’s far more skilled now than I ever was, producing fabulous Star Trek cosplay garments and accessories for her whole family.
I discovered darning a few years back when some favorite sweaters started to fray and have been getting better at it. Looking forward to learning more mending techniques with you to maintain the good quality garments that enjoy most, many from Gudrun Sjoden with their own artisanal touches.
Will you be taking any reader requests? I do have a piece that’s a current challenge — a loose knit top with bleached spots from resting it on a chair at a waterside restaurant where they’d just cleaned the furniture. Would love to send you a photo and get some advice.
Yes send me a photo in a note or a dm I’d love to see if I have any ideas!
It would be cool if I could just buy basic shirts and pants that were made down the block by a tailor without immediately going broke. Maybe I'm romanticizing the pre-industrial village life of my Polish & Slovak ancestors, though.