Mending and Darning
I started sewing when I was 12 or 13 and I loved that I could make my own clothes, alter clothes, make little zippered bags, and so forth. It supported younger me’s need to have semi immediate results. I could buy the fabric today, wash and dry it, make a dress and wear it tomorrow. I did fix and alter clothing but mostly by machine. Fixing big ole holes clothes meant grabbing one of those iron-on doodads. So, I started my current mending journey with iron-on doodads. In the winter of 2022, I decided I need to address the massive pile of clothing to be mended.
One by one I mended and learned along the way. I checked books out from the library and purchased the ones that I thought were truly helpful to refer to and not just inspirational and aspirational. Every time I see a cute mend, my first questions are “Has it been worn several times?” and “Has it been washed several times?” Sure it looks cute now, but how does it wash and wear.
It’s in the details that some books fall short for me. If you don’t have a haberdashery around the corner that means that you need to order supplies or find a way to make do with what is available, so you need details. If you’ve not worked that stitch before, how do you go around the corner, how to you start and end the stitching, etc.
As I worked through the details I learned more about mending and even removed iron-on patches to make stronger and better looking mends.
Noguchi, Hikaru. Darning: Repair, Make, Mend. Quickthorn, 2019
This is hands-down my favorite darning book. The details in the writing, the details in the photos—all super helpful. This was the second book I bought and I love it! It is power packed and leaves few questions.The author also mends live on Instagram from time to time and watching the recordings if you miss them live is helpful. I also like that the author makes wonky stitches, learning by doing, using what you have, throwing out any rules a part of a darning philosophy. There are talented folks with decades of experience mending and darning, textile artists with mind blowing darning work (and books)—but what about those of us who are just trying to mend that sweater or pair of jeans so that we can continue to enjoy them? Just get into it—we wear clothing every day so why not carve out a little time each day or week to do a wee bit of mending.
Noguchi, Hikaru. Creative Mending: Beautiful Darning, Patching, and Stitching Techniques. Tuttle Publishing, 2022.
At first glace this might seem like a redux of Darning: Repair, Make, Mend but it is not. There are even more mending and darning techniques.
Martin, Molly. The Art of Repair. Mindful Mending: How to stitch old thing to new life. Short Books, 2021.
This book is so delicious that I rationed reading it! There are not a ton of photos but that’s made up for with detailed descriptions of the techniques and the case studies. There were a couple techniques that I’d not come across before that I immediately added to my cache of mending strategies.
And the rest of the list. These books come in a strong second to the books above. You might notice some popular books missing from the list and that’s because they just don’t have the details or I didn’t think there was enough in the book to warrant buying it after checking it out from the library.
Briscoe, Susan. The Book of Boro: Techniques and Patterns Inspired by Traditional Japanese Textiles. David and Charles, 2020.
Lewis-Fitzgerald, Erin. Modern Mending: How to minimize waste and maximize style. Search Press, 2022.
Horiuchi, Harumi. Mending with Boro: Japanese Running Stitch and Patching Techniques. Tuttle Publishing, 2019
Montenegro, Nina and Sonya. Mending Life: A Handbook for Repairing Clothes and Hearts. Sasquatch Books, 2020.
This was my first mending book and I do want to give a nod to this beautiful book and the beautiful words, so good. That said, the short falls of this books are why I sought other books—to be fair no one book is likely to cover every single detail that any one particular person needs or wants.
And also. Straight forward book to make simple clothing with all the details you need.
Philip, Sonya. The Act of Sewing: How to Make and Modify Clothes to Wear Every Day. Roost Books, 2021.
Supplies
I order hand mending needles, threads, and other supplies from Shibori Dragon and Upcycle Stitches. Wawak is another good resource once you are looking for zippers (can’t find new ones that work for your project an/or don’t have any to reclaim), sewing machine threads, and they sell a small selection of sashiko threads (Olympus) and one packet of sashiko needles (also Olympus).
The challenge I found with hand darning is matching fabric to thread to needle. For example denim to sashiko thread to a needle—so the needle needs to slide easily through the cloth, the thread needs to slide easily in the eye of the needle. It is hard to just guess from online shops. I started with buying an assortment of needles and threads in person and online (Shibori Dragon—as they sell a number of different brands of sashiko needles and threads) and found my favorites that way. The sashiko threads and needles offered by Wawak “go together” which is nice but you might find that you need to try other needles. I like the threads from Upcycle Stitches but I didn’t like the needles. My favorite needles are Tulip brand, long assortment sashiko needles and DMC tapestry and darning needles size 22.