Mend

Mend 1. Repair (something that is broken or damaged) Mending used to be commonplace. Normal. These days most people wouldn’t consider repairing something broken. Most things are cast aside long before they are even broken at all. But mending and repair are having a bit or a resurgence in certain circles which I think is brilliant, often inspired by Boro and Sashiko, Japanese mending techniques. A mended item of clothing can be worn like a badge of pride if done well. I think there’s something beautiful in old, worn and mended textiles.

Alongside this I've been thinking about waste, about the scraps and offcuts  of fabric that get thrown away. I went through my fabric scrap bag, all the odds and ends that would normally be discarded and wondered, if they were all patched together, how large a piece of fabric could be created from the scraps?

I stitched them all together, not worrying about colours or matching, just adding the next piece that came to hand, no scrap too small. I added teeny tiny fabrics I'd been hoarding because they were too beautiful to discard. I zig-zagged each piece on top of the next so they'll fray, but not too badly.

 Eventually I ran out of steam but had a roughly rectangular piece of fabric, literally made of waste, that was large enough to make a fabric shopping bag. I lined it with an old sheet to hide the messy reverse side and now just need to add some handles. Then it can be tucked into my handbag and the tiny discarded bits of fabric, instead of being waste can serve a useful purpose!