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I quite like mending, and it seems to be the only kind of sewing I've done for a while. I had this cardigan which needed some new buttons and some minor surgery but is comfy and has good pockets. The elbows were also a bit worse for wear, so I patched them up with some old-school leather patches.

I used soft leather scraps and a thick darning-type needle and waxed thread, and sewed them on with blanket stitch. The leather was soft enough that I didn't need to punch holes in the patches before sewing, but I guess you could use an awl or similar- there's a handy how-to here.

Now I can see lots of other clothes that might benefit from this treatment. How many patches are too many, I wonder?

I've been thinking about clothes (and other things we use and consume) even more than usual. Ever since I read about this Zero Garbage Challenge. I aspire to be like this woman- the thing holding me back is food packaging. Elbow patches and mending, I can do.

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11 responses to “spruced up cardigan”

  1. Megan Avatar

    Food packaging is so hard to avoid, bain of my existence too. I just brought some leather scraps coincidentally, to aid the longetivity of some knitted slippers. But the main reason I stopped to comment was the tree fern. I love them. I used to sit on the hill next to my house and imagine humping on top of one and sliding down a whole row of them to my house. I still wish I could.

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  2. Megan Avatar

    Good lord. I mean jumping.

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  3. tinyhappy Avatar

    hehe. yes, i thought, wow megan likes them a lot!
    good to know im not alone in my food packaging angst.

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  4. anissa Avatar

    I have been patching too…i especially like brightly coloured shorter sweaters with brown elbow patches. I hope to meet Rose (the Zero Garbage challenge lady) one day…she is the partner of a very dear friend of mine. They will thrilled you linked to her site. xx

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  5. tinyhappy Avatar

    its a small world sometimes… i think rose is inspiring and reading her site has really made me think more about what i throw away. 

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  6. Jessicah Avatar

    I bought some sequinned fabric to make a pocket with, and thought elbow patches would be another good way to use it. I also thought maybe shoulder pads would be too- and wondered how many sequinned items of clothing is too many…..

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  7. Catherine Barriga Avatar
    Catherine Barriga

    The packaging is tricky. I would love to leave it at the supermarket but it seems rude. I am focusing on continuing to use my cloth bags even though everybody seems to have embraced plastic bags again and also on TAKE3. I read about this and I felt it was very doable. The idea is that wherever you go, pick up 3 items of rubbishg and dispose or the/recycle them. You invariably take more than 3.
    I too like mending. A nearly lost art!

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  8. Nicole Avatar

    your “re-new” cardi looks great!

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  9. paper friday Avatar

    You can never have too many lovely patches I think!
    I too am troubled by too much food packaging, it seems so superfluous. Oh to go back to simpler food times!

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  10. tinyhappy Avatar

    thanks, catherine, i like that idea!

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  11. Angela Avatar

    Very cute elbow patches!

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