The art of repair

I don’t think it’s accidental that the popularity of mending as a craft has grown since lockdowns took over our homes and the world as we knew it became more broken and uncertain. Sure, taking up new hobbies and returning to old passions became a survival mechanism for many of us during this past year or two. But mending brings together calm, creativity and power — the power of fixing what we can fix: holy jumpers, tears in jackets or skirts, worn socks.

Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald, former journalist turned professional mender turned mending author, agrees. “It’s totally about controlling what you can control.” But that’s only half of it. Mending has a lot of other gifts for those who try it.

As a mending artist, Erin makes the practice of not giving up on things an art. Her book, , is