Joyful Mending: Beautiful Visible Repairs for the Things We Love

By Noriko Misumi

Joyful Mending shows you how to repair and improve old items of clothing by turning tears and flaws into beautiful features.

Simply by applying a few easy sewing, darning, felting, or crocheting techniques, as well as some sashiko and other favorite embroidery stitches, you can repair your favorite pieces in a transformative way.

Along with her own philosophy of mindfullness and Wabi-Sabi mending, author Noriko Misumi teaches you how to:

• Repair any kind of fabric that is torn, ripped or stained--whether knitted or woven
• Work with damaged flat or curved surfaces to make them aesthetically pleasing again
• Create repairs that blend in, as well as bold or whimsical visible repairs
• Darn your handmade or expensive gloves, sweaters and socks to make them look great again

The joy to be found in working with your hands and the personal artistry you discover within yourself lie at the heart of this book. While nothing lasts forever, there's pleasure, as well as purpose, in appreciating age and imperfection. Joyful Mending allows you to surround yourself with the things that truly give you joy, whether they were given to you by a loved one, picked up in your travels or simply have a special place in your heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
• Release date: Mar 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781462921423

Book preview

PART 1

My Mending Consultation Booth

Lately, my opportunities for dispensing mending advice have increased, so I have been teaching workshops and providing consulting sessions for people to revive beloved items that have seen better days. Whilst sharing supplies and chatting as we work, I have gleaned many ideas myself.

MENDING CONSULTATION 1

To fill the moth-eaten holes in the wool scarf, we used gray roving and a needle puncher. Noriko advises that odd numbers create a better balance, so we added just a touch of color at the edge of each felted gray segment. To create balance, we added gray roving in parts of the scarf without holes as well. Embroidery comes to the rescue for frayed and stained areas. We followed the recommendation to use colors that stand out, and were pleasantly surprised by how well they covered the stains.

Advice Seeker: Sumie Suzuki

A mother of two, Sumie became an embroidery enthusiast after giving birth to her children. She creates and sells children’s clothes and accessories that feature embroidery.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. With a heavy-duty cotton thread and needle, use the herringbone stitch to repair the frayed section.

Mending technique used

Herringbone Stitch page 80

1. Thread a needle with 2 strands of embroidery floss and cover the stain with cross stitches, straight stitches and triple-knotted French knots.

2. For additional decorative elements, use the eight-knotted French knots.

Mending techniques used

Cross Stitch page 79

Straight Stitch page 77

French Knots page 77

1. Place a thin layer of wool roving on top of the hole

2. Felt into a circular shape with a needle puncher

3. Gather loose roving from the edges into the center and felt some more.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 three or four times.

Mending technique used

Needle felting page 24

For moth-eaten wool scarves, needle felting is a well-suited mending method. The neutral color of the scarf allows the colorful roving to shine.

Pink stitches were added along the neckline and a variety of stitches were combined above the right hem. The result is a lively and fun mix.

MENDING CONSULTATION 2

My father gave me this sparrow-colored cardigan, and unfortunately the moths got to it. Since the holes are small, needle felting will work best, Noriko told me. As I needle felted, the design reminded me of a landscape so I shaped the roving into a moon, snowflake and tree. As for the sweater handed down from my grandfather, the underarm area had worn out to the point of transparency. Noriko guided me on my first foray into darning, which was so effective that I now want to raise my arms all the time to show off my handiwork (laughter)!

Advice Seeker: Company Tori

Born from a desire to increase interest in wild birds, Company Tori was established in 2010. Based in Tokyo and Aichi, the company offers products and workshops that combine bird watching and crafting.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place a thin layer of wool roving on top of the hole

2. Felt with needle puncher

3. Gather loose roving from the edges into the center and felt some more.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 three or four times.

5. Thread a needle with 2 strands of embroidery floss and backstitch around the edge.

Mending techniques used

Needle felting