Mend Your Ways!
The infernal chain strap on this leather bag keeps disengaging from the interior hooks! My fourth New Year’s fashion resolution this year was to keep up with my mending, to stitch, darn, rip, bolt or glue as needed. You know those pesky little chores which you dismiss with that old excuse, ‘Oh, I’ll do that later …’? But later never comes, does it?
At least in my case (as we established in the last story) I don’t continue to wear ripped or holey garments, but it is aggravating to have one’s wardrobe reduced for such a petty reason. So I determined that I would mend my ways this year, and keep on top of the mending basket.
I do very well with mending seams and sewing buttons back on and the like, but I draw the line at wielding scissors at anything except a length of thread. I mend; not alter – that’s what professionals are for.
I’ll tell you a funny story though, the thing that forced me to change my wicked ways …
Two pairs of jewellery pliers come in useful to open the links at the ends of this chain. The metal is quite a heavy gauge, and the link quite small, so pliers are quite definitely needed to open and close the links – fingernails wouldn't cut the mustard
The Funny Story
Many years ago I purchased a lovely silk 1950s dress. I wore it usually to work only, although probably only once or twice a season. But it had one flaw: the hem was falling down. Because I wore it so seldom, I never remembered to fix the hem, so I would be forced to take emergency measures at work. Earlier this year, I finally laid the dress out, determined to repair the hem, and discovered not only that I had to tack up almost the entire hem, but I first had to remove a number of tiny black safety pins, a couple of lengths of double-sided sticky tape and even (I blush to confess) a staple!
You can laugh about it sure – but I can exactly picture the scandalised/amused/disbelieving look on my mum’s face if I were to tell her! After that mortifying discovery, I determined never to let things come to such a pass again!
If you’re going to take your mending seriously, you need to put together a basic sewing kit, as well as perhaps a few jewellery tools (used here to repair the chain strap of this vintage 70s snakeskin bag) and also glue for adhering different types of materials. There are some things you just can’t repair though.
Swinging Seventies!So, with half the year almost done, how’ve I gone with this resolution? … Not too badly. I have gone on the odd domestic frenzy and mended a heap of garments at once to clear a backlog. Admittedly, there are still a few sundry items still bubbling way back there, but mostly Santa would have to say I have been a Good Girl. (I wear size 39, in case you NTK.)
Ironically, I found that I had to finally remove and trash the chain strap on this bag – after it snapped off no less than three times on a single outing! The bag has since become a clutch.