This is another project that falls under the “Let’s make it comfortable” banner of activities. It was born out of both necessity and a desire to bring new life, to use up fully, rather than throw away and choke the landfills even further.
Most of my jeans decided to band together and up and quit all at once! In the course of just a couple of months, week after week, another pair of jeans decided to get up and holey. They all decided to become inflexible at the knee joint, or slightly above or below, and quit working. Not one of them would continue to provide the necessary knee protection that they previously afforded me.
In the early years, I wanted to be a clothing designer and earn the kind of money the likes of Bill Blass, Calvin Klein were making. After a failed attempt at college (which was later rectified!), I opened up a tailoring shop in a tiny nearby town. It was fairly successful if one was into cuffing pants, and sewing on buttons, which was the predominant workload. I did get to do a few original designs and a mini-sort of haute couture for a few clients. A couple of wedding dresses and some personally designed trousers for an oversized gentleman to name a couple of the items.
I digress. I mention those fun times because my grandmother and mother begged me to learn how to reweave fabric to fix repairs. Yes, they thought very big, and had grandiose ideas for my future. Sarcasm intended. Though it was sweet, this was within their scope of thinking on how best to expand my business. Well, that never took, and it didn’t appeal one bit.
But, here we are, more than a few decades later, and I’ve acquired an experienced-based robust fiber talent and education, but as a passion and hobby, not to keep the lights on. I also love the idea of making something from as far back into the supply chain as possible. So, in the fiber art world, this translates into learning how to grow flax, process wool, dye it, and weave a fabric, cut cloth for a garment, and create a final product. I love to undertake projects that span that whole chain of events.
The next logical step is to make clothing last. There are many trends and educators and philosophers talking about recycling and reusing. Nothing new. I’ve heard that my whole life. I’m from the “Keep America Clean” generation, so took kindly to that idea.
I recently found an example of using weaving to repair holes that make the weaving a part of the overall design. Rather than weave to hide, one weaves to embellish. Patches are back in style!
Thanks to a nifty device I found on Etsy (1), a darning loom, called the Speedweve, it was made easy! The device was known as “Lancashire’s Smallest Loom” and was produced by E & A Chesstok Ltd. Of Rusholme, Manchester in the 1940s and 1950s (2).
The photos show a simple sewing machine zig-zag, a weaving patch done by hand, several done with the Speedweve, and one that combines both! This really cool device makes it easy to weave over a small hole and that is just what the doctor ordered for this fiber enthusiast. I loved that the clothing was made useful again, and that the repairs were embellishments rather than drudgery. The jeans have all come off their posturing and are now back to work full-time with a tad more glitz!
Enjoy!
1) https://www.etsy.com/listing/1413643978/speedweve-darning-loom-kit-portable?ref=yr_purchases
2) https://www.ministryofmending.co.uk/product-page/speedweve-14hook-darning-loom
