Upcycling through mending and darning: Is mending and darning instead of throwing things away back in style?

Dear Community,
for a long time, mending and darning weren’t “in”—people tended to just throw things away. Right now, sustainability is a major focus. So, are tips or hacks on mending and darning in demand again?

These days, I often end up with clothes from my family that need repair: a hole here, an open seam there, a tag torn off, pants that need shortening, and so on. Unless it’s the fanciest piece, you can usually patch it up so that it looks reasonably good afterward. But that always depends on the material, too. If the item is already worn out overall, then no repair will help.

The grandkids also often have favorite items that they wear frequently and love, but which have a flaw in one spot. That’s when Grandma comes in as the best, because she can fix it. I always have a little basket where those kinds of things end up. You really have to be in the mood for it. Right now, a large sewn sunshade is waiting for me there—the fabric on one side has torn beneath the eyelets. I need to patch it up before summer arrives.

Darning isn’t really our thing. Worn-out wool socks get replaced with new ones. Overall, we wear more sewn items than knitted or crocheted ones—so mending is in higher demand.

Best regards, Ina

I totally agree with Ina—it always depends on the fabric whether you can repair it again.  For example, my husband has a pair of jeans I sewed for him about 28 years ago—I’ve patched and mended them so many times by now that I told him, “When these pants are ready for the washing machine, just toss them straight into my textile recycling bin, because I’m not patching them again—you can practically read a newspaper through the fabric by now.” :-) ;-) I’d rather sew him a new pair for around the house that’s just as comfortable. When my wool socks are worn out, they’re so worn that it’s really not worth darning them anymore. I used to darn my husband’s work socks, but since he’s been retired for a few years now, I don’t do that anymore—he doesn’t wear those kinds of socks anymore, and he doesn’t wear safety shoes either.

Love, Inge

We, too, repair whatever needs fixing.

These days, my children, in-laws, and grandson bring me their favorite clothes when something is damaged, asking if I could take a look at them and maybe even mend them.

I’m happy to do it—and I’m glad for the sake of the environment. 

I do fix things like a come-undone seam or hem, or torn-off buttons, but I don’t darn holes—that usually looks weird on adult clothing. For kids, I think those sewn-on patches are pretty cute, but I wouldn’t wear them myself.

I repair open seams and missing buttons, and I’ve also repaired jeans with iron-on patches. With worn-out hand-knitted socks, I’ve occasionally cut off the foot sections and knitted on new ones with yarn in a matching color.

At first, I only mended the kids’ pants: I’d cut off the worn-through knees and insert new fabric (which also made them a bit longer), add monsters or embroidered designs, and so on. I never used iron-on patches. Now I also replace worn-through cuffs on adult sweaters, mend work pants, or patch holes in my knit sweaters. I think it’s such a great way for women to get creative and spruce up their clothes.

I fix most broken items when I feel like it. The kids bring me their socks—the ones I knitted—that have gotten torn, and I darn them or cut them off and knit new ones on. But these days, they often do that themselves, too. Everyone’s on board with sustainability. And if someone comes to me with a sweater that has a hole in it, they have to take it off, and I’ll fix it as soon as possible. That’s how I do it, and I think the kids do too.