Like most folks, I am stuck around the house. I didn’t realize how often I went shopping, even a quick stop at the local dollar store, to break up the monotony of everyday life. Because we have an efficient and easy to use system to feed animals and milk the cow, morning chores can be done in 30 or 40 minutes. The cow doesn’t usually want to hang around the barn and talk once the milking is done, either. What do I do with the rest of my day? I feel at loose ends. I guess I could clean out closets – but who wants to do that?
I was poking around my sewing room – more of a craft /sewing /knitting /storage for everything else room – and came across a pair of shorts that one of my daughters had given me to use for crafting or repurposing for the grandkids. I started looking over that pair of shorts with the huge rip down the front and thought, ‘I bet I could mend that’.
The tear is 8” long and runs alongside a cargo pocket on the shorts. This type of tear is notoriously difficult to fix because often the material is thin from wear or stress. HOWEVER!!! I remembered a blog I had read about repairing blue jeans and I had used the technique on a few pairs of jeans my son asked me to fix. (They had turned out pretty darn good.)
I figured the worse that could happen is my son-in-law won’t have an extra pair of yard work shorts, which he doesn’t now anyway because these are unwearable. So, nothing to lose.
The technique was developed by a young woman named Rain, a denim conservationist with the company Indigo Proof. For inspiration, look at her Instagram account. You will be blown away…
In a nutshell, you match thread with the fabric – all the dimensions of color found. (very few pieces of material are actually a single solid color) Then, you reinforce the tear with a piece of backing and recreate the original material over the tear. Sewing in multiple directions to reinforce and mimic the fabric, you also change the thread color a few times to recreate the dimension you want.
Why would I bother to do all this to save a pair of shorts? I wanted to take the challenge and learn if there are techniques I can use in other sewing projects or perhaps resurrect something expensive or irreplaceable, like winter coveralls. Also, I like to make something wonderful from bits and parts and raw materials. It’s probably the underlying reason for many things I do, such as making homemade pizza, mozzarella cheese, home churned butter, and knitted washcloths.
God did that for me. He took something that was damaged and weak and made me into something for His glory. He gave me a new life and a new purpose. He gave me beauty for ashes. (Isaiah 61:3)
For me, mending is taking ashes and making beauty again.
This is the 8" tear on the front of the shorts. You can see how close the tear is to the cargo pocket.
I found some material that is close in color to the shorts. It would have been better to use a dark bondable interfacing but I didn't have any.
I trimmed the edges of the tear, removing the strings and fuzzy parts. The backing material was positioned under the tear and pinned to secure it.
I chose varying tones and shades of grey to sew the repair. I wish I had a grey-green color thread to complete the match but I was using what I had in my hand.
I started to recreate the fabric by sewing first in a vertical pattern and then a shorter, diagonal one. I changed the thread color three times as I sewed. I decided the dark grey/charcoal black color was too dark to blend.
I needed to sew closely to the heavily seamed pocket so I loosened the placard and pinned it back. This gave me access to the tear nearest the pocket without breaking needles.
I replaced the placard and secured it with handstitching.
I steam pressed the repair to help the stitches 'meld' into the fabric.
The repair is complete and the shorts are usable again - at least around the house.
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Chamomile
Chamaemelum nobile
Many women I have spoken with are experiencing moments of anxiety and stress. Recently I woke up at 4 am and couldn't go back to sleep due to worry about the immediate future. What is going to happen to our family? Will our food stores last? How soon before we start getting fresh vegetables from the garden? What if one of us becomes very ill?
On and on it went. Then morning came and I started another day. Exhausted and stressed.
Time to turn to my herb apothecary for some chamomile.
Chamomile is known as a nerve-tonic herb. A tonic helps to tone and strengthen body systems, including the nervous system. They are very effective, but usually mild in action and can be used for a long period of time. They are best taken before bed, but will be effective anytime of the day or night. It works for adults and children.
It is usually taken internally as a tea, but can also be used as an aromatic – crush the leaves and flowers gently and inhale. Some folks mix it with other nerve-tonics for a powerhouse anxiety-crusher, including hops, lavender, valerian.
Another method is in a warm bath. Place chamomile flowers and leaves into a small muslin bag with dry oatmeal and lavender flowers. You can add a few drops of valerian essential oil if you wish. Tie the bag tightly and put in your bath. Gently squeeze the bag to extract the calming milky concoction. If you don’t have muslin bags, use layers of cheesecloth and securely tie the top or even an orphan sock. Place the oatmeal and herbs in the toe and knot it.
Bath blends can be made ahead and stored in tightly sealed, dry containers such as mason jars. You can take out a scoop at a time.
Chamomile is available commercially as a tea. You can use a tea bag in your bath as well. There are also many commercial blends – SleepyTime is a favorite blend of mine, it has a touch of mint – you can find at your grocers. You can find bulk chamomile at your local health food store.
I have also found chamomile helps when my stomach is upset or giving me fits. It calms the GI tract, relieves headaches and pain. Tea bags can be moistened and placed over your eyes to relieve puffiness, dark circles, eye strain. If you make a strong tea with it you can bring out the blond highlights in your hair. Simply wash your hair as usual, then spray or pour the tea over your hair. Don't rinse it out. Sit in the sun until your hair dries.
Chamomile is an essential in the home apothecary.
Relax. We've got this.
Polly
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