Make Do & Mend: Patching Holes

 {farouche etsy}

For quite awhile now, I've been thinking about my spending patterns, what they mean, the impact they have on my household and the global picture, what it means to truly "make do and mend" and, to go one step further, how to apply those philosophies to my every day life.

In the past, I have been guilty of replacing items with brand-new because I was tired of the old one (*guilty of following flash-in-the-pan trends and not investing  in classic foundation pieces). I've also donated clothing that was ill-fitting before ever trying to alter it to fit me properly (*guilty of not seeing the value in already-owned pieces and getting creative with my seamstress abilities) and, lastly, I recognize that, in the past, I've put way too much value on the 'new' instead of saving my money and making do with what I already own. Well, I'm proud to say that, for me, those wasteful days are over. From now on, I'm going to apply the philosophies of generations past and make do and mend. It's not going to be any walk in the park, but I hope that checking in with my progress will inspire you to tackle some projects of your own and share tips as we discover them. I hope you'll join me in "using it up, wearing it out, making it do and doing without"!

Here's what I did last week:

1. Sewed up a tear and patched two holes in a vintage pillowcase liner.



2. Sewed up two tiny holes in a $2 thrift store sweater I recently bought.

3. Finished an elastic skirt made from a new cotton sheet and white grosgrain ribbon. Added some pockets using Susan at Freshly Picked's tutorial here. (Not the greatest pic, but I had to share it. I love the pockets!)

4. Made a notebook tote for my best friend's son's 2nd birthday (I'll post pics after I give it to him!)

What's up next on the Make Do & Mend list (and this isn't just limited to clothing, folks!):

- Hem about 6 pairs of pants
- Make some kind of window covering for spare bedroom window
- Pick up & strip wood benches from my grandma's old house (hopefully pick up over Easter weekend...)
- Reinforce a seam on a pair of suede flats (holes already awled and ready for stitching)

What's on your Make Do & Mend list?