Mending Matters: Stitch, Patch, and Repair Your Favorite Denim & More Hardcover – Illustrated, October 16, 2018

Easy to read, high gloss pictures, great philosophy about getting out of fast fashion, and getting into slow fashion. Easy to follow directions. I’ll probably read it again.

I pre-ordered this book even though I was a bit skeptical ...and being a fan of Boro, Sashiko and Kantha stitching was not sure this would be of interest. I really like this book. I'm a fan of 'art textiles' and even though I've sewn for years I really don't know much about actual mending.....toss the old thing and buy new was my motto. But overtime I've come to my senses and appreciate the act of mending, repair, preserving, making and re-making in creating a world of sustainability....very appealing. The book is well designed, simple and clear instruction, good photography. Each chapter provides a brief introduction, then technique(s), photos a little stitching history and brief 'essay' by contributing artists. I liked that the essays were interesting to read and not what I call "annoying artist art-speak" but rather more like a conversatioin with others who are like-minded. I do have to mention the size of the book.....approx. 7"x9". Such a nice change from the usual 9xll standard. As stitching/mending feels personal so does the size of the book. Personal is nice. So, congratulations to the author, well done!

I love this book. The first, most obvious thing about this book is that it’s beautiful. The photography, layout and, most especially, the mending projects themselves are so lovely. I don’t think I can hide this one away on my bookshelf.I came to this book as a novice mender/seamstress. I have dabbled in sewing projects over the years, but am easily intimidated generally. Katrina Rodabaugh actually makes me feel like I could do this. I love that the steps are broken into bite-sized portions with picture guidance. I started gathering supplies for my first project before I even finished reading the book.As much as I love the aesthetics of the book and the projects, I think what will stick with me the most is the challenge / inspiration to be a more conscious consumer of clothing, without having to give up the desire to express myself through clothing. The idea that I could create something beautiful and unique for myself while also choosing not to perpetuate our fast fashion culture is both empowering and inspiring. I’m grateful for the people like Katrina Rodabaugh who are bringing this conversation to the forefront.

I am giving this book a 4 but I don't know that I can recommend it as a tool for learning to mend. If you want to know why, please read on.Maybe I misinterpreted the title? Maybe as I scanned through the book and I didn't see all the projects offered? The book shows images that prove her mending is as lovely as her sentiments towards the movement of slow fashion. And really that is what this book has the most to offer, as it is a long, well-thought presentation of the movement. If I wanted a reason to mend then this would be the book for me. If I wanted to convert someone with slow fashion proselytizing this would be the book for that need. I don't mean this as a bash, because this book is intelligent and well written, but I thought I was getting a book on mending techniques and it didn't feel that way when I dipped my toes in to look at the projects.I returned the book as soon as I realized it wasn't really a book with an array of techniques for many kinds of damaged clothes, but because I wanted to know if I misunderstood what the book presented itself to be I went back to look at the title, and description, in greater detail. The description cites that there are over 20 projects within the pages of the book, but even though I felt a big problem with the book was that all the projects looked and felt the same, and that there wasn't much innovation - do I put the patch inside or outside? do I make the patch bigger than the hole? do I make some extra stitches around the area? - but even thinking things all looked the same my mind cannot wrap around the fact that on returning the book, I came here to write this review, and fully thought I was going to write that I was disappointed in that it only contained a half dozen projects. And here I look and see the book has over 20. I think this says it all, sadly. 20 projects easily summed into a handful.Another person mentions the lack of knit fabric mending techniques as one issue. I think this also hits the nail on the head. The clumsiest newbie-to-sewing folks can sew a patch on denim and perhaps make some even-enough rows of running stitches without too much of a stretch of effort and this is what the majority of the book contains. Patchwork denim. It's lovely work, but a simple concept, and each one I recall seeing as I scanned the pages was a pretty simple project. What I really wanted was a mending book that told me how to fix an array of common issues, and maybe creatively. Seeing different fabrics, different notions, different treatments. Fixing buttons, fixing plackets, fixing the inevitable holes we get in t-shirts, darning socks, mending undies, maybe mending brassieres to fit better when they begin to stretch over time to give them a second life - a brassiere lift? My mom darns socks and I guess I can ask her how, but that would be something I would liked to have seen in this book. Everyone I know has at least one pair of jeans with a patch slapped on it. But who darns their socks anymore? My mom pretty much from what I know. I cannot imagine too many people can say they know someone well within their 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon that darns socks. Just a thought on a way to save lots of holey socks from the landfills, cause I sure don't donate holey socks, nor do I really know what to do with them other than throw them out. I also think the lack of variety means we are forgetting that a lot of people happily don ripped jeans, or patch them and keep them for years more, but what do I do with a torn work blazer, for example?So, I love the concept behind the creation of the book. I love the heart of the author and the goal to do better as an individual to make the world better for all of us. I love the idea of wasting less, buying less while recycling more and saving more. I love the images and as much as I complain of the simplicity and lack of variation I do still love her art. The author has a lot to say about fashion and it is stuff that should be said and that people should think about. For that - if I were looking for a book about why I should slow my fashion roll - I would give the book 5 stars.As a book on how to actually mend I think I would give this a 3. It does show how to mend some things, it is well-written, it has nice pictures, but there is quite the lack of depth and variety. While the concepts offered could be applied to other items of clothes, I really think more variety would help her cause here and would help the user become more inspired to take a whack and mending their own clothes instead of pitching them. Also, I know that this is touted as a mending book but perhaps - in lieu of an array of mending techniques for a variety of clothing types - a mention of basic alterations to save ill-fitting clothes from the bin or the Goodwill would help, too. Just a thought.In summation, I took my ratings of 5 and 3 and mashed them up to a 4, but I am conflicted on that. I feel bad giving it a 4 because I don't know that I would recommend the book as a resource for mending, but conversely I would feel bad rating it less than a 4 because I think the author has important things to say so... my 4 comes with this caveat:I would recommend this book ONLY to four kinds of people:1. Those who want to learn about slow fashion and why it is important.2. Those who want to make patchwork denim3. Those who have very little sewing skill and want to learn a few basics4. Those who want to support the author for whatever reason that may be - perhaps that they approve of her message of the need for slow fashion movement to catch on, etc.I do not recommend this book as a resource to learn an array of techniques to mend clothes.I hope this helps and best of luck!

With an introduction from Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin, a leader in the slow fashion movement, the book opens by welcoming each of us into the Slow Fashion community.Katrina thoughtfully and articulately lays out her motivations and inspiration for adopting a slow fashion practice and her mending is beautiful and meditative to boot. My take away... That there is tremendous value and worth in the idea of loving our garments and enhancing them overtime with pieces of ourselves, so they continue to grow to express our individuality.With reference to Tom of Holland's mending of sweaters, shashiko stiching, european darning, japanese boro style mending and kantha quilting there is a wealth of mending beauty and inspiration in these pages.I love that the author has taken her art practice into the world in a practical, thoughtful and intentional way. One that engages in social practice and social changeAfter a thorough read of this book one is equipped with the knowledge to move forward in mending garments in a unique, thoughtful and meditative way, extending the life cycle by leaps and bounds.Bravo on a beautiful book of images and lyrical instructive text.

This book is one to get you moving in the “slow” lane. It is inspiring and gets you started on the practical, no frills path to making the clothing you love last longer. Thinking about the backstory that makes you want to mend an article of clothing - who taught you about sewing, how the fabric came to be, why that particular piece of clothing means something to you, where you have been while wearing it….and so on. This book spurs reflective thinking about how we treat fashion and textiles.

Es un libro que se toma muy cómodamente entre las manos. Su pasta es dura y sus hojas gruesas. La encuadernación permite pasar las hojas de tal forma que quedan abiertas completamente sin lastimar el libro.Más allá de la hermosa presentación, el libro tiene textos claros y sencillos. Los ejemplos son bellos. Es una delicia este libro

The media could not be loaded.  Libro in inglese, con immagini a colori e testi di spiegazione chiari. Bella edizione, piacevole nell’estetica da tenere anche a vista e con molti spunti interessanti. Consigliato.

I loved this book. It was recommended by a friend and it did not disappoint. It shows how to repair mainly denim items by using hand sewing and what it describes as 'mendfulness 'as the techniques described help with your mental well-being too. It is not just a boring 'how to..' book but tells the story of the journey the author went on to develop this book.

To ładna książka, do oglądania. Wartościowej treści starczyłoby na kilkanaście kartek.