Thrifty Thursday: Mending Day

When I was a little girl, one of the first things my Mother taught me was how to darn a sock. She gave me a used light bulb and showed me how to put it inside the toe or heel of the sock. She showed me how to repair my socks. My dad had his special way which his grandmother had taught him. No matter what, the message was clear. Waste not, want not. My parents both grew up in the impressionable years of the depression. They were fortunate enough to have everything they needed, but wants were frequently dismissed. The families overall needs were more important that the wish to fill a personal desire. People never threw things away unless the use was completely exhausted. Making repairs to clothing and household items was very common. Sometimes it was a grandmother who spend her time mending, and other times the children were taught and everyone mended their own clothing. So when it came time to begin to instill these values into my children's minds, I was stunned at what I found. My kids have grown up in the throw away society. They have rarely gone without things they needed. Most of the time they have what the want, or at least some of what they want. My daughters when through a very upsetting stage when they were between 7 and 8 years old. They literally had so much that they began to break toys just for the fun. They didn't understand what it meant to "need" anything. I became very distraught. I knew I had to do something soon. I begin to talk to my daughters about our beautiful earth. I told them that they were responsible for teaching the world to take care of it. I gave them needles and thread, cloth, scissors and ideas. When something broke, I helped them repair it. I didn't realize until recently that it takes time to teach these values. They are doing very well with both appreciating their things, and helping to repair them when they break. Being thrifty means many things to many people. To me it means, "Reduce, reuse, recycle". It means, "Waste not, want not". It means, "Take what you need and return the rest to the earth". This is a darning egg which is placed in the heel or toe of a sock.

Darning socks takes practice. To learn how, practice following this pattern.

Most socks today are considered disposable. They are cheaply made and when they develop a hole, it spreads quickly. Hand knit socks will last longer and be more enjoyable to wear. This is a photo of a sock from Traveler's Yarn. If you would like to learn how to make hand knit socks, here's a link: http://www.weebleknits.net/socks.html

What about sewing buttons on? Buttons pop off all the time. It's good (when trying to be thrifty) to keep a small stash of buttons on hand. For goodness sake save those extra buttons that come with your clothing. You never know when you will need them. Mostly, you may end up using them on creation of yours! Even if you have to replace all of the buttons on your clothing, it's worth it if the outfit still fits and is in usable condition.

When I sew missing buttons back on my clothing, I get this really special feeling that little can bring. Learning how to replace a button will extend of life of your clothing. When clothing is both expensive and good clothing is hard to come by, repairing your clothing always makes sense. And even if you plan to send your outgrown and unwanted clothing to friends or charities, you will have a good feeling knowing that your clothes were in good shape when you shared them.

In closing, this is a very practical video with highlights how to darn a sock. I believe this is becoming a lost art. Grab a darning mushroom or light bulb and start darning! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nY1jTVyBE0 I hope you enjoyed this Thrifty Thursday! Jyotsna