Mend, rethink, transform, recreate! Mending your favorite fabric items--from jeans to sweaters to sofa covers--becomes a true art form in Creative Mending. In this book, mending guru Hikaru Noguchi shows you her entire range of valuable techniques--from embroidery and patching to darning and felting--that are just challenging enough for experienced menders. Noguchi's basic rules of mending are that the repair should suit the fabric and its user, and that there are lots of creative ways to create beautifully customized repairs--some subtle, others making a statement. She provides 13 techniques that show you how to: Apply creative repairs to both knitted and woven fabrics Use yarn, floss, ribbon, and fabric to reinvent well-loved garments Make understated repairs that add just a touch of contrast, color, or texture Use visible mending techniques for bold repairs Darn with felt to add body and dimension to a repaired item Match your repairs to the damage, the fabric, and the wearer Maneuver through tricky places like inseams and underarms And more! The 13 illustrated lessons and over 300 color photos in this book provide detailed examples for all the basic techniques. Lots of variations plus plenty of tips and examples (67 in all) provide you with all the guidance you need to rethink and repair beautifully. The stunning photos will inspire you to get creative on that fraying neckline or worn elbow!

The fabric of democracy is threadbare in many contemporary societies. Connections that are vital to the functioning and integrity of our democratic systems are wearing thin. Citizens are increasingly disconnected — from their elected representatives, from one another in the public sphere, and from complex processes of public policy. In such disconnected times, how can we strengthen and renew our democracies? This book develops the idea of democratic mending as a way of advancing a more connective approach to democratic reform. It is informed by three rich empirical cases of connectivity in practice, as well as cutting-edge debates in deliberative democracy. The empirical cases uncover empowering and transformative modes of political engagement that are vital for democratic renewal. The diverse actors in this book are not withdrawing, resisting or seeking autonomy from conventional institutions of representative democracy but actively experimenting with ways to improve and engage with them. Through their everyday practices of democratic mending they undertake crucial systemic repair work and strengthen the integrity of our democratic fabric in ways that are yet to be fully acknowledged by scholars and practitioners of democratic reform.

Welcome to the new face of mending! Don’t hide patches — make them into bold, beautiful embellishments. Repair holes with colorful thread and a creative darning stitch, or use fun embroidery to bring new life to a stained shirt. With detailed step-by-step photography, Kristin Roach teaches you a wide range of patching, darning, and repair stitches using both hand and machine sewing. Revive your wardrobe with these traditional mending techniques to make worn-out clothing not just wearable, but better than ever.

Kintsugi Heart: Mending the Broken with Strength Life's inevitable cracks and breaks can leave us feeling shattered. But what if those experiences, like the cracks in Kintsugi pottery, could be transformed into sources of strength and beauty? Kintsugi Heart: Mending the Broken with Strength draws inspiration from the ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with precious metals, highlighting rather than hiding the cracks. This book offers a powerful metaphor for healing our emotional wounds. Within its pages, you'll discover: The Kintsugi Philosophy: Learn how the art of Kintsugi can be applied to your own healing journey, transforming your scars into symbols of resilience. Practices for Mending: Find practical exercises and mindfulness techniques to help you navigate heartbreak, loss, and emotional pain. Building Inner Strength: Embrace the power of vulnerability and self-compassion to emerge from challenges stronger and more resilient. Kintsugi Heart: Mending the Broken with Strength is more than just a guide to healing; it's a celebration of our inherent strength and the transformative power of embracing our vulnerabilities. You'll learn to: Find Beauty in Brokenness: Reframe your perspective on life's challenges, appreciating the lessons learned and the strength gained. Embrace Your Imperfections: Let go of the pressure for flawlessness and find self-acceptance through your experiences. Build Resilience: Develop the tools and practices needed to navigate future challenges with greater strength and compassion. Kintsugi Heart is your gentle companion on the path to healing. It empowers you to transform your brokenness into a thing of beauty, emerging stronger and more radiant than ever before.

This guide explores visible mending techniques in both hands-on projects and thoughtful insight about how mending relates to mindful well-being. Mending Matters explores sewing on two levels: First, it includes more than twenty projects that showcase visible mending—styles that are edgy, modern, and bold, yet draw on traditional stitching. It does all this with just four simple mending techniques: exterior patches, interior patches, slow stitches, darning, and weaving. In addition, the book addresses the way mending leads to a more mindful relationship to fashion and to overall well-being. In essays that accompany each how-to chapter, Katrina Rodabaugh explores mending as a metaphor for appreciating our own naturally flawed selves. She also examines the ways in which mending teaches us new skills, self-reliance, and confidence, all gained from making things with our own hands.

DonÕt hide that patch, make it a bold, beautiful embellishment! Repair holes with bright thread and a creative darning stitch; revive a stained shirt with fun embroidery! In Mend It Better, popular craft blogger Kristin M. Roach puts a new spin on mending by adapting traditional techniques for todayÕs crafty sewers. With detailed photography to show each step, she teaches a wide range of patching, darning, and repair stitches using both hand and machine sewing. The how-to text is accompanied by dozens of inspiring examples from KristinÕs own work and that of other craft bloggers and artisans. You'll love the innovative solutions using appliquŽs, patches, brightly colored accents, and intricate lace details.ÊWith Mend It Better, every garment and fabric repair is a chance for self-expression and fabulous creations.