Put a Patch on It

I have always been a patcher. As a teenager I had jeans that, over the years became more of a mosaic of fabric patches then actual jeans. First I patched every hole that wore through the denim, then I patched every hole that wore through the patches. 

To me it was an act of love, comfort and salvation. To my dear mother, it was an embarrassment, as she was more then eager to buy me new. But, for whatever reason, I have always found patched cloth to be extra special, (which is probably why I have added patches to so many of my quilts).

Noticing that I had some clothes that had been waiting for some mending a bit longer then I had planned, I decided to make amends with them by creating some extra special handwoven patches.

I began by weaving a length of fabric in different colors from 80/2 cotton yarn, set at 20 ends per inch.  It was then washed, dried and pressed, before cutting the sections apart, and backing them each with a complimentary cotton fabric. Then I stitched me up a bunch of patches. 

And now, some clothes are off the mending pile, which is always a good feeling!

I made enough patches for me and my needs, along with some extras to put in the shop, where they can be found here.

PATCH

/paCH/

Noun: A piece of cloth or other material used to mend or strengthen a torn or weak point.

Verb: Mend or strengthen (fabric or an item of clothing) by putting a piece of material over a hole or weak point in it.

xo

Have a Heart

 With Valentine's Day just  two weeks away, I thought it would be fun to sew up some pretty heart ornaments!

I started by weaving the front fabric panels in an off-white wool, with a band of red wool rosepath going through each section.

Each band of rosepath differs, so while all the hearts were cut and stitched from the same woven fabric, each is still an individual... just like our own hearts.

I used an off white Kona cotton fabric for the back, placing the seam in the middle, as I think items stuff better that way, and it's very easy to stitch the seam closed with an invisible hand-stitch. To add a little extra-special detail, I embroidered little x's down each seam. 

Kiss, kiss, kiss, x, x, x.

Twill seam binding was just right for making the hanging loops.

These handwoven heart ornaments can be found in my shop here. 

You can also try making your own heart ornaments by substituting the handwoven fabric for heavy-weight muslin and a band of pretty, store bought, woven ribbon stitched in place!

Here's to a happy February! 

xox