"I beg you to take courage; the brave soul can mend even disaster."
Catherine the Great
Mend the Gap
With a hole in the bottom and a ripped handle, this gorgeous hand-embroidered 1970s wool purse was one step away from the landfill!
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Someone, probably a woman in Central or South America, had spent many hours on this beauty.
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When I found it at the Portland, Oregon Goodwill outlet, I had to take it home and give it some love.
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12 patches later, it's in good wearable condition and ready to find its forever home.
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Let me know if it's calling your name...
Why I do what I do...
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My art builds on three subconscious pillars of human thriving:
Vibrant color signifies abundant resources
Practical objects bring artistic energy into the everyday
Geometric shapes signal excitement and expectation
For the first 43,000 years of human existence, we were all primarily nomadic. And across the globe, many humans still are. What have the rest of us lost as a result of our settled existence?
Chief is the idea that the things we use everyday are artistic, that art is primarily practical. Decorative art designed to be hung on a wall, fragile, purely aesthetic, mostly for the wealthy to admire at their leisure is only a few thousand years old, a thin layer in the grand scheme of human existence, like the skin of an apple.
Before that, art was almost always practical…and portable.
Humans wore art on their bodies, used decorated items to hunt or cook, covered themselves in helpful colors, patterns, and symbols, both aesthetically pleasing and spiritually or energetically protective.
Clothing, bags, tools, blankets were fortified with art.
For years, I wondered why so many people I saw on the street wore plain clothes in solid shades of black, gray, brown, and denim blue.
I realized that we've lost the idea that we thrive when we wear and use art. But we still all have the same human nervous system that is strengthened by artistic energy.
Have you ever thought about the fact that, aside from the circle, the hexagon is one of the few regular geometric shapes found in nature?
Circles are everywhere (the center of a flower, the ring of a pupil) but the naked human eye rarely sees naturally occurring squares, right angle rectangles, or equilateral triangles.
Hexagons, however, occur in two very special situations: beehives and crystals.
Both of these were revered by early humans, crystals for their beauty and energetic potency, and beehives because honey is the sweetest natural substance most humans would ever taste, packed with calories and micro-nutrients.
So hexagons are both familiar and exciting. Combined with the floral motifs that signal a diverse ecosystem with abundant food sources, my crochet motifs ping the human nervous system to elicit happiness and interest.
Using a rich range of vintage crochet and embroidery threads, often manufactured with a sheen and richness not found in modern materials, I repair discarded items to create practical works of art for everyday use, allowing us to saturate our lives with artistic energy as in the earliest years of our existence.
And if you think I planned this all beforehand, nothing could be further from the truth. I found myself drawn to (obsessed by?) mending with these colorful hexagons, and it's taken a lot of research and a multi-year nomadic journey to figure out why.
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My work combines the cutting edge of neuroscience with tried and true practices that have helped our bodies thrive on this planet for thousands of years.
Now, I understand my art as one small step in crafting an approach that will allow us to thrive here for thousands more.
"Forgiveness is the needle that knows how to mend."
Jewel
Darn it all!
Ever find a fast-fashion tee that's so cool you can't pass it up...even though you know it's not designed to last?
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That's what happened to my husband with his beloved Spidey shirt. A few years of wear, and it had five holes!
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Specially designed spider web patches to the rescue! Can mending be a superpower?
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Not for sale since it's a hubby fan favorite!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take?
It comes out to about an hour per patch, including designing, crocheting, blocking, and sewing the patch on.
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Can I commission you to mend my item?
Maybe...if you like my style, and the repair is in my skillset, I might be able to give it a go. Email me with pictures...
Are your mended items for sale?
Sometimes. Contact me if you see something you like here or on my Instagram @SpiritsaidStyle or my Etsy shop: Spiritsaid Style.
Can anyone learn to mend?
Absolutely! Even if you just use a commercial iron-on patch, you'll have significantly increased the life of your item.
Are your patches for sale?
Yes, I typically have pre-made patches available in a variety of sizes and weights to match different fabrics.
​If you don't see any in my Etsy shop, please contact me directly.
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Do you do custom orders?
Yes. If you send me photos, I can create patches to match your project. I can sew them on for you, but they're easy to sew on yourself!
"How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults or resolution enough to mend them."
Benjamin Franklin
The Whole Nine Darns
Actually, I think this pillow had 12 holes!
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I almost passed it up at the estate sale in Dallas, Texas. But it had been lovingly hand-embroidered with wool on linen by the lady of the house, and her love and care just shone through.
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So I bargained the price down a bit and went home and spent 20 hours bringing it back to life with vintage crochet thread.
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I'd never seen a pillow so dusty and bedraggled, but I'm so happy with the finished product.
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SOLD to a happy buyer!
"It's so pretty" Tammy D., Durango, CO
Me with the Pearlies near the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London - talk about some fantastic fiber artists!
How did I get here?
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One day in the early 1980s, in the sleepy surfing town of Santa Cruz, California, 80-year-old Mable Alcorn announced that she would teach the best behaved kids at the daycare I attended how to crochet. At 10 years old, you bet I was at the front of the line!
Crochet, and later knitting, got me through an awkward childhood, years of educational anxiety, an armed conflict, and two knee surgeries -- all before I turned 21! Later, they were my constant companions navigating the stresses of corporate America and running my own varied businesses.
Then, in 2022, the Methodist Thrift Store in Grant's Pass, Oregon taught me that charity shops are rife with vintage crochet thread in a rainbow of gorgeous colors. With these donated materials, I discovered I could create beautiful works of art out of things that would otherwise be thrown away. This creative work soothed my spirit. I realized that rescuing items was actually rescuing me as well!
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Since then, I've met people all over the world and worked on purses, sweaters, blankets, scarves, pillows, even a vintage 1980s nightgown.
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It seems I've become a bit of a mending maven! (Or maybe that should be monster...maestro...mistress?)
My Mending Manifesto
In a culture that fetishizes youth and productivity, the urge to mend, to repair, to restore, to resurrect provides an essential counter. Old things are important. Taking time to value them matters. We need to learn from our elders. We must sustain key traditions threatened by modernity. And honestly, we are all going to need a soft landing sometime. We'll need people who treat us gently, to help revive us, to value what we still have to give even if we're not as pristine as we were in our prime.
The patina of age has its own value, both for people and for the things we create.
When I revive something that others have thrown away, in my own mind, I'm taking a stand for all of us who want to be valued no matter what our condition.
People, items, ideas - we all deserve the care we need to thrive.