My sweatshirt was fraying at the neckline and had sleeve edges that needed doctoring. Landis suggested sewing pretty vintage ribbon over those parts to cover the damage and create visual interest. She picked thread that matched the ribbon, taught me a basic stitch, and set me to work under a bright task lamp.
As I stitched, my thoughts drifted back to the morning I pulled on the sweatshirt to go to the hospital, full of hope and trepidation. I wore the sweatshirt often during the early, hazy days of motherhood, and then I kept wearing it simply because it was comfortable. When, after many years, holes appeared in the cuffs and collar, I put it away in a drawer. Now my daughter is 20 and we’re both entering a new phase of life. I want this sweatshirt to come with me and perhaps last another 20 years.
“Textiles tell a story, just like photographs but with a kinetic memory,” Landis said.
We move around in our clothes and they move with us, carrying part of our story in their fibers. In a bygone era, Landis said, that story would have been told over many iterations. One piece of fabric would begin as a dress or a shirt, then be cut down to make children’s clothing, then cut into squares for a quilt. When the quilt wore out, it would be cut up again for housecleaning rags. The fabric held a record of family memories as vivid as any photo album.
Hand-repaired items develop a life of their own, said Landis, because they become doubly cherished, things to be handed down rather than thrown away. That’s the heart of the modern make-do-and-mend movement: The idea that our resources are valuable and so we should treat them with respect.
More in This Series

WHERE TO GET YOUR STITCH FIX
The Enchanted Rose Emporium
Where: 400 E. Evergreen Blvd., Suite 120, Vancouver
Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays
Next in-person workshop: “Victorian Crazy Quilt” (beginner-friendly), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 1; $50
Contact: 360-228-2241; enchantedroseemporium@gmail.com, theenchantedroseemporium.com, facebook.com/theEnchantedRoseEmporium or instagram.com/enchantedroseemporium/
Okie Jo
Where: 606 Main St., Vancouver (in the basement of Kindred Homestead Supply)
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays
Next in-person workshop: “Learn Your Sewing Machine,” 1-2:30 p.m. March 29 at Kindred Homestead Supply, 606 Main St., Vancouver; $85
Contact: okiejo.com or instagram.com/okie.jo/
Mending circle
To work on a mending project with others, attend the monthly mending circle at Kindred Homestead Supply. Get details by clicking on “workshops and events” at kindredhomesteadsupply.com or call 360-719-2745.
Repair Clark County
Skilled volunteers will do simple sewing repairs for free at this recurring event, hosted by Columbia Springs in locations all over Clark County. The next in-person event is 4-6 p.m. May 4 at the Battle Ground Community Center, 912 E. Main St., Battle Ground. Check columbiasprings.org/repair-clark-county for more information and a complete schedule of events.