This year I’ve really been trying to slow down and focus on sewing real wardrobe staples as well as I can, so ‘slowvember’ fits that philosophy perfectly. This Grainline Archer is one of the first items of clothing which I have made, worn out and repaired and kept wearing because I love it so much. This much loved Archer has already been repaired once before, and the theme this month gave me the perfect opportunity to go the next round of required repairs.
This time it was the cuff plackets that needed fixing, so I embraced the visible mending again and went for some satin stitching to cover the holes and reinforce the area. There are a few more details on my blog here, but I essentially made it up as I went along!


To celebrate rescuing an item of clothing which might otherwise have been relegated to the back of my wardrobe or abandoned to landfill I decided to embroider a flower for each repair that has been made. Perhaps in time this will end up as a whole ‘garden’ of flowers making my shirt even more unique.

So good! I have a few things I want to try visible mending on – really need to give it a go!
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Oh floral embroidery for each fix is brilliant! I’ll be starting my own garden, thanks to you!
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Thanks. It seemed like a fun way to celebrate the mending rather than being sad that it was no longer pristine and new.
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What a brilliant idea! Hope this shirt keeps you warm and full of love! ❤
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Thanks. It’s one of my favourites!
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Oh! I had that same prob (with cuffs) several years ago on a much-loved charity shop find. My solution was to cut off the cuffs at that point. (They were too floppy anyway.) I shall remember your solution, too. Thank you! del
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I’m glad that I’ve inspired you to give some mending a go. It can be a bit less glamorous than making something new, but it’s fun to have it back in my wardrobe rotation.
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