Sustainability Archives | Page 2 of 2

February 7, 2020February 8, 2020

Introducing The Adult Biker Knee Patch Pattern

I’m very excited to introduce you to the latest addition to my Etsy shop: The Adult Biker Knee Patch Pattern. It’s inspiration comes from the technical protective knee padding found in motorcycle gear. Over the past few years, the biker patch look has made it’s way into the mainstream as a stylish detail on jeans and casual pants. The Biker Knee Patch is the perfect addition to not only repair an old pair of jeans, but to give it a designer customized look.

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December 19, 2019May 21, 2020

How To Teach Kids To Fix Their Clothes

As a designer and maker, it won’t come as a huge surprise to you that I have let my kids play with a needle and thread from a young age. Starting at 3 years old, they had a hoop, needle & thread in hand. My job mainly consisted of reminding them to not wrap the thread around the hoop, but up and down through the fabric. I could easily write a book about teaching kids to sew and mend at every age, but today, I want to share with you my favorite tips on how to teach older kids to fix their own clothes with a simple stitching technique and some visible mending.

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November 26, 2019November 26, 2019

15 Zero Waste Gift Ideas For Kids

The holiday season is just a month away and if you’re like me, you’re just starting to think about what to gift your kids this year. Because packaging is often the main negative offset to the toys and objects we offer our kids, I decided to share with you a few zero waste gift ideas and wrapping options.

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November 7, 2019November 9, 2019

Is Retail Therapy Good For You?

You’ve heard the term I’m sure, but have you ever wondered where the practice of retail therapy comes from? And if we’re taking the term “therapy” in it’s literal sense, is this habit of going shopping for fun actually good for you, or is it one of those cheeky sayings just used to justify our love of shopping?

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September 20, 2019September 25, 2019

The Added Value Of Repairing Things

Let me introduce you to my favorite bag. It’s Italian made, leather tanned with vegetable dyes and large enough to carry all my mom gear. My husband bought it for me at Winners many years ago after I had told him that I dreamed of owning a real brown leather bag. The man has an eye for clothes and accessories and when he brought it home, I fell in love with the bag at first sight. The fact that he is the one who bought it for me may have been an additional reason for the infatuation. I figured it would be the perfect investment piece that I could use for the next 10 to 20 years. Little did I know that this dream would be put to the test within a few years of use.

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August 26, 2019May 21, 2020

10 Ways To Re-purpose And Fix Kids Clothes

Boy wearing T-Shirt with Modern Mending Skull appliqué

Now that summer is, sigh, slowly coming to an end, I’m sure many parents have begun the annual task of looking through the fall kids clothes to see what needs to be replaced or added. Before you KonMari the heck out of their wardrobe and pass anything on, I would like to share with you 10 ways you can re-purpose and fix kids clothes so they have a longer life in your home.

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June 18, 2019June 18, 2019

Cradle To Cradle: A New Way Of Making And Using Clothes

Modern Mending Cradle to Cradle sweater cover image

In 2009 I was a young mother of a toddler and nursing a baby. Swimming in the very deep ocean of full time parenting, I found myself far away from the world of fashion. My mind still craved to be creative and designed focused so I filled my bedside table with books about the subject. Things shifted dramatically in my mind when I came across this game changer: Cradle to Cradle: Re-making the way we make things, co-authored by Michael Braungart and William McDonough. If you are a designer or manufacturer and haven’t read it, this should be at the top your reading list. When it comes to the future of fashion, I will paraphrase Stella McCartney by saying changing the way we grow and make our clothes is far more important than the next season’s color scheme or silhouette.

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May 31, 2019June 9, 2019

Can Hand Illustrations In Sewing Tutorials Bring Joy?

Illustration of Skull Patch for the Modern Mending tutorial

I always enjoyed doing hand illustrations. I think it began at a very young age when I received Fashion Plates one Christmas. The illustrations were so beautiful and the quick tracing with a chalk made me believe I was a flawless illustrator myself. Being the creative type, I quickly got bored with the many clothing options available in the box and began designing my own outfits using the bathing suit body as my background. More than thirty years later, I can still remember thinking I could do this forever.

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