Mending is Appreciating the Past and Caring for the Future

I have a couple of dresses in my closet that used to belong to my grandmother and when my mother died a few years ago I kept some special pieces of hers. When I wear these clothes I feel a sense of connection to my past, to them, as they continue through me. My daughter also likes to borrow these dresses...and so it goes...the thread which ties us to the past and leads us towards the future.

My grandmother's dresses have lasted a long while. They were made to last, not just for a season but for generations. She was a fashionable woman but she didn't buy clothes merely because they were in fashion. She bought well made good quality clothing which she wore for years; my grandmother valued her wardrobe and cared for each garment. In my care, a sleeve has been mended, a hem repaired, an adjustment made for a better fit. When I wear my mother's and my grandmother's clothes I appreciate them all the more because I feel in some sense that I continue their stories, which is also my story.

Caring for our clothing by mending a torn knee, sewing on a button or darning a hole in a sweater also deepens our relationship with what we wear in much the same way that caring for a friend, or pet or garden does - care is the magic ingredient ! And care is what's missing in the fast fashion frenzy to always have more, something new, the latest trend. In this way, mending can be a transformational process. The more we appreciate and care for what we have the less we are influenced by the whims of fashion and the messages that we always need more. By slowing down our consumption and caring for what we have we also are protecting the future.

From left to right: my grandmother, me, my mother, my aunt and my sister

Maybe you have a cherished dress or jacket or pair of shoes from a friend or family member ? If you want to share your story here with others please 'like' this article and leave a note in the comments.