'Mend it, Wear it, Love it!' IS HERE!!!!

 

I am delighted to be able to say that the book I wrote, 'Mend it, Wear it, Love it!' gets published today!!!! I wrote about it previously when it became available for pre-order, but anyone wanting to buy it from today won't have to wait so long to get their hands on a copy. It's so exciting to think that it's now out there in the world, hopefully inspiring and guiding people to mend, alter and care for their clothes so that they last longer. 

The book is very beginner friendly and assumes no previous sewing experience, yet more experienced sewers/menders are also likely to take away some tips. All the how-to's can be completed by hand, with additional advice for tackling it with a sewing machine if you have access to one. Left-handed people are not overlooked, with suggestions for how best to approach each technique if the step-by-steps pictured feel uncomfortable. 

To help those starting at the very beginning of their mending journey, a helpful list is included of what equipment and haberdashery to acquire to complete all the repairs and alterations included in the book. My favourite parts of the book are the intros to each section. I tried to impart the importance of attempting to give your clothes a long and happy life, and to infuse the reader with positivity and confidence to just have a go. 

I learnt a lot in the process of writing this book, and my approaches to laundry and garment storage in particular are forever changed! 

Mend it, Wear it, Love it: I WROTE A BOOK!!!!!

So, funny story: I WROTE A BOOK!!!! An actual, IRL, paper-and-ink, honest-to-goodness book! I know, I can barely believe it either.

Towards the beginning of Lockdown 1.0 DK publishers approached me to write a beginner-friendly book that will help people make their clothes last longer. After explaining why this is important, it covers simple mending techniques for common garment mishaps, ideas and how-tos for altering the fit and style of your garments, as well as loads of info on how to care for your clothes properly. The book is called ‘Mend it, Wear it, Love it’ and will be available from 4th Feb 2021. It’s currently available for pre-order, and if you’re in the U.K., please may I recommend checking out Bookshop.org to support indie bookshops if you’re thinking of ordering a copy (it’s really reasonable, BTW).

Truth be told, when DK contacted me, I was feeling incredibly overwhelmed by the new reality of life in lockdown. I had to think hard about whether or not taking this on was the right thing to do, but writing it ended up being a truly wonderful, if frantic, experience. And now that I have a copy in my possession, I could not be more proud to have been part of its creation. The design team have done an amazing job, and I genuinely think that content is really useful for those wanting to make their wardrobe more sustainable.

DK has a rep for producing very clear, user-friendly, practical guides. So whilst being pretty, I’m also confident that ‘Mend it, Wear it, Love it’ sufficiently supports beginners through all the mending, refitting and altering techniques, even if you’re completely new to the sewing game. As I was writing the steps for each technique, I drew sketches for each step that the fantastic illustrator Steven Marsden then made actually recognisable!

For me, the parts of the book that I’m most proud of tho, are the sections where the problems of today’s clothing industry are linked to the practical steps in this book. My aim was to help the reader feel empowered and emboldened to give the techniques a try, including the embracing of imperfection. We also managed to make the topic of laundry and garment care interesting hahaha!

‘Any repair that extends the life of a garment by even one more wear is a major success’ - me!