“Manage with and repair the possessions one already has rather than buying replacements.”
Definition from Oxford Languages
I naturally live by the “make do” part of make do and mend, wearing and using things until they fall apart due to an aversion to throwing things away, and re-purposing them when I can when they’re beyond their best.
I’d been lacking on the “mend” part until recently, though. My clothes repairs don’t go beyond a bit of hand-sewing up/covering up holes, but I’ve enjoyed rescuing a few of my things recently that had got a bit holey.
My irreparably ripped work trousers lent themselves as patches for my slippers, as well as some pieces to cover the soil of my sweet potato plants to help keep them warm. A top with a rip in the back is good as new, and from an old pair of jeans I have a new pair of shorts, something that I find far more difficult to buy than I did to make from something I already know fits!
Slipper repairs, complete with little helper…
Closed up ripped seam in top…
Old jeans to new shorts…
Not the most impressive or professional jobs, but I am very pleased with my efforts and “new” clothes. Highly recommend trying to anyone who hasn’t tried. It’s surprisingly easy and rewarding.
Welcoming Wildlife 
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