It is swap season!! Clothing swaps for the win! That's where I got this piece...and lots of my wardrobe, if I'm being honest. I love a clothing swap so much.
I wear this sweater a lot, but mostly at home (or so I'd like to believe...I rush out a lot so "home" and "away" clothes sometimes get mixed up haha). It's a beautiful wool blend and really comfy, but it's the style of cardigan that doesn't have any closures at the front which doesn't make any sense to me.
Oof. Starting this off with a weird unrelated explanation is what blogs are all about, right? But you're here to see the MENDING!
I wore this all broken and holey for far too long, considering how quick it was to darn up. I used my Swift Darning Loom to create a square patch that covered all of the worn spots.
It was done in an hour, and that included filming it and possibly even posting the repair to Instagram!
And the confessions continue... In addition to the "weird" lack of front closure on this piece, it also had thumb holes that I didn't really like, so I stitched those closed.
It's funny because even though I didn't like the thumb holes it still took a bit of getting used to when they were gone. And yes, it's very silly that I somehow decide to overlook all these style details that aren't perfect just because the fabric composition of this sweater was exactly what I wanted. I still do wear it all the time, but almost apologetically, which is nonsense. Maybe this is all just good proof that there isn't much that can't be made better with some visible mending ;)
I decided to carry the mossy green theme across to the armpits too, and created these irregular shaped darns also using my Swift Darning Loom. Above shows the cuff mend you saw beside the "before" holes at the armpit. And here's the patch in-progress and done (reverse side).
As always, I anchor the patches in where the fabric is still strong. Here I brought it across the middle seam and stitched the top into the sleeve seam. It's working out great so far! Though I remember reading in passing somewhere, someone saying to never mend across a seam like this. I don't really know why, and I'm not sure it's widespread advice...so maybe I'm just infecting your subconscious with the same bad tip!
Why it might be inadvisable to mend across a seam: 1- the seam could create a weak point for the patch, where it sticks up and wears unevenly. 2- your patch might not sit flat if the seam creates a curve in the garment (like at the seat of your pants), making the mend uncomfortable and ultimately fail.
My biggest concern might be Reason 1 (mending over the seam causes unnecessary wear/stress) ... But I'm willing to risk it. Let's say it's for science.
Happy mending!