Don't throw that work jacket away!

I'm all done at the welding shop now, but before I left I spotted something in the garbage. As welder/labourer, I was responsible for empyting the shop trash. I found this coat in one of the bins. It had two large holes in it, and it was clearly well-worn. I looked at it and thought there was lots of life left to be had in it though.

So I brought it home, and washed it. Then washed it again. And again. After a fourth wash (by hand in the sink) with hot water the water was just turning slightly brown. The first wash the water turned nearly black. Yes, lots of dust and smoke in a welding shop!!

Here it is during the second wash.



Here is one tear.



And here is the other.



Tonight I went down to my grandparents' place to have a sewing session. My grandma taught me the basics of mending, and patched the jacket while I was doing more basic fixes on my socks and welding cap. Take a look at the results! Yes, I chose the patch material. Why not go flashy??

Permie fashion at its best!  Nice!

Matthew Wagner wrote:Permie fashion at its best!  Nice!

Thanks Matthew! Yes it reminds me of  the Ecotopia where the protagonist is feeling weird about all the folks proudly showing off their patched and mended clothing. Upcycled fashion for the win!!

Nice work Cam.

It looks like a padded shirt? Is it specially designed for shop work or just used for that?

L. Johnson wrote:Nice work Cam.

It looks like a padded shirt? Is it specially designed for shop work or just used for that?

The brand is BC Clothing Co. if that says anything. Not sure if it's specifically made for shop work, but I think it's a work jacket of sorts. I see folks wearing them all the time around here, especially during fall and winter. For me it will most definitely be a garage coat because of its condition!

Good job, Cam! I'm working on my old barn jacket at the moment, except I'm indulging myself in a little embroidery too.

Sweet job on the repair! I'm getting ready to redo a long wool coat that I've had about 33 years by cutting off the bottom and making it into a thigh length jacket which I am sure I'll use much more often than the way it is now.

Leigh Tate wrote:Good job, Cam! I'm working on my old barn jacket at the moment, except I'm indulging myself in a little embroidery too.

Sorry I forgot to respond to this. Embroidery sounds like a great time!! If you're gonna repair it, why not add fun designs?

Tess Daniels wrote:Sweet job on the repair! I'm getting ready to redo a long wool coat that I've had about 33 years by cutting off the bottom and making it into a thigh length jacket which I am sure I'll use much more often than the way it is now.

Ouu that sounds like a great idea. Always a good thing to keep the old stuff going! Feel free to post pics, I'd love to see it

*Edit* You too Leigh! This can become a repair sharing thread, or another one can branch off of this. Very niche, but it would be fun.

Cam Haslehurst wrote:You too Leigh! This can become a repair sharing thread, or another one can branch off of this. Very niche, but it would be fun.

Repairing my old barn jacket is my fun winter mending project. I'm still working on it, but Cam's challenge to share our jacket repair projects has inspired me to share my progress so far.

This was my favorite work jacket until several years ago, when the denim got badly torn and ragged in too many places.



After I tore a big hole in the back, I gave up on it.



It wasn't even fit to donate to the thrift shop, so I decided to discard it. The trouble was, I just couldn't bring myself to throw it away, so I buried it in my mending box. When I started working on the textiles PEP sand badge, this jacket became my "sew a patch" BB project.





After that, it sat in the mending box for a couple more years. Then I watched several videos on boro and sashiko and was instantly fascinated. I've always loved patchwork and embroidery, and these Japanese arts combined these with mending and environmental responsibility. I realized there was hope for my beloved jacket after all! i decided to try boro and sashiko to tackle the big tear in back for another textiles BB.



By now, I was inspired, so I found some fabric I liked at a thrift store for $1. That became my main patching fabric.



I picked another hole and repaired, it, then another, and another.





While I was at it, I added some embroidery to my first patch.



I'm currently working on a hole in one of the sleeves.





Hopefully, it will be done in time for spring!

WOW! on the repairs of your fave jacket. How much are you selling it for? JUST JOKING. The beauty  of it's history is there. Our ancestors philosophy of 'waste not, want not' comes into play. Best of all, it can still be your personal favourite work jacket.

I agree with Tess, Leigh! Not only are you keeping that jacket going, I love the beauty of the repairs with the embroidery. I know there's a phrase for repairs that are not only visible but they're almost shown off in a way? Same concept as me repairing my black socks with bright blue thread, but your work is much more pleasing on the eyes :D

You're inspiring me to do some fun patches on my other welding shirts that are very holey. It's good low pressure practice, because I don't care how my garage clothing looks as long it's keeping dust and sparks off me!

Cam Haslehurst wrote:You're inspiring me to do some fun patches on my other welding shirts that are very holey. It's good low pressure practice, because I don't care how my garage clothing looks as long it's keeping dust and sparks off me!

Thanks Cam! And you make a really, really good point. What better place to learn and practice new mending techniques than on something old.

I know there's a phrase for repairs that are not only visible but they're almost shown off in a way?  

The phrase that comes to mind is "visible mending" (although there may be another). Everything i find on visible mending focuses on creative and decorative mending. I love the concept because it brings mending, repair, and saving old clothing from the landfill, to a new (and better) level.

Yes repair on old/broken stuff is great practice. You can build confidence on it, then as you improve you can do preventative stuff or even decorative work on stuff where it matters how it looks.

Leigh Tate wrote:The phrase that comes to mind is "visible mending" (although there may be another). Everything i find on visible mending focuses on creative and decorative mending. I love the concept because it brings mending, repair, and saving old clothing from the landfill, to a new (and better) leve.

And visible mending, yes that was the phrase I was looking for. In addition to everything you said, it makes repair into something fashionable. My sister has mentioned wanting to learn how to patch stuff, not to fix it, but to give it that 'look' (she's far more fashion oriented than I am). That's a trend I'd love to see!

Cam Haslehurst wrote:My sister has mentioned wanting to learn how to patch stuff, not to fix it, but to give it that 'look' (she's far more fashion oriented than I am). That's a trend I'd love to see!

There's another thread discussing a word for it - PERMACOUTURE!
https://permies.com/t/206342/sewing/fiber-arts/word-describe-permaculture-sewing