Boro Cotton Kimono, Yamagata Prefecture (Northern Japan) c. 1900
“Boro textiles were made in the late 19th and early 20th century by impoverished Japanese people from reused and recycled indigo-dyed, cotton rags. What we see in these examples are typical—patched and sewn, piece-by-piece, and handed down from generation-to-generation, where the tradition continued. These textiles are generational storybooks, lovingly repaired and patched with what fabric was available. Never intended to be viewed as a thing of beauty, these textiles today take on qualities of collage, objects of history, and objects with life and soul.” — via Accidental Mysteries
This image (via Wafu Works) reminds me of Tsubasa’s Jeans, which his mother has mended over and over again.
Inspired by Karen’s post about her cobbler’s workshop, today I’m sharing photos of a tiny booth in a shopping center in Bangalore, strewn with cameras in various states of repair.
My flash was stuck, so my host, Shamala (the lady on the right), took me to see him. He put his ear up to my camera and listened to it. Then he gently pressed a few buttons and the flash popped out. No charge.
This guy is intimate with cameras. He knows what they’re supposed to sound like.
Here’s his workbench:
In the US, we’d probably have to send our cameras back to the manufacturer, which would take days if not weeks and cost an arm and a leg.
Filed under: fabric, wood | Tags: glued, lost, replaced, sewn, taped, torn, worn
A year and a half late …. (yikes)
I set up a “Repair Booth” at Heather’s awesome Barter Town project …
Makeshift cardboard button
Pocket hole
George actually broke his pencil and then handed it to me to repair. What?? I think I used glue and then prettied it up with yellow duct tape.
Redid part of Jackie’s seam.
What a treat to see Karen’s photographs of the workshop of her local cobbler.
Not just the tools, materials, and process, but the fantastic wall art.
What an eye for details…
See the whole post here.
Jessica sent me these beautiful photos of Japanese ceramics repaired with gold. They’re from the Freer+Sackler galleries, where she used to work.
I love that the conservator decided to draw attention to the cracks rather than trying to hide them. The first one looks like lightning at night.
“The facade of this building on the corner of 6th Avenue and 13th Street is made of sheets of stone. For a long time this summer and fall, the bottom pieces were gone, and the rest of the facade was held up with pieces of 2x4s. It was like this the whole way around the building.” — Simone Meltesen
Cordula Kehrer worked with German artisans to repaired broken/leaking plastic dustbins. There’s also a line made by indigenous Phillipino basket-weavers available at Areaware.
TAC says: “Old buckets and bins, that would be trash once they start leaking, are mended and brought back to life, using amazing basketry patches made from willow, rush and rattan. Perfect combination between sustainability, functionality and beauty.”
Personally, I love the combination of a gross, plastic, mass-produced item with handworked organic materials.
At Barter Town, I met Maya of the NYC chapter of Sewing Rebellion. She was giving out these little mending kits and teaching folks to sew buttons and disguise stains with embroidery.
From their mission statement:
Sewing Rebellion meetings are a way for people to help each other reclaim basic sewing skills, mending skills, tailoring, and so on. SR meetings are FREE, because sewing should be a right, not a privilege. As a former coordinator (and current “traveling correspondent”) said, “people buy something at Kmart and it gets a hole in it and they go and buy another one. That’s problematic for a number of reasons. It’s supporting the worldwide garment industry, which is extremely exploitative, so that we can have cheap stuff that breaks. It’s also contributing to everyone looking the same. You spend a lot of money and you look like everybody else, and you’re helpless when things break or don’t work. This is just a simple way that you can be more self-sufficient.” Well said Amelia. Hence, the SR tagline “Stop Shopping, Start Sewing!”
Hell yeah!! Sewing=Rebellion. Repair=Revolution.
Also check out their simple PDF guides to simple repairs and a Mending Circle every first Thursday at the Textile Arts Center.
