medieval parchment repairs

in a psalter, south-western germany, late 12th/early 13th c.

source: Hermetschwil, Benediktinerinnenkloster, Cod. membr. 37, fol. 19r, 53r, and 110r

Did some fancy repairing, my pal said this would probably "do numbers on tumblr"...so ta da!

Visible mending by Katrina Sánchez

thinking today about how much I love literally all fiber arts. I am hopeless at almost every other kind of art, but as soon as there is thread, yarn, or string I can figure it out fairly quickly.

I learned how to knit when i was eight, started sewing at nine, my dad taught me rock climbing knots around that age, I figured out from a book how to make friendship bracelets, I've made my own drop spindle to make yarn with, and more recently I've picked up visible mending. I've learned embroidery through fixing my overalls, and this year I've learned how to darn and how to do sashiko (which I did for the first time today). After years of being unable to crochet I finally figured it out last night and made seven granny squares in just a few hours.

I want to learn every fiber art that I can. I want to quilt, I want to use a spinning wheel, I want to weave, I want to learn tatting, I want to learn how to weave a basket, I want to learn them all. If I could travel through time and meet anyone in the Bible, high on my list are the craftsmen who made the Tabernacle.

I want to travel the world and learn the fiber arts of every culture, from the gorgeous Mayan weaving in Guatemala, to the stunning batik of Java, to Kente in Ghana. I want to sit at the feet of experienced men and women and watch them do their craft expertly and learn from them.

Of every art form I've seen, it's fiber arts that tug most at my heartstrings.

So I've had this joke in my head for a couple months (at least), but hadn't found the right spot to make it. Today it is complete.

A hole in my jeans?

Hmm? What's this?

A Patchypus?

REPAIRRY THE PATCHYPUS!!!?!!!

Part 1 of my mending series! I embroidered the edge of the right pocket!

This alone took a while so I'm definitely taking my time with this project lol. But I'm making progress :)

I think I'll use browns or maybe blues for the left pocket for asymmetry and then next I'll tackle the waist band. Idk yet we'll see

[Image ID: two pictures of the right pocket on a worn out pair of light blue jeans. The top edge of the pocket is reinforced with light green and dark green embroidery thread and it alternates in-between the colors. Each block of color is about an inch long before it changes to the other color. The first image shows when it was almost done with the needle in the frame and the second image is the finished product. End ID]

Finally got around to finishing this visible mending project from this fall.

My friend asked me to sew back the front pocket of her work hoodie, which had been torn off by an overeager dog looking for treats.

I decided to put a little surprise in the repaired pocket for her.

This one was fun. I should do more freehand embroidery.

My DIY ripstop worked!

Inspired by ripstop fabric, and by the idea of reinforcing stuff before it breaks, I machine-sewed a little grid along the inside part of the jeans where they always wear out first.

Tonight I was venting about an awful group project to a friend and I draped myself dramatically over the couch and felt something rip a little.

Look! The rips stayed inside their little squares. Look how small it is! Look how easy it'll be to mend!

Ok actually since the fabric's been fading and the thread now looks really dark, I'll probably unpick the grid and sew it again. I'll do thread a shade lighter than the fabric currently is so it'll still match as fading continues.

Brb quitting my job to go into the T-shirt graphic restoration industry

[sidles up to you in a dark parking lot]

Hey. Do you want elbow patches. Yeah I noticed the elbows of your sweater are worn through, I can fix that for you. I got tapestry yarn, loads of it, all different colours. Price? Depends on what you're offering. Homemade cookies? Yeah, I can work with that. Bring 'em tomorrow, same time, same place. Love you too, man. Love you too.

(source)