January 12, 2021

Mending Gloves

I'm still darning and patching my way through a pile of socks, but I took some time out to mend my work gloves. They badly needed repair!


My winter chore gloves are actually two pairs. The outer gloves are lined cotton work gloves, and the inner gloves are a fleecy fabric glove. If I wear only one or the other, my hands are cold. But when I wear them together, they keep my hands warm. However . . .


I let them get too worn out! But I hated to throw them away, so I thought, well, why not see what I can do to fix them?


I decided to patch the hole in the lining and darn the outer shell holes with embroidery thread. For the patch, I used one of the too-far-gone socks that I cut into rags


I didn't worry about finishing the edges or making it pretty. 


I just did the job, making sure the unfinished edges were sewn down. To darn the other holes, I used two strands of embroidery thread and a paint stirrer as a darning board.


The paint stirrer worked quite well, giving me a firm surface for weaving the threads to make the darn.


It was a lot to do, and it's not perfect, but the variegated blues of the embroidery thread made it fun and the darns sort of match the inner gloves. Plus, I didn't have to throw them away and spend money on new ones. Best of all, my hands are warm again!

If I'd used dark brown embroidery thread, the darning would be almost invisible. But the latest trend is "visible mending," which creates beautiful decorative elements from holes, stains, and tears; very fun. More on that in upcoming posts. For now, I'll close with a link to a page on the Collingwood-Norris website, "Visible Mending: Gloves." Lots of creative ideas there. ❤                                      

19 comments:

daisy g said...

Beautiful! I like being able to see the stitches!

Henny Penny said...

That is a really neat mending job and it's pretty! I have two pairs that badly need mending. Every time I put them on I think, one more wearing and I'll mend them. You've inspired me to get it done.

SmartAlex said...

That IS kind of pretty!

Leigh said...

Daisy, I'm getting better with practice!

Henny, ha! That's usually what I do too. Now, I'm wishing I'd gotten on it sooner because the longer I wait, the bigger the holes, and the bigger the job!

Alex, I love working with color and this seemed like a fun way to make an otherwise boring job interesting. :)

Mama Pea said...

You are now officially The Queen of Mending! I've never seen a more attractive mending job.

Florida Farm Girl said...

I need to mend my gloves but they are totally different. The suede palm has come unsewed AGAIN. Guess this time I need to use a more sturdy thread rather than 100 wt silk. I don't wear gloves much but I really like this pair. Nothing worse than trying to work outside with your hands cold.

wyomingheart said...

Clever, clever, clever! ...and at the same time, very farmstead glamorous! I like it a lot!

Leigh said...

Mama Pea, I don't know about that! But it is nice to have a needle and tread in my hands again and do something creative as well as functional. :)

Sue, oh yes, that's another problem! My leather gardening gloves have a seam that needs resewing. Reading your comment, though, maybe I'll try carpet thread.

Wyomingheart, no reason not to be creative and aesthetic in addition to functional! :)

Rosalea said...

What a very, very pretty mending job! It coordinates so nicely with the cuff of the 'fleecies'. You are definitely the Mending Queen.

Renee Nefe said...

hubby had me sew back together his leather work gloves several times before finally giving up on them to get a new pair. When searching online to find a good sturdy pair I was finding that none of them hold up all that long. very sad. I bought him a pair that had fairly good reviews...we will see how long he can make them last.
Hubby also bought me a new pair of garden gloves...but when I tried them on the right index finger was sewn too tightly. When we went to exchange them, we discovered that all of the gloves had the right index fingers sewn too tightly. So I got a large size that I can at least get my hand into. I feel sorry for anyone with larger hands because these will not fit. :p
I am going to try to make some gloves out of our old jeans, they're pretty torn up.

Cockeyed Jo said...

I find a little preemptive work saves me a lot of darning later. After going through my work glove, I see where they take the biggest hit (tips of the fingers etc). So when I do finally buy a new pair, I'll use bits and pieces of the old glove. Turn the new glove inside out and sew a new patch inside where they wear the worst. This way, I double the usable time before it hits the mending pile.

Leigh said...

Rosalea, thanks! I feel pretty good about it. :)

Renee, that's the problem. Things just don't hold up as well as they used to. So odd about the garden gloves! At least they were consistent (??? not sure that's an asset in this case!) I like the idea of trying to make gloves out of old jeans. I hope you'll post it on your blog!

Jo, I so agree. I waited way too long on the gloves, as well as quite a few of those socks! Good idea to pre-patch the areas that wear out first.

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

Those really look great Leigh! Although that looks far behind my pay grade...

Leigh said...

TB, just don't look too closely, :) Hopefully, with practice, I'll get better!

Chris said...

That is awesome Leigh! Win-win-win, on so many counts! They look great too. You're being so industrious with fibre and recycling. It's great when you can use what you've got, and make do.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

I love the new look of them. Nice!

Leigh said...

Chris, it's an excellent winter activity. :)

Kristina, thanks!

Just Us said...

My mother, passed last year at 97, always used a lightbulb when mending socks. So, of course I do the same.
Love the different colors for the patching.

Leigh said...

Just Us, thanks! A lightbulb is an excellent darning egg substitute!