cloth napkins

That Hole In Your Shirt… Show it Off!

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Have you heard of Mend It May? I hadn’t until I stumbled upon My Make And Mend Life last year. It totally opened my eyes to how wasteful I am.

I was always taught that a hole in a garment was a reason to throw it away. But I’m learning about the value and beauty in restoring items.

  • Toe sticking out of a sock? Darn it! (As in mend it. Haha!)
  • Shirts with hole? Patch that up!
  • Crack in the laundry bin? That’s why duct tape was invented!

If you want to make a statement while you mend, try some simple embroidery to highlight a hole in your shirt and bring attention to the value and beauty in restoring clothes rather than pitching them! Here’s how I did just that…

Materials:

  • Cute shirt with hole in it
  • Piece of fabric (I used leftover jean fabric from cutoffs I made)
  • Embroidery hoop
  • Embroidery floss
  • Crewel needle

Stitches:

  • Satin Stitch – to reinforce the edges of the hole and prevent future fraying
  • Running stitch – to reinforce the jean patch and highlight the mend
  • But you can do anything you want!

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What do you have that can use some mending? Let me know and I can help you figure out how to mend it. I’ve started a board on Pinterest called Mend and Restore just for mending garments and restoring items.

Follow the board and send me a message and I’ll add you as a collaborator and you can add pins related to the items you want to revive! Let’s work together and produce less waste!

PS. Speaking of making less waste, have you checked out our CLOTH NAPKINS? They’re the perfect size for tucking into your lunch bag or bento box! Use, wash, and reuse! Plus, I just added some cool new ones– mermaids, superheroes, and astronauts, oh my! Check them out here: SHOP CLOTH NAPKINS

Hands, Faces, Bottoms, and Green Yachting Parties

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Have I talked about the new napkins in my shop? They are my favorite and my most-used item that I sell now that my youngest has grown out of drool bibs.

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(Sob! Why do they grow so fast? When did my baby suddenly become a not-baby? She’s turning two in 2 months! Real talk, if I had a dollar for every time I wished my littlest was out of the baby stage, well I wouldn’t need to have this shop or blog or anything. I’d be sailing around Turks and Caicos on my yacht named “Hey Buoys”)

So all this talking to myself and tropical dreaming aside, these napkins are my favorite because…

  • At 7×7 they are perfect size for little hands, lunch boxes, bento boxes, and diaper bags
  • My little kids feel like big kids using them
  • They are tiny but backed with soft and absorbent paper towel-like fabric
  • I use them and reuse them and I feel awesome because they’re eco-friendly
  • They are useful and fun and I love useful and fun things the most of all
    • Use them for wiping hands and mouths after a meal
    • Use them for wiping tabletops before settling to eat
    • Use them to clean up crumbs and spills
    • Use a damp one for wiping baby’s bottom during a change
    • Use them as cocktail napkins or coasters during your yacht party
    • Use them for fancy tea parties on the living room floor

So what are you waiting for? Go grab some for your family!

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