Mending garments with gold threads

Borrowing from the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold alloy, we’ve developed a kintsugi for clothing practice as a way to cherish and extend the life of our favourite garments by visible mending with gold thread.

The tools and materials to use for this task are simple - gold embroidery threads, sewing needles and snippers, wooden darning mushroom or the curved side of a cup. You can gather these things yourself or you can get going with the Kintsugi Mending Kits we've prepared for you.

We developed the Modified Eyelet Stitch particularly for mending small holes made by insects - yes, our moth-eaten fine Merino wool tops inspired this!

This kintsugi mending practice is not about achieving a perfect result. It’s more like a philosophical activity, defined by straightforward repair and the practice of restraint. The gold threads are not used to embellish but to do the effective and symbolic work of darning and honouring a broken moment. The fault is not relinquished but highlighted, the memory valued.

When you apply kintsugi practice to daily life, you’ll find yourself having more meaningful relationships with your belongings, your environment, yourself and the people around you. You’ll learn to hold back from always wanting more. You’ll come to acknowledge and treasure your creases and cracks as signs of strength rather than flaws and defects.

NOTE

We are developing more mending stitch tutorials as we go so tap in once in a while to see where we're at with these!

PUBLISHED ARTICLES

• Swell Magazine Issue 6 - https://swellmag.com.au/product/issue-no-6-autumn-20/
• Peppermint Magazine Issue 47 - https://peppermintmag.com/product/issue-47/