Stitching keeps broken parts together. A simple stitch can literally mend lives. All it takes is a sewing needle, thread, pair of hands and a heart determined to restore in order to stay connected.
To prove the point, these are series of artistic mending by various ordinary people who created extraordinary stitching.
To Mend or Not To Mend, That is The Question by Judi MacLeod
I grew up on a dairy farm in Eastern Ontario during the 50s and 60s. We were very poor and every piece of clothing had to be mended until it was threadbare. I vowed that when I grew up I was never ever going to mend anything again. I vowed that I was never ever going to wear hand-me downs. The solution was to learn to sew and knit and always make myself new clothes.
Darned Heart by Cher Cartwright
It is so easy for a heart to be broken. Sometimes the wound never heals. Sometimes, with time and effort, it can be mended. Perhaps never again quite perfectly whole, but serviceable: a darned heart.
Rehabilitating by Patt Wilson
Mended struck a chord with me. I am trying to mend my ways in my studio. I have such an abundance of materials and feel the need to try to use these supplies in a careful and considered way, rather than just letting them age on shelves or give them away, So this piece is my starting point. I machine felted the gold wool somewhere around 1995 to make a jacket and recently dyed the silk. Old + new = Rehabilitating!
Coming Together by Jill Sullivan
Much about our physical world shifts and changes and comes back together as the healing process takes over. The forces of nature and the action of man can create awesome but sometimes terrifying events.
Mend your ways by Catherine Nichols
Mending can have so many different meanings; I enjoy the play on words with the act of mending and the “repairs” we can make in our lives. For me mend is an old-fashioned word, used in traditional samplers and proverbs, which have inspired my version of samplers with this mended series.
These were taken at the Italian Cultural Centre of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Photographs and Memories 
Lovely collection and words! 🙂
Beautiful
To mend, is to heal. Enjoyed this post, and the words on the second photo is so very true…think before speaking 🙂
What a wonderful interpretation for this theme! Your post is one of my favorites this week.
Too bad we are living in a disposable society.
Mending fences should be taught in all schools.
The family needs to survive to keep this world whole.
Too many lawyers who make too much money pushing divorces,
we should figure out a way to pay them to mend our society.
Love, hugs and fix everything you can … ME
I’ve been following you forever and would like to see if, at all possible, you would like to try and cross-pollinate. I’d love to have you do some guest posts to my blog and hopefully it might create a back and forth.
According to WP – philipscottaugust.wordpress.com doesn’t exist
These are threads of meaning. Thanks for sharing.
A beautiful collaboration friend…Good morning!