Mindl's Mending

Bring your garments back to life

Visible mending is the craft of repairing a garment using brightly colored materials, making the hole or damaged area something beautiful. Fabric, thread, and technique are chosen based on the damage being repaired and the use of the garment. Visible mending brings new life to your beloved wears with creative repairs to fix holes, reinforce worn areas like elbows, crotch, and knees, cover stains, strengthen hems, and more. 

I believe your worn garments have life left to live!

This is a very personal service. We will discuss color and technique and what would fit your garment best. All mends are done by hand, using all natural materials such as wool, cashmere, silk, cotton, and linen. Vintage and recycled materials are prioritized. Price is determined on a case to case basis. 

Additional embellishments such as custom embroidery is also available!

Mindl the Mender

I have a vivid memory of sitting in my bedroom at 6 years old, carefully and delicately sewing a tear in an old down pillow my mother had given me. Choosing a bright colored thread, threading the needle, and doing the whip stitch my Bubbe (grandmother) had taught me, the down feathers sticking up through each stitch. 

I didn't know what I was doing was called visible mending-intentionally choosing contrasting fabrics and materials to adorn a tear or rip rather than try to conceal it- I just wanted my pillow to last longer!

I continued to visible mend through my whole life, adding patches to big rips in my denim as a teenager, learning all the delicate and breathtaking stitches of embroidery that I could memorize, rummaging through thrift store buckets for scrap fabrics from the 70's to repair old dresses. I found so much solace and stillness in this practice without ever knowing it was a practice. 

In the Summer of 2020, I came across “Mending Life: A Handbook for Repairing Clothes and Hearts” by Nina and Sonya Montenegro, and I learned about visible mending even deeper and dove into technique. By that point, I had tried my hand at crochet, knitting, wood carving, leather work, macrame, weaving, botanical dyeing, felting, and countless other crafts that all gave me a different joy. Nothing made me feel at home more than visible mending.

I began offering visible mending as a service when I owned and operated a small general store in the Catskills. Neighbors and locals flooded in with family heirloom sweaters, blankets, sports gear, t-shirts, jeans, knit caps, and even sneakers. It seemed like everyone had something they loved that just needed a little extra care and attention. Soon, I started to get messages from people in Canada and California and Texas with stockpiles of hole-y socks and beloved denim that needed mending. The little seed I had planted and thought would only encourage friends and family to bring me items, grew so fast and so strong, I decided to make visible mending my official path.

I eventually closed the store and now live in Portland, Oregon where I joyfully accept mending work from all over the country. I hope you find some inspiration to make that favorite garment last a little longer and if you need some help, send me a message. I’ll be waiting needle in hand.