Rent

I spent part of last evening mending some pants for Bird.

He's been asking me to fix them, and I kept meaning to, but other things got int he way. They're his favorite pair, lined camouflage. He calls them his "soldier pants" and would never take them off if I didn't make him.

I was supposed to go up to Mum's with Someone, spend the night, take a gander at the Geminids as they sizzled past...but as the day wore on I got to feeling more tired, out of sorts, and generally unwell, so I opted to stay home. Mum understood, and allowed as how I could just come up today if I felt like it, so I'm going to banzai up there for a bit going to pick up the Evil Genius (he's at his dad's) and taking him to play with friends in the evening.

So anyway, I was mending his pants. They were bought second-hand at the Goodwill. I think I paid all of two bucks for em. I didn't realize they were worn as thin as they were, or I may not have picked them up. They tore in several places on each leg the second time he wore them.

Sigh.

Since I can't replace them (I have no idea who made them or how old they are), they have to be repaired as best as I can. Anyway, replacing them wouldn't be the same...the new ones wouldn't be this pair, would they??

My needle was bent, making it even more fun. Hey, a bent needle will still sew...and I couldn't remember where my new needles were, nor did I want to take the time to search for 'em.

It was no easy thing - since the pants are lined, I couldn't just turn them inside out and get to stitchin', or slap a patch on 'em. I had to mend from the top, which leave a sort of fabric scar...to minimize that, I used tiny stitches. Even so, I had to overlap a few "scars" because there were places the cloth just wouldn't hold. They won't look good as new, but maybe they'll last a little longer...

So I was mending worn fabric that didn't want to hold, with a bent needle while feeling rather poorly.

It got me thinking about the torn places in heart and soul, and how so few people even bother trying to mend things any more - easier to throw them out and get new ones.

But the new ones aren't the same, are they??