Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am giving this book a 4 but I don't know that I can recommend it as a tool for learning to mend. If you want to know why, please read on. Maybe I misinterpreted the title? Maybe as I scanned through the book and I didn't see all the projects offered? The book shows images that prove her mending is as lovely as her sentiments towards the movement of slow fashion. And really that is what this book has the most to offer, as it is a long, well-thought presentation of the movement. If I wanted a reason to mend then this would be the book for me. If I wanted to convert someone with slow fashion proselytizing this would be the book for that need. I don't mean this as a bash, because this book is intelligent and well written, but I thought I was getting a book on mending techniques and it didn't feel that way when I dipped my toes in to look at the projects. I returned the book as soon as I realized it wasn't really a book with an array of techniques for many kinds of damaged clothes, but because I wanted to know if I misunderstood what the book presented itself to be I went back to look at the title, and description, in greater detail. The description cites that there are over 20 projects within the pages of the book, but even though I felt a big problem with the book was that all the projects looked and felt the same, and that there wasn't much innovation - do I put the patch inside or outside? do I make the patch bigger than the hole? do I make some extra stitches around the area? - but even thinking things all looked the same my mind cannot wrap around the fact that on returning the book, I came here to write this review, and fully thought I was going to write that I was disappointed in that it only contained a half dozen projects. And here I look and see the book has over 20. I think this says it all, sadly. 20 projects easily summed into a handful. Another person mentions the lack of knit fabric mending techniques as one issue. I think this also hits the nail on the head. The clumsiest newbie-to-sewing folks can sew a patch on denim and perhaps make some even-enough rows of running stitches without too much of a stretch of effort and this is what the majority of the book contains. Patchwork denim. It's lovely work, but a simple concept, and each one I recall seeing as I scanned the pages was a pretty simple project. What I really wanted was a mending book that told me how to fix an array of common issues, and maybe creatively. Seeing different fabrics, different notions, different treatments. Fixing buttons, fixing plackets, fixing the inevitable holes we get in t-shirts, darning socks, mending undies, maybe mending brassieres to fit better when they begin to stretch over time to give them a second life - a brassiere lift? My mom darns socks and I guess I can ask her how, but that would be something I would liked to have seen in this book. Everyone I know has at least one pair of jeans with a patch slapped on it. But who darns their socks anymore? My mom pretty much from what I know. I cannot imagine too many people can say they know someone well within their 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon that darns socks. Just a thought on a way to save lots of holey socks from the landfills, cause I sure don't donate holey socks, nor do I really know what to do with them other than throw them out. I also think the lack of variety means we are forgetting that a lot of people happily don ripped jeans, or patch them and keep them for years more, but what do I do with a torn work blazer, for example? So, I love the concept behind the creation of the book. I love the heart of the author and the goal to do better as an individual to make the world better for all of us. I love the idea of wasting less, buying less while recycling more and saving more. I love the images and as much as I complain of the simplicity and lack of variation I do still love her art. The author has a lot to say about fashion and it is stuff that should be said and that people should think about. For that - if I were looking for a book about why I should slow my fashion roll - I would give the book 5 stars. As a book on how to actually mend I think I would give this a 3. It does show how to mend some things, it is well-written, it has nice pictures, but there is quite the lack of depth and variety. While the concepts offered could be applied to other items of clothes, I really think more variety would help her cause here and would help the user become more inspired to take a whack and mending their own clothes instead of pitching them. Also, I know that this is touted as a mending book but perhaps - in lieu of an array of mending techniques for a variety of clothing types - a mention of basic alterations to save ill-fitting clothes from the bin or the Goodwill would help, too. Just a thought. In summation, I took my ratings of 5 and 3 and mashed them up to a 4, but I am conflicted on that. I feel bad giving it a 4 because I don't know that I would recommend the book as a resource for mending, but conversely I would feel bad rating it less than a 4 because I think the author has important things to say so... my 4 comes with this caveat: I would recommend this book ONLY to four kinds of people: 1. Those who want to learn about slow fashion and why it is important. 2. Those who want to make patchwork denim 3. Those who have very little sewing skill and want to learn a few basics 4. Those who want to support the author for whatever reason that may be - perhaps that they approve of her message of the need for slow fashion movement to catch on, etc. I do not recommend this book as a resource to learn an array of techniques to mend clothes. I hope this helps and best of luck!