The Right To Repair

After a fairly lethargic start to the month, I’ve gotten back on track with various repair projects. I found the belt buckle pictured above at the Value Village back in September in the interregnum between lockdowns. It is signed Gutos West Germany, which is a metal fastener making concern that’s been in business for 65 years. The Weatern Germany mark would date this to before the Wall came down.

Anyway, the material it was attached to was too short for my waist. I bought some leather to make a new belt, but I was not up to the task of cutting and sewing it. The. I remembered that I had some nylon webbing from a disastrous hammock purchase last summer that I could use instead. It just took me a few months to locate the buckle and material at the same time. The strapping is maybe not quite wide enough, but I’m satisfied for now. It will be nice to have something to cinch in my caftans and robes so I don’t look too Mrs. Roper-y (Mrs. Roper being the nosey, mumu-wearing landlady on the 1980s sitcom “Three’s Company.”)

Another project I checked off my to do list was patching the moth holes on my beloved wool robe. I opted to try a viable mending technique because my darning skills were not up to recreating the complex plaid pattern. For the actual repairs I used a blue yarn that was already in the palette. I’m pleased with the result although its a garment that I probably wouldn’t wear outside of the house which makes me a little less stressed about it not looking perfect.