In a previous post on Mend It May, I listed some of the repairs I had waiting for me. Time to show a few things I actually fixed.
My favorite mending tasks involved shoes. Shoes are expensive, so extending their life equals extending my cash money. Plus the repair turned out to be very quick and easy.
I started by asking the helpful people at McGuckin Hardware, the ultimate DIY candy store, for the right glue. They know everything, and can be relied on to send you home with the right tools for any job related to garden, home, or general repair. They hooked me up with Bish’s Original Tear Mender, ideal for repairing things that need strength, but also flexibility.
I had two candidates for mending. The first was a pair of brown leather sandals. The strap on the inside of one foot, running from the toe to the heel structure, was starting to tear. It was easy to see it was going to break in a few more wearings. The second was a pair of faux-suede boots: I was starting to wear a hole in one toe and looking, somewhat ironically, down at heel.
The technique was the same on both pairs of shoes.
- Cut a small patch of thin but strong fabric about half an inch larger than the damaged area of your shoe. I used a piece of an old tag out of a shirt. It was thin but strong, with zero stretch.
- Apply glue to the patch to coat it.
- Stick the patch on the wrong side of your hole or tear, and make sure it stays in place once you release your grip.
Let it dry and you have yourself a brand-new/old pair of shoes.
I dotted the repair to the boot with a black Sharpie marker to help it blend with the rest of the material.
Within 10 minutes I’d read the instructions on the glue, fixed both shoes, and was roaming the house looking for more targets. I wound up patching the decaying collar fold of my dad’s leather jacket, tenderly prized as my favorite vintage garment; and tamping down the edges of some peeling iron-on patches on my husband’s work pants.
I’ve worn the sandals all summer, twice a week at least, and the patch is holding well.
What’s your favorite thing to mend? Or the mend that feels most practical? And do you have a favorite glue?
Encoded Studio 
Way to rock it Shelly. I’m going to keep this glue in mind. Do you think it could mend tennis shoe holes in mesh like fabric? Both shoes now have three holes each. I put a piece of duct tape on the inside of the first hole which has worked fairly well. Now I have more holes and am on the verge of getting new shoes.
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I’ll bring the glue to the next Open Sew, if you’d like to try it. Or, since the fabric is mesh…embroidery? Bring the shoes and let’s take a look!
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