A new life for an old, cherished, piece of clothing

When my mother moved into assisted living four years ago, we discovered, deep in her closet, a handful of pieces of clothing from fifty or sixty years ago. She had a couple of beautiful dresses that, thankfully, fit her granddaughter, Paige.

She also had the green wool jacket she wore to her wedding to my father in the early 1960s. It’s a beautiful little jacket that buttons up the back and was originally paired with a cute short skirt. Apparently, my mother had no interest in conforming to the long white bridal look of the day!

She must have been quite petite. When I tried the jacket on, I could wear it backwards—with the buttons in front—but there was no chance those buttons were ever going to fasten. On me, it was more of a little open shrug.

There was another problem: the jacket had more than fifty moth holes. Many were tiny, but a few were quite large. There was simply no way I could wear it as it was.

I considered a few ways to save it. Maybe I could sew little patches all over it and turn it into a sort of polka-dot shrug? Or cover it with buttons? I explored both ideas, but neither seemed quite right. (And I’m really not that handy.)

Then I found out that my neighbor, Libby, had started a business repairing damaged clothing. Her philosophy is one we try to incorporate at Paper Moon Moves, too: keep things out of landfills when they still have life left in them. I brought her my mother's jacket.

Libby was a saint to take it on. With more than fifty holes, I’m sure it was a monster of a job. But she painstakingly mended it and gave this little jacket—already more than 60 years old—another life. And now I can actually wear it.

Me in my mother’s wedding jacket!

I love that something my mother wore on such an important day in her life isn't sitting damaged in the back of a closet anymore. I can throw it on, buttons in front, and carry a little piece of her history with me.

Do you have a piece of clothing you love but can't wear because it's damaged? I'll put you in touch with Libby. She's a lifesaver. Her business is called Keep Mending, and her website is www.keepmending.com.