As well as re-knitting his hat, I’ve been experimenting with lengthening the life of Mr Mouse’s jeans. Despite being tall, he manages to wear the bottoms of the legs in a spectacular way. The knees are also a weak spot.

A few years ago, I shortened a few pairs into shorts but since reading Mending Matters, I thought I might tackle mending his jeans.

Mr Mouse finds it tricky to get jeans because he’s very tall.  He also has an aversion to shopping! From a sustainability perspective, I’ve read quite a lot in recent years about the high water consumption linked to making jeans, so making them last longer is something I’m keen to do.

As a committed hoarder (or somebody with excellent foresight), I kept the bottoms that I cut off his jeans a few years ago. This meant I had some denim to hand without needing to source new fabric.

Knees

First, I tackled a rip in the knee by securing a patch behind the hole.

After neatening up the tear, I used a variegated thread to secure a new patch behind it. Once I’d whip-stitched around the shape, I added some running stitch for effect and strength.

Whilst it could be neater, it’s a good first attempt at mending.

Cuffs

The cuffs presented more of a challenge! Thankfully, Mending Matters has a great tutorial of how to tackle exactly this issue.

It felt quite reckless to cut away such a chunk of the leg, but I trusted the process. Denim behaves so well, pressing nicely and staying in place where it is placed. The fabric definitely made this mending project a more enjoyable adventure.

I highly recommend Mending Matters if you’re interested in mending. Whilst the book covers other fabrics, I think it lends itself particularly well to denim garments.

Mr Mouse loves he revamped jeans and has been wearing them a lot, which is reassuring as there are two more pairs in need of attention! Thanks for reading :o)