Make do and mend

this was a reallly useful blog a found at
www.vogue.co.uk/blogs/laura-bailey/100302-make-do-and-mend.-.aspx

'I collect spare buttons in clear jam jars and, rather than stash them in a dark cleaning cupboard never to be seen again, keep them on a bookshelf or bedside table next to another, stuffed with assorted pins and needles ready to attack a box packed with remnants of treasured old dresses and other precious scraps. Ribbons and lace are recycled as hair bows or sashes, be they for me or my little girl, or the dressing-up box. Call me old-fashioned but I find it strangely comforting to do a few DIY repairs in bed in front of Newsnight. Granny chic, I know. Luckily, I’m not a perfectionist. A new red button pierces the cuff of an old favourite navy polkadot blouse, patches are mismatched, stitches very much showing. I like it that way. I don’t mind rough edges. Any jobs requiring a semblance of actual skill are left to my trusty neighbourhood dry cleaners, who have rescued many a dress on death’s door. Similarly, my favourite ancient shoes are given a ninth life by Mario, my local legendary cobbler and what seemed like an insane Prada spurge ten years ago justifies itself via annual MOTs for a fiver, thus guaranteeing many miles of life more, be they tripping down a red carpet or on my bike to work…' By Laura Bailey

Im interested in imperfections, expecially when looking for old textiles to use, frayed edges and missing buttons give more character to a piece of fabric of hand-kerchief, I like the thought of the story behind the pieces, why is it so worn in one area or torn?