It's spring! And I want to ditch my dark, boring winter clothes and buy something bright and new. Of course, that's not a sustainable approach (for the earth or my wallet), so this year I'm trying to go shopping in my own house first. That means that instead of a trip to buy some yarn for a springy cowl, I went to my stash and discovered a long-abandoned mystery project. Riiiiiiiiip...and now I'm ready to start fresh. Speaking of yarn, I was disappointed to discover that my favourite pair of homemade socks had developed a hole in the heel. Time for a spot of darning. The shell is an heirloom that I use instead of a darning egg. And finally, a trip to my closet. I loved the pattern but the shirt was two sizes too big (the things I'll buy on sale, sheesh!). Time to resize. I turned it inside out and traced the shape of another shirt I've got that actually fits. I pinned along the lines, then basted the seams so I could try it on without getting poked. Then I stitched along the outside of the basting. Two seams later, I've got a new shirt (less almost 6 inches of fabric!). Does springtime inspire you to re-examine your wardrobe and do a bit of spring mending? If so, you might like this book: Mend It Better, by Kristin M. Roach. [caption id="attachment_8248" align="aligncenter" width="263" caption="Photo, Storey Publishing"] [/caption]

Have a peek inside and you'll see that these ideas are both useful and attractive. Sometimes mending gets a bad rap – it looks cheap, or messy – but I think these ideas are applicable in real life, on clothes you're still going to want to wear once they're "fixed."

And lucky for you, I have THREE copies to give away!

For your chance to win, leave ONE comment on this post telling me about your relationship with mending. Do it? Don't do it? Wouldn't know where to begin? Tell me all about it. Have something you mended you're particularly proud of? Upload a photo! You might inspire someone else to give it a try.

Contest will run until 11:59 p.m., Monday, April 16; I'll randomly select and announce the winners here on Tuesday, April 17. Good luck!