On Mending: Stories of Damage and Repair, Celia Pym, 2022

On Mending is a collection of ten stories of damaged garments – plus a rug and two backpacks I’ve mended in the last 15 years. These stories describe the ways in which clothes and cloth become holed, why a damaged sweater or backpack can be emotionally affecting and how mending a garment can unstick a stuck feeling.

“Mending work builds on what is left behind. It’s not replacing, or remaking, or cutting apart and putting back together, instead it is slow work that makes things better. It conjures an unhurried recovery or change. In textiles, the act of mending wear-and-tear, thinning cloth or accidental damage builds on what already exists, anchoring threads and yarn into the robust healthy fabric and filling in the holes or reinforcing the areas that are weak.”

Designed by Fraser Muggeridge studio and photography Michele Panzeri

Available to order online from Quickthorn Books and instore at Loop, Ray Stitch, Trolley Books and Mizuiro