tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post342362567117670361..comments2024-03-29T21:11:37.724+10:00Comments on down to earth: How far is too far?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-90443789730899123962012-05-26T00:39:29.206+10:002012-05-26T00:39:29.206+10:00LOL I love Hanno! He was rolling his eyes over you...LOL I love Hanno! He was rolling his eyes over you running a few stitches through an old bag but no doubt he would have had kittens if you spent the $125 on the new bag!!Elizabeth Nesbitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12426275444189719222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-39650493128973865212012-02-01T11:08:07.269+10:002012-02-01T11:08:07.269+10:00oh my you did absolutely the right thing. Our anc...oh my you did absolutely the right thing. Our ancestors used, reused and then cut apart and reused the fabric again...quilts anyone? The term "thriced turned coat" refers to wearing a garment till it showed wear and then picking it apart and turning the fabric to the inside and remaking the garment...the poor would then turn the fabric a third time to get as much wear as possible! <br /><br />Even the most worn out and stiffest leather can come back to life again with some gentle work and TLC and good leather cleaning and reconditioner. I have an old mail bag that i found for pennies that looked cracked and ruined but I was able to eventually bring it back to life and I love it...all the marks, crinkle marks and creases just add character to a beautifuly built old piece.<br /><br />So you go girl...rework what you can, especially the things you love!Peascodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11950203914710533372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-58843344066731958222012-01-29T11:23:48.601+10:002012-01-29T11:23:48.601+10:00I have a lovely suede handbag with the lining all ...I have a lovely suede handbag with the lining all ripped as well. I have been agonising over whether I will repair it or buy a new handbag. I did look at Myer at the Boxing Day sales, but like you was horrified at the cost of replacement. I hate waste and wouldn't care what other people thought. Good for you for repairing yours, I will be doing the same.michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08830431161836892797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-22547333730251129072012-01-27T22:18:53.443+10:002012-01-27T22:18:53.443+10:00Hi Rhonda, Great Post! I have tried to repair my f...Hi Rhonda, Great Post! I have tried to repair my favourite handbag on many occasions, there was a few tears along the internal zipper pocket. So your defiantly not alone.<br /><br />Nicky Singh.Nicky Singhhttp://nickysingh.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-69075883785187207142012-01-27T19:17:51.712+10:002012-01-27T19:17:51.712+10:00Hello Rhonda
Your bag is just beautiful!!!
It is r...Hello Rhonda<br />Your bag is just beautiful!!!<br />It is real leather and comes with a history.<br />I work part-time but still buy most of my clothes for work at op shops for no more than two dollars a piece. Much better quality than you can buy anywhere new!!<br />Can't wait for your book. I think it is just the nicest presentation I have seen for a while. ( I am a Librarian so hsve seen a few over the forty or so years I have worked in this profession!!)<br /><br />All the best<br />Keep dryAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-87390023255981008732012-01-27T13:23:39.738+10:002012-01-27T13:23:39.738+10:00Yep! I have had the same leather purse for at leas...Yep! I have had the same leather purse for at least twenty years now. No problem, but the zipper is beginning to give out.hopflowernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-63265209302183618852012-01-27T06:30:48.582+10:002012-01-27T06:30:48.582+10:00Ha! I've still got a down parka that I got for...Ha! I've still got a down parka that I got for free at a rummage sale 25 years ago. Nobody wanted it because it had a horrible orange plaid trim that was torn. I took it home, and replaced the horrible orange with a nice purple fabric and it has served me well ever since. Its zipper is finally giving out, so my next project will be zipper replacement.<br /><br />I literally wear my clothes until they have holes... then I mend the holes and keep wearing them until they can no longer be repaired. <br /><br />I am wracking my brains trying to understand how anyone could possibly justify paying over $100 for a handbag! I realize everyone is brainwashed by the fashion industry, but still it makes it hard to have sympathy for people drowning in consumer debt.EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-52514413091482301562012-01-27T05:49:29.960+10:002012-01-27T05:49:29.960+10:00Fixing things gives me a real thrill. I don't...Fixing things gives me a real thrill. I don't get that thrill from shopping, though I imagine some people do. <br /><br />It is showing appreciation for all you've been given to use it to the max.<br /><br />I've been chuckled at a few times for fixing what should be trash (according to the chucklers), but in the end I am saving money, saving time, and saving resources. Win, win, win.<br /><br />Your purse looks swell! Good as new!BLD in MThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08497511995276601468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-63047450869621150812012-01-27T02:42:39.384+10:002012-01-27T02:42:39.384+10:00I absolutely agree with everything you have said a...I absolutely agree with everything you have said and I too don't give a stuff about fashion or being trendy etc etc. Whatever makes you happy I say. Why do some women have this 'thing' about handbags anyway? I don't even use one, prefering to use a 'bum bag' as it's safer and less easy to use when out shopping or whatever.Sue Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16463317651625459406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-6199343025913907842012-01-27T01:46:25.900+10:002012-01-27T01:46:25.900+10:00Even if our machine could not have fixed a purse w...Even if our machine could not have fixed a purse we could check out what a shoe repair shop would have cost to do the job. You could supply the material. I have a local shop that will fix a shoe leather or luggage or purse with little cost. Anything leather they will give a try. I try first then go to them if I cannot do the job. Yes the cost of good leather bags is now outrageous and even then the quality of the bags are not as nice as the old one. Good post. I imagine many have never thought of this. SarahAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-75095028799580589962012-01-26T23:22:31.702+10:002012-01-26T23:22:31.702+10:00Looks like you did a wonderful job on your handbag...Looks like you did a wonderful job on your handbag Rhonda! I don't think it takes recycling too far at all! Handbag prices are horrendous nowadays, and if you settle for a cheaper price, you get cheaper make. (That is personal experience talking.) <br />I have a favorite shirt that has a hole in it in a hard-to-fix place, but its THE perfect shirt...and I just can't bear to part with it. <br />Around here we recycle everything we can. Plastic bags get cut up into yarn and made into reusable shopping bags, sink matts, and the like. Recycling pushes you to get creative! Hope you have a beautiful day.<br />The Girl in the Pink DressThe Girl in the Pink Dresshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00250837836714463827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-40197879739883835062012-01-26T23:22:07.481+10:002012-01-26T23:22:07.481+10:00Your bag looks wonderful Rhonda! $225 for a handba...Your bag looks wonderful Rhonda! $225 for a handbag??? I might have fallen over in the store!<br />My answers are No and No.Mary Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17525958667762567812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-34589798397400749002012-01-26T19:43:20.018+10:002012-01-26T19:43:20.018+10:00I think you are so right. I'm a member of a cl...I think you are so right. I'm a member of a club that repairs all kinds of things that other people would throw away. I do the administration. We started in September last year and there have been many itmes that came our way and have been repaired. Very old things too. This is just wonderful !!<br />My husband just repaired my old bag too ; )<br />Hugs from The Netherlands.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-31450392211267097342012-01-26T19:03:54.444+10:002012-01-26T19:03:54.444+10:00I've just found my 'perfect bag', yes ...I've just found my 'perfect bag', yes it's leather and I probably shouldn't have bought it, (I'm a new convert to vegetarianism) but I decided, it was there, I needed it, I've waited to find 'the one' for a long time and so I made the decision to buy.<br /><br />It cost £65 in the post Christmas sale at Laura Ashley, a HUGE amount to me in my newly converted frugal lifestyle, but I am selling my other couple of bags and lots of other fripparies to offset the cost and then this bag will be looked after, repaired and generally be 'the one' for as long as I can make it last.<br /><br />January 2012 - who knows......<br /><br />Love the post and LOVE your repairs to your bag, I hope it keeps going for many more years for you.<br /><br />Sue xxSuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04177854521955532744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-62137705227868556712012-01-26T19:00:57.199+10:002012-01-26T19:00:57.199+10:00Hurrah for you for fixing your bag! I have a 10-ye...Hurrah for you for fixing your bag! I have a 10-year old pair of leather boots I bought on sale...beautiful black boots that I have had reheeled and which I polish religiously. Never will give these up. <br /><br />If something I have gets beyond repair, I will buy it used on ebay. People sell things with the tags still on, without the departmental store markups. We buy all my hubs jeans this way. Then the jeans become shorts, then they become rags. <br /><br />AM of the breadAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-46402185468944529992012-01-26T18:38:54.187+10:002012-01-26T18:38:54.187+10:00oh i really want to comment to Melanie who wrote a...oh i really want to comment to Melanie who wrote about her sewing machine above... I would buy the best sewing machine you can afford and make sure it's a good brand name... if you can't afford a new one, buy one second hand... far better than buying a new cheap machine (and honestly I think $200 is too cheap for a decent brand new sewing machine as well)... <br /><br />I sew every day and have used so many different machines... and the old mechanical machines work so much better than new plastic-y cheapy ones... i almost bought an old singer i found at the recycling centre for my children... an old singer that was still purring, for less than $50. op/thrift shops are a great place to look for second hand machines as well!!)<br />amyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-77757452551307160682012-01-26T17:27:15.104+10:002012-01-26T17:27:15.104+10:00Of course you should fix up the bag if you like it...Of course you should fix up the bag if you like it! Alternatively, perhaps Hanno would like to spend several weeks of his discretionary spending money on a new handbag for you as a gift ;-))<br /><br />I currently have a pair of jeans I love that are being patched to death. I can only wear them around the house or in the garden now, but they have shape, fit me beautifully and make me feel good when I wear them. <br /><br />I'll be truly gutted when they finally go as I've never found another pair like them.Steelhttp://steelkitten.typepad.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-31485100314771833552012-01-26T15:03:54.768+10:002012-01-26T15:03:54.768+10:00Interestingly, the older I get, the keener I am to...Interestingly, the older I get, the keener I am to repair and the less I care about what others think. I couldnt give a toss, wish I had been like this when I was younger, it would have saved me so much angst ( and money)!!<br />PS I like the bag and can understand why you wouldnt want to get rid of it.<br />xx<br />Mimi@ vanilla roseVanilla Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12329011537931156373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-23974872791130017052012-01-26T13:57:16.956+10:002012-01-26T13:57:16.956+10:00I too am not very fashion conscious. If I like so...I too am not very fashion conscious. If I like something, it does not matter to me if anyone else does. That bag is made in such a way as to be rather timeless in fashion anyway. Yes, in your situation, and the bag looks pretty good still, I would also make a new lining piece. You are a wise consumer!!<br /><br />Now if you were trying to stitch together somethink like underwear with more holes than not...that would be nutty. My poor mom...she had to go buy underclothes for her mom to be buried in!! Something to think about ladies!!! Grandma was the best person on earth and had she thought of all this, I am sure my mom would not have been in that situation. At least store ONE new pair of such things for that day!!<br />Elizabeth in NCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-19049293910860002402012-01-26T13:13:55.610+10:002012-01-26T13:13:55.610+10:00When I started working for a stonemason, I had to ...When I started working for a stonemason, I had to get by with tennis shoes to start. It's rough work and soon the toe end of the sole was flapping about. I wrapped it tight with about three rounds of white duct tape and made it through a couple more paydays.<br /><br />I got a couple of snickers, but I thought myself rather inventive.<br /><br />brenda from arAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-4547278033604554032012-01-26T13:01:16.821+10:002012-01-26T13:01:16.821+10:00"While I was doing my repairs I kept thinking..."While I was doing my repairs I kept thinking that an animal had died to supply meat and the leather and that to throw it away without getting the full value of that sacrifice would be disrespectful and mean spirited."<br /><br />That, to me, is actually a very good thought. I need to remember this. Not that I own a ton of leather or anything, but just because I am often too quick to throw out what seems to be old or no longer works. But to view the item as a part of a bigger picture would help, I think, to put it more into context. So that throwing out a leather handbag isn't just throwing out a handbag anymore.<br /><br />We eat meat at our house, drink milk, eat eggs. I'm not entirely opposed to killing for food or important supplies, but I think you're right that we need to honor the life that was given so that our lives would be better. To do anything else is just cruel. We also need to treat those animals well while they're alive, but that is another story.<br /><br />I really appreciated this post. Thanks.catiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07488675371221191335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-78292372936279203692012-01-26T12:34:55.816+10:002012-01-26T12:34:55.816+10:00Like you, my answers would be no and no. :)Like you, my answers would be no and no. :)Annie at Haphazard Homesteadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13697469094043846339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-91763606207744248772012-01-26T10:57:35.575+10:002012-01-26T10:57:35.575+10:00I mend and darn wherever I can. Our puppy chewed a...I mend and darn wherever I can. Our puppy chewed and broke the straps on my favourite sandals. Instead of chucking, I paid the cobbler $9 to fix them - good as new. My daughter's jeans got a darn last weekend. We'll eke a few more wears out of them before she outgrows them. However,I wil chuck when necessary.My very favourite summer cotton pants, 8 years old, ripped a few weeks ago, and I threw them. The fabric had worn to the point you could almost spit through them, so a darn wasn't going to hold them for long.Paolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14472129226320589172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-45718297498414703382012-01-26T10:55:50.643+10:002012-01-26T10:55:50.643+10:00Rhonda,
I'm with you on this one. I try real...Rhonda, <br />I'm with you on this one. I try really hard to get the full use out of my stuff. In fact just the other day I spent a half hour sewing up a popped seam on my shoe. There are no holes in the sole yet so I want to keep using them. <br />Even when my shoes or clothing do wear out enough that they are no longer presentable to wear in public, I continue to wear them to work in the garden until they are fully "use up".Stoney Acreshttp://ourstoneyacres.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-24838626514356890102012-01-26T10:45:41.059+10:002012-01-26T10:45:41.059+10:00Hi Rhonda,
Oh, if I was in your shoes my answers w...Hi Rhonda,<br />Oh, if I was in your shoes my answers would be the same as yours. I think it's great you were able to fix your brown leather bag. You saved a lot of money that way...and now you have that cash to use for other things :) :) That's really smart...and you've inspired me to do the same with my things :) Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather :)Heather's Blog-o-ramahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05490555197097928275noreply@blogger.com