“My old man is a TV repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.”

-J Spicoli 

Our identity is sew caught up in what we wear. It feels good to know both are something we can repair. 

Like the clothes, the way we live, and our personas identify the life we choose.

Sometimes the costumes fit and we feel grand, sometimes they fall apart and we need a mending hand.

Sew… instead of going out and buying (or trying) something completely new… patch and piece together the wabi-sabi-ness of an imperfect personality … for rhyming post 52. 

To help you ‘Patch or sew your clothing,' here’s a simple 2-step (and a bonus 52 Step!!!) process:

1. Thread a needle without making a mess 

2. Patch on or iron-on to that hole in your dress  

Your Future You stays young when learning new skills. Sewing and patching, when done gleefully, provide minor thrills. Your mixing and mending and blending get better with age, so embrace some new patterns, new attitudes and your new Patch-on-ista sage.

P.S. It’s been reported that Corporate Housing companies help people ‘Patch or sew your clothing’ by …providing a sewing and patching kit… Really, that’s it? No analogy being applied to the end of this bit? Corporate housing’s ability to help patch and sew people’s life when they need furnished housing, will not be referenced or inferred in this week’s espousing. Basic and boring patching and sewing finishing kits, will be found when you look around, for furnished housing that fits. Okay listen, if you learn to sew, just let us know, and we’ll mail you a StayAttache iron-on patch in our logo. 

P.P.S. - A year ago, when I turned 51, the ‘Future You’ series had just begun. With 105 ideas that are simple and fun, this listicle is almost halfway done. It’s been a joyful year of simple sustainable learning on what we can do. Thanks for joining along in this adventure as I turn 52… along with these posts that turn 52, too.  

Why does this ‘Future You’ Series exist? What’s it about?  

1. Promote easy, quirky sustainable practices that are NOT preachy, or guilt-ridden and without a focus on the ‘saving the planet’ (hint: the planet is going to survive no matter what we do). 

2. A playful post of simple ways to sorta improve our lives, and the lives of those we love. And improve our future lives… by doing stuff today. 

3. Still reading? Cool. We think you’re amazing and full of joyful zest. 

This series is based off ‘105 Simple Sustainable actions’ - from Stephane Omsanski’s article in Parade from 2021.

https://parade.com/1300935/stephanieosmanski/ways-reduce-carbon-emissions/

52. Patch or sew your clothing.

Before trashing or even donating old clothing, ask yourself first if it's fixable. Can you patch it up? Will a needle and thread fix the problem? The longer you hold onto your clothes, the more sustainable they are, especially since you're keeping them from ending up in a landfill.