I saw a lot of patchwork denim at the farmers market last week

Three years ago, I made a jacket from old jeans for a college project and my teacher called it 'crafty'. Last month, a friend in Seattle sent me a picture of a $400 patchwork skirt at a store. Then last Saturday, I counted six people at the market wearing their own patched-together jeans or vests. It feels like a full circle moment for DIY repair turning into a real style. Has anyone else tried making something with fabric scraps lately?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew_park1mo ago

Totally! I just fixed my favorite jeans with a scrap from an old flannel shirt, and my roommate asked if they were designer.

abbyg141mo ago

That's the weird part, right? It feels good to fix something yourself, but then the second someone calls it cool or expensive, the whole point gets twisted. Does your friend ever feel like she has to explain the story behind her coat to strangers, just so they don't think she's trying to be trendy?

claire_wells871mo ago

My friend in Portland found a box of her grandma's old tablecloths in a basement. She cut them up and sewed the pieces onto a worn-out chore coat, just for fun. Now she gets stopped on the street every other week with people asking where they can buy one. She laughs about it, because the whole point was to not buy anything new. It's wild how that homemade look has become the thing everyone wants.