Mad woman mending

I have several pair of trousers which I bought from Ezibuy 4 and 5 years ago, made with a merino interlock fabric. 

They are my go-to trousers for winter, warm, comfortable and convenient, but unfortunately no longer available. They wear out along the seams and in a couple of cases, on the pocket where I keep my phone. I mend where I can, but am just about at the point of sacrificing one pair for patches. 

This week I saw a post about mending by needle felting, and thought it might be worth a try on a pocket. At the same time I came across a stray crocheted circle, awaiting its place in a baby blanket. Why not use that?

I found my tools and took the plunge. The circle didn’t quite cover the runs from the hole, so I added a circle from wool I had nearby. I used the same to cover another hole I found nearby.

I also left a couple of tails that got caught in my punching.

This is what it looked like on the inside. 

I tried it out on a supermarket visit. No one looked askance. It did, however, reveal a bit of a lift in the edge of the circle.

 

So this morning I stitched the edge down all around and, while about it, thought I'd add an eye and a beak.

I don't know how long this will last, but it's been worth trying. I don't think it will become my go-to mending method, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, and I've learnt a bit along the way.

The next test is washing!