Boro stitching and aging like sea glass

I sat down intending to do a quick post about the boro stitching that I used to mend two shirts. I also wanted to show you my new book, "Slow Stitch -- Mindful and Contemplative Textile Art," which describes boro stitching. Then it occurred to me that this would go well with the Sea Glass poem by Bernadette Noll that some of you already may know.

The boro style of mending gently, slowly, stitches a worn or torn piece of clothing back together with a patch and hand running stitches. The end result doesn't look shiny and new, but it is strong and has character.

My airy loosely-woven top had torn in two places over years of wearing and washing, but I couldn't bear to throw it away because I love its loose casualness and it's a great top to wear over a camisole to yoga class. So I stitched scraps of sheer indigo silk over the tears. I used embroidery floss strengthened with beeswax to do running stitches.

I did the same mending on an old worn work shirt, using a scrap of denim for the patch. I left the edges of the patches raw rather than turning them under.

I Want to Age Like Sea Glass

by Bernadette Noll

I want to age like sea glass,

Smoothed by tides, not broken.

I want the currents of life to toss me around,

shake me up and leave me feeling

washed clean.

I want my hard edges to soften as the years pass --

not weak, but supple.

I want to ride the waves,

go with the flow,

feel the impact of the

surging tides rolling in and out.

When I am thrown against the shore

and caught between the rocks and a hard place,

I want to rest there until I can find

the strength to do what is next.

Not stuck -- just waiting, pondering,

feeling what it feels like to pause.

And when I am ready,

I will catch a wave and let it carry me

along to the next place

that I am supposed to be.

I want to be picked up on occasion

by an unsuspecting soul and carried along --

just for the connection,

just for the sake of appreciation and wonder.

And with each encounter,

new possibilities of collaboration

are presented, and new ideas born.

I want to age like sea glass

so that when people see

the old woman I'll become,

they'll embrace all that I am.

They'll marvel at my exquisite nature,

hold me gently in their hands,

and be awed by my well-earned patina.

Neither flashy nor dull,

just the right luster.

And they'll wonder, if just for a second,

what it is exactly I am made of

and how I got to be in this very here and now.

And we'll both feel lucky to realize, once again,

that we have landed in that perfectly right place

at that perfectly right time.

I want to age like sea glass.

I want to enjoy the journey

and let my preciousness be,

not in spite of the impacts of life,

but because of them.

If you're interested in the history of boro and some beautiful examples, check out this older blog post: 
japanese-boro-jackets-in-shibori-dragon.html

 Have a colorful day