A Tattered Work Jacket: Amazing Machine Stitched Mending

early twentieth century
35 1/2" x 45 1/2", 90 cm x 115.5 cm

This is an indigo dyed cotton short coat or jacket that started out its life as a newly-made hand stitched garment and from all the patching and mending which we see here we can tell this was clearly worn hard over years or decades. 

The jacket is shown inside-out to highlight all the mending and reinforcing which was done to the jacket--and there was a good deal of it. This can be seen by the quantity and size of the patches that are smattered all over the proper inside of this coat.

The jacket has become somewhat misshapen over time due to the extreme wear and the application of patches and mending to its inside.

One of the attractions of this coat is that most of the stitched mending which appears on the patching was done with a sewing machine.

This is not terribly unusual to see but it is interesting: it shows that the practice of mending was carried out well into the era when sewing machines were prevalent in Japanese society and it also has a curious visual appeal, too--look at the way mending stitches appear within the patches that surround them.

This is a tattered and well-used beauty, one that can easily be worn by someone daring enough or it could be displayed for its artistic appeal. More than that this jacket is a wonderful reference for those interested in mending their own clothing: this jacket is good inspiration.