I’ve had these Marimekko purses for many years, I think I bought the green one in 2008. I’ve used one as pen case and the other as a make-up bag and have been very happy with them. When they started fraying around the edges and folds, I thought about buying new even more colourful ones. Then I remembered in order to do that, I would have to get rid of these ones and getting rid of stuff is something that is increasingly making me a bit anxious. Where do these things go, are they reused or recycled properly? It’s a big and complex question that reminds you of all the injustices and exploitation going on in the world when you try to answer it.
So I decided to instead mend and patch up the holes in the purses before they get bigger. I did some freehand embroidery using some threads I had from a project a few years ago. Once I was done I was a bit embarrassed that buying new was my first thought and not mending, even though I have the knowledge and tools to do so. It goes to show how deeply rooted this buy,buy buy mentality is ingrained in all of us and that we need to question it all the time.
