Well, tbh, the front cover is a bit of a spoiler. This is pretty much what you will learn in this book. If you wear mostly denim and linen, this is a great treatise on mending. Heavily Boro-inspired, the techniques rely on the use of sashiko thread and its linen equivalent.

It is simple, basic hand sewing and it's achievable by anyone with enough manual dexterity to write letters of the alphabet and stay between the lines of notebook paper.

You will not find darning, in the traditional sense of a needle-woven patch, in this book. Rodabaugh appropriates the term to mean securing a patch by parallel rows of running stitches crossing at right angles. You will not find mending of knitted fabrics. Rodabaugh is quite straightforward about that and directs readers to Tom of Holland (excellent choice). Incidentally, throughout the book there are pages by accomplished menders and Slow Fashion gurus describing their thoughts and work; Tom of Holland is among them. There is also a list of resources comprising all these people and much more, followed by a Q&A that is essentially a quick recap of the book.

I honour the author for describing what she knows well and does on a high level, and not attempting to give instructions about techniques other than the ones she has been perfecting for over a decade. Her skill set is different from mine and complementary. I might buy this book; I currently have it checked out from the library. It's a good reference for denim and linen repairs. Outstanding reference for philosophy and aesthetics as well as the mechanics of mending.

A week after writing this review, I was revisiting Purl Soho's "Knit Elbow Patch" (a free pattern) and realized that if you wished to create patches of any colour, any fibre, any size, any weight desired, the Purl Soho patch could be a helpful part of your mending repertoire. One of the projects on Ravelry is a soft colour-matched patch to mend the crotch of a pair of jeans from inside, and really that's just the beginning of what you could do.
I haven't finished the book yet. I am savouring it. Slow Literature. I'm appreciating the author bringing her background in textile arts and design to bear on the topic of mending. I'm appreciating her philosophy. Yes we've heard of Slow Fashion but she does have her own unique thoughts from her own background.

Definitely worth reading at leisure and buying if your budget allows (the latter, provided you are fond of denim!). I rated the book based on what it is because it's such a perfect book on its niche topic. ( )

Quite outside the fact that we don't wear out jeans the way she does... I don't really have a lot that can be mended with her techniques. Frayed collars are more the thing that convinces me to give up a shirt. There is also a lot of repetition. The first steps of all the projects look like they have been mostly copied and pasted.

Still, the basic idea, mending good quality clothing in stead of buying more poor quality clothing is good. I have a lot of much loved clothing from the past 20-30 years. To the extent that I can't justify buying anything new, even if I love it, even from my favourite 'sustainable and ethical' designers. ( )

I like that she is making something that most people wouldnt consider doing into something fun and beautiful. This is not new but it feels fresh to many so that's something. ( )

This book is not particularly relevant to my lifestyle or wardrobe, but I enjoyed the philosophy behind it. ( )