About Leanda Smith
I'm Leanda, and I am the daughter of a seamstress and a woodworker. I live in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia with my husband, 2 young sons, 1 dog and 4 chickens. I teach double bass, adore growing food & flowers and I mend clothing.
I mend clothing in a way that enhances the piece's beauty and story, using a range of techniques such as darning, needle felting, embroidery, patching, and more. My aim is to reinvigorate your much-loved items, so you can keep them as a cherished part of your wardrobe. If you would like to talk to me about commission based mending please pop over to my contact me tab.
Testimonials:
"Leanda's sewing and mending is above and beyond. She has made me hankies, sown hems, taken in clothing and made the coolest mend on my favourite tote bag using reclaimed fabric. Her professional skills and attention to detail are matched by her dedication to cutting down waste and breathing new life into old garments. Highly recommend!" - Nat, Melbourne
"My sons cherished comforter was threadbare from years of cuddles and we couldn't find a replacement anywhere online. Having Leanda repair it was our only hope. As a mum of two she immediately understood the assignment and lovingly extended "Dogdog's" life with her excellent mending skills. Legend!" - Emily, Melbourne
My story:
My parents are both industrious and creative, handy and practical - all the things that make me into the "resourceful" person I am today. I spent many an hour hanging around my mum's sewing workshop after school, taking the scraps from the bin and making dolls clothes and scrunchies. Even to this day, mum is rarely idle with her hands, even in front of the TV which is where she taught me to knit and embroider. I didn't realise it at the time, but the skills mum was sharing with me were pretty high end, as she had been taught by my grandmother who was a needle-work judge! The attention to detail in my work can be directly linked to Nan's level of quality control and fastidiousness. Similarly I used to spend time visiting my dad's shed too, he was always willing to show me something or get me to pass the "such-n-such" while I watched him work, all of which has allowed me to be confident with a drill, hammer and many other tools around the traps and fix/make the odd thing here and there. Dad in particular is a waste-not-want-not kind of guy, which is where I learned the value of all resources, and why my family try to waste very little and keep what we know will be useful one day. This habit can be seen in a lot of my mends, in that I use reclaimed fabric and secondhand haberdashery items.
To see lots more of my mending work pop over to my instagram
I mend clothing in a way that enhances the piece's beauty and story, using a range of techniques such as darning, needle felting, embroidery, patching, and more. My aim is to reinvigorate your much-loved items, so you can keep them as a cherished part of your wardrobe. If you would like to talk to me about commission based mending please pop over to my contact me tab.
Testimonials:
"Leanda's sewing and mending is above and beyond. She has made me hankies, sown hems, taken in clothing and made the coolest mend on my favourite tote bag using reclaimed fabric. Her professional skills and attention to detail are matched by her dedication to cutting down waste and breathing new life into old garments. Highly recommend!" - Nat, Melbourne
"My sons cherished comforter was threadbare from years of cuddles and we couldn't find a replacement anywhere online. Having Leanda repair it was our only hope. As a mum of two she immediately understood the assignment and lovingly extended "Dogdog's" life with her excellent mending skills. Legend!" - Emily, Melbourne
My story:
My parents are both industrious and creative, handy and practical - all the things that make me into the "resourceful" person I am today. I spent many an hour hanging around my mum's sewing workshop after school, taking the scraps from the bin and making dolls clothes and scrunchies. Even to this day, mum is rarely idle with her hands, even in front of the TV which is where she taught me to knit and embroider. I didn't realise it at the time, but the skills mum was sharing with me were pretty high end, as she had been taught by my grandmother who was a needle-work judge! The attention to detail in my work can be directly linked to Nan's level of quality control and fastidiousness. Similarly I used to spend time visiting my dad's shed too, he was always willing to show me something or get me to pass the "such-n-such" while I watched him work, all of which has allowed me to be confident with a drill, hammer and many other tools around the traps and fix/make the odd thing here and there. Dad in particular is a waste-not-want-not kind of guy, which is where I learned the value of all resources, and why my family try to waste very little and keep what we know will be useful one day. This habit can be seen in a lot of my mends, in that I use reclaimed fabric and secondhand haberdashery items.
To see lots more of my mending work pop over to my instagram