The old green shirt

It’s time has come. Today’s the day I stop putting off this decision.

For some of us, getting rid of an object becomes exponentially harder with each passing year. Pretending it’s younger doesn’t help. It’s embedded in the psyche. It is Identity.

This Bisley shirt was once a dark green corduroy. It started as a work shirt for winter. Eventually, it started to show a little too much wear, so it became the weekend shirt, first worn to the shops and then just pottering around the garden. When it started to loose a bit of density, it evolved into the gardening shirt for summer.

Then, all too easily, I stuck my finger through the fabric.

The stumbling block to disposal of this faded and barely-there memory wasn’t just time. My strategy for dealing with old clothes is also out of date. I’ve read that the charity shops are struggling, and I can’t knowingly add to that problem. Not that I could donate this one now.

So, it’s back to a bit of in-house recycling. I tried this many years ago, cutting up scraps, gradually filling up an old suitcase and then making cushions. But I got out of the habit because they weren’t very comfortable.

A bit of online research, because that’s possible now, reveals many ideas for reusing old material. The stuffing won’t compress, so it’s best used in items that need a bit of structure. I need more draught stoppers. Perhaps I’ll have enough ready for next winter.

The buttons go in the button tin. The buttons have always gone in the button tin.