by Len Lear

Thinking they might save a little money, friends and co-workers of Roxborough resident Nan Ides, an expert sewer, frequently asked her to mend their garments.

“I was always replacing and re-sewing their lost buttons and ripped hems. I decided to change my approach,” Ides explained.

She started lunchtime instructional workshops at her federal government job, which she has held for almost 32 years. This led to full-fledged community classes, which ultimately led to her first book, “Hand Mending Made Easy: Save Time and Money Repairing Your Own Clothes” (2008, $14.95). The book was specifically written for the non-sewer. Actually, Ides had previously written “Hand Mending for Beginners,” which took a few years with a photographer friend. Then she spent nine more months to deliver her literary baby (so to speak), “Hand Mending Made Easy.”

“Then I sent it out to a few publishers,” Ides said last week, “and after not so many rejections, I got the big ‘yes’ from Palmer/Pletsch Publishing.

“It did quite well in the first few years. It was in ‘Joann Fabrics and Cloth World’ (now out of business). The book is currently in each Philadelphia library branch and is checked out frequently.”

Ides comes from a family who always sewed. Growing up, she recalled, there was always a sewing box and sewing machine threaded and ready for use in her house. She was shocked when she became aware of how much others paid for simple mending jobs, such as replacing a button or hemming a garment.

“On both sides of the family I had grandparents who at one time were tailors. My mother’s parents owned a dress manufacturing factory. My grandmother could take our measurements, lay down some newspaper on the floor, draw out our body shapes and make a dress in a few hours. Of course back them, we didn't have much of a shape!

“Going to my grandparent’s basement was a treat. There was a small room in the back of the basement with all types of accessories – ribbons, snaps, huge scissors and tons of buttons. We had the best dressed Barbie and Midge dolls ever. Our dolls had mink stoles, leather jackets, sparking evening gowns, all made from the scraps of fabric from the factory floor.”

Ides’ goal with “Hand Mending” is to teach as many people as she can to do simple mending jobs themselves both to save money and for self-satisfaction. While she has a formal business background, with a BA in Psychology (University of Delaware, 1981) and MS in Information Management (Drexel University, 1997), she has also been sewing for most of her life, designing many of her own clothes. This passion has led her to study with nationally-known designers and sewing instructors.

Being petite, Ides always had to hem almost all of her ready-made clothes, and eventually it became easier to make her own clothes.

Her teaching experience began when people asked her to sew on a button for them, instead she would respond, “I’ll charge you $10 to sew on the button, or I’ll teach you how to do it for free!”

Ides, who, when asked her age, replied, “Retirement age,” grew up in central New Jersey but has lived in the Roxborough area for 26 years.

According to Ides, Palmer/Pletsch Publishing picked up “Hand Mending for Beginners,” but they “added in color and graphics and made it much more readable and user-friendly. It was a very exciting experience working with the whole publishing team. But since ‘Hand Mending for Beginners’ was self-published, it is no longer available.” (There are a great many reviews for “Hand Mending for Beginners” on Amazon, and 74% of the reviews are five stars.)

After “Hand Mending” came out, Ides was contacted by another publisher, Quantum, a subcontractor of Barron Educational Books, who had seen the mending book.

“They offered me a set fee to write a new book in four months. That was a little difficult with working full time, but I made the deadline!”

The new book was “Alterations & Repairs: 200 Questions Answered.” (“Sewing Alterations & Repairs” is the same book except that “Sewing A&Rs” is for the rest of the world who use the metric system.)

Does Ides plan to write any more books?

“I’d love to, but probably not on sewing; maybe some other aspects about life, in general.”

Another significant aspect of Ides’ life is vigorous workouts. (I know this from seeing her work out countless times over many years at L.A. Fitness in the Andorra Shopping Center.)

“I’ve always worked out,” she said, “and usually have a trainer for goals and focus, which I do now once a week, but … age does take its toll. I don’t work out as many days per week as I used to, and I don’t do hard core cardio anymore. It takes longer for the body to recuperate after a hard work out.”

For more information, visit handmending.com or email nan@handmending.com