Thread by @designmom

I want to show you something I found in this house. It was built in the 1400s. It's in Normandy, France, and my family calls it the Small House. It's basically a ruin. No electricity. No plumbing. But we are slowly bringing it back to life. Here's what I found...

We were clearing out the attic loft, and a dusty pile of burlap and canvas caught my eye.

I turned the top piece on the pile over, and I noticed a hint of blue.

The form of the canvas started shaping up and I was like: Hold on. Is this a traditional "French blues" worker jacket?

And then I saw the incredibly cool Le Mont St. Michel tag on the inside pocket.

I mean… holy cow this thing is so fabulous.

The jacket was incredibly gross and dirty — the dirt so thick you couldn’t even tell what color it really is. But I thought I might be able to salvage it.

Here it is in a pile on the floor of the laundry room. This image is showing you the interior of the jacket, which looks much more blue than the outside.

Something cool: These jackets have been made since 1913, and they’re still being made today — with the same tags! Here’s a link to the Mont St. Michel shop: lemontsaintmichel.fr/en

I rinsed the top layer of dirt off the jacket. The water was filthy and I emptied the sink multiple times. Then I soaked the jacket with a very mild detergent. I left it for a few hours.

Then I put it in the wash with some old dark towels. I chose a long wash cycle for heavily soiled items.

Here it is drying on the hanging rack.

These jackets are made from 100% cotton moleskin. When the jacket was new, it was this color — a dark indigo blue.

Now it’s faded to a lovely ombré denim.

You can tell it’s been mended many times over the years. When this dark patch was made, I’ll bet the jacket was much darker, and this thread likely blended in.

Here’s a little video tour of the old patches, the holes that need mending, the mismatched buttons — 2 are missing, and every single one is different! And you can see the interior color which is much less faded (the tag is on the interior pocket).

I gathered my mending supplies. And found buttons that are the correct size.

I mended 3 holes, a 6-inch rip on one sleeve, and I sewed on 2 buttons.

I chose a thread that is close to the current faded color, instead of the original dark blue.

Hello Fabulous Jacket.

Still going strong! This jacket will get a ton of wear and enjoy a second life for years to come. We’re a family of 8, and it seems to fit everybody in our family!

I’ll bet this jacket belonged to the blacksmith who worked at the Small House when it was previously a forge. I think this is my favorite thing we’ve found in the house so far. I love it so much!

/end of story