Recently we met Virginia del Giudice, a long-time Improvised Life reader who lives in Buenas Aires, and whose post about giving home-made lemon-scented olive oil as gifts (with a template to make the label) we published several years ago. Virginia is a photographer who is also co-owner of La Percalina, a shop that sells very fine vintage clothes. She was visiting our mutual friend, Maria Robledo. Virginia has both a wonderful eye AND, we discovered, a fine hand with fabrics.

When Maria told her she had taken down beautiful kitchen curtains because of the permanent oil stains on them, Virginia said, “Don’t worry, Maria, I can fix them.”

We spotted and admired Virginia’s beautiful “fix” halfway through the process: she had carfully embroidered the spot with a red spiral, and planned to do the same on the other stains.

Perfect, simple, brilliant. Virginia’s embroidery gives the fabric an unexpected detail with great charm. It didn’t try to get ride of anything, but rather, made the most of what was there.

It’s a fine example of kintsugi, the artful repair of damanged things.

With thanks to Virginia and Maria!