The bag acquired straps and closures. It’s now my favourite bag to use. The nice thing about making is you can just keep working on an item until you’re happy with it.

It’s a bag sort of a thing, with boro and sashiko. I enjoyed using bits of scrap leather, as well as fabric scraps going back many years. I like using fabric almost like papier mache - layering small pieces and “gluing” with sashiko. This is a good size for my sketchpad.

Theboro piece I was working on became a knitting needle roll. I found some moth-eaten silk that I darned for the inside.

My aunt made this cushion many years ago. It’s a Lord of the Rings themed cushion. The silk had become fragile and tattered from use, so I patched and stitched it. I used a slightly shinier, iridescent stuff to patch behind the silk. You can just about make it out below.

Zipped pouch.

I’m working on this piece, which is about two square foot, made from scraps. I tried warping the sashiko stitching, so it looks like a curved surface. It’s a lot of fun.

wastelesscrafts:

Visible Mending

Introduction:

Visible mending is a decorativeway to fix up an item. Instead of trying to make your mend as invisible as possible, the idea is to make it part of the garment’s design.

Visual mending is not a single technique: it’s more of a mindset. If you’ve got an item you love, it deserves to be mended, and if you’re going to put that love into stitches, why not show them off?

That being said, there are some specific techniques that are popularwith visible menders. Let’s take a look!

Sashiko:

Sashiko is a type of traditional Japanese embroidery that is used to both decorateandreinforcefabric. In visible mending, sashiko is often used to cover up holes with patches or to reinforce thinning fabric. This technique uses a variation on the running stitch.

(Image source) [ID: sashiko stitch diagram: the distance between each stitch is ½ stitch in length.]

Someresourceson sashiko:

• SashiCo on YouTube: sashiko livestreams and information on the cultural aspect of sashiko.
• Written tutorialby Upcycle Stitches.
• Free sashiko templatesbyTheSpruceCrafts.
• Fixing jeans with sashikoby Soluna Collective.

(Image source) [ID: three examples of sashiko embroidery on jeans fabric.]

(Image source) [ID: sashiko embroidery with white thread on blue jeans fabric.]

Embroidery:

Regularembroideryis also a popular technique to accentuateyour mends. Check out my embroidery 101 post to learn how to get started. You can embroider patches, or use embroidery to hide or accentuateany stitches you’ve made to fix holes. Embroidery’s also a great way to cover up stains.

(Image source) [ID: colourful embroidery floss covers a worn sleeve edge of a jeans jacket]

(Image source) [ID: colourful flower embroidery surrounds a hole in a pair of dark gray jeans. Fabric with a red and black flower print peaks out of the hole.]

Patches:

There are many ways to add patchesto a garment. My tutorial on patches is a good place to start if you want to make custom-shapedpatches to sew on top of your fabric. You can also sew your patch on the insideof your garment and have it peek out from beneath the hole you’re trying to fix. Fun ideas for this are laceorsuperheroes.

(Image source) [ID: Spiderman peaking out of a rip in a pair of blue jeans.]

(Source) [ID: a red flannel heart-shaped elbow patch on a gray knitted sweater.]

Darning:

Darning is a technique used to repair holes in fabric by using running stitchestoweaveextra fabric over the hole as to fill it up again. While traditionally darning is done in an invisibleway by using the same colour of thread as your fabric, you can also use contrastingcolours to accentuate your fix. Check out this written tutorial on darning by TheSpruceCrafts.

(Image source) [ID: vintage instructions on how to darn a hole.]

(Image source) [ID: four examples of darning on blue fabric with colourful contrasting thread.]

Conclusion:

Visible mending is a creative way to fix up your clothes and give them some personality at the same time.

You should be proudof the fact that you took the time and learned the necessary skills needed to mend your clothes! Show off what you did!

A fun side effect of wearing these obvious mends is that people will notice them. They’ll remember your fixes the next time they’re faced with a hole in their wardrobe, and it will make them more likely to try it for themselves.

These are just a few ways to visibly mend your garments. Want more inspiration? Check out Pinterestorr/Visiblemending on Reddit.

Denim Mending Ticket from Second Sunrise