I started ‘visibly mending’ my sons trousers last year and used lovely bright patches and embroidery thread making a statement with each mend, rather than try to diguise the rips or tears. He often helped me pick the fabric and was always pleased with the efforts I made.
So this year I’m going to tackle some of my own clothes. I have some really cherished items that I’ve not worn for years as they’ve got a hole or a tear, but I can’t bear to throw them away.
I keep coming across examples of visible mending on Pinterest and I’m going to see what I can do with my own clothes.
I didn’t realise that this type of ‘mending’ had a name and originated from Japan. Sashiko is a form of decorative reinforcement stitching (or functional embroidery) traditionally used to reinforce points of wear, or to repair worn places or tears with patches.
By embellishing rather than disguising I hope I can ‘make do and mend’ some of my favourite clothes and get many more years wear out of them. Why don’t you give it a try as well.