Visible Mending as Self-Care
Ready for more gratitude and self-care in 2023? Let's start with mending our old clothes, beautifully...
I mended a hole in my favorite wool sweater using the “darning stitch” in a heart shape.
Visible mending is a practice of repairing fabric and clothes in a way that adds charm and character to the piece. When we think of repairing clothes or furniture, we often think of making the adjustments as seamless or invisible as possible to hide the signs of wear and give the impression of “newness”. In contrast, with visible mending, the idea is to make the stitches and patches obvious and stand out, calling attention to the signs of a well-worn piece.
In the world of consumerism and fast fashion, choosing to repair instead of replace is an act of resistance. When we repair, reuse, and repurpose, we consume less and reduce our carbon footprint. And, when we value someone’s work enough to keep it as long as possible, we are practicing compassion and gratitude. What’s more, visible mending is a creative act of self-care because we are saying that something old and worn is not worthless, but actually more beautiful, more supple, more valuable, and more lovable. This includes ourselves.
If you have a member in your family who knows how to sew, this is a great opportunity to learn from them! Sewing together brings about new conversations and stories and connects us on a more meaningful level.
My aunt taught me how to sew when I was about 12 years old to encourage me to mend and make clothes for myself and my dolls.
I remember very much wanting a new Mermaid Barbie for my birthday, but instead of buying it for me, my aunt taught me to crochet a mermaid tail for the Barbie I already own. With her help, I completed the project by my birthday, and not only did I turn my Barbie into a unique mermaid that no other kid had, but I also gained a valuable skill I use throughout my life.
The basics of visible mending:
Use colorful threads and charming patches. Tip: you can find lots of great fabric at thrift stores to use for patching!
Use simple needlework techniques such as the running stitch and the darning stitch. Tip: Look up “sashiko” or “visible mending” at your local library or online to find inspirations and ideas. One of my personal favorites is visible mending artist Arounna Khounnoraj (https://www.bookhou.com/).
Below are three examples of visible mending using different techniques. From left to right:
I used what’s called a “darning stitch”, which is very similar to weaving, to make a heart that covers a hole in my sweater. I also love that it’s a visible representation of “wearing your heart on your sleeve”.
My son’s favorite wool shirt has lots of wear on the sleeves so I added a velvet patch to reinforce this area and give him something soft and fuzzy to touch.
Socks have a way of getting worn at the heels, and this circular weaving technique is perfect for patching round holes. I used pink embroidery thread to match the flower pattern.
Mending takes no time at all - 10 to 15 minutes is all you need to patch a small hole, and you’ll extend the life of your garment for years.
Turn on your favorite tune, brew a cup of tea, and let’s get mending. You’ll find that in the process, something inside you that needed tending will feel a bit more whole again.