How to fix a hole in a shirt ? Visible mending techniques for your favourite items

Inspiration for your next sustainable DIY project, how to mend a hole in a shirt creatively, how to mend a hole in shirt by hand and interesting facts about the new (old) trend visible mending. In a world that increasingly emphasizes individuality and environmental awareness, visible mending is the perfect way to combine both.

Content
1. What is Visible Mending?
2. How to sew up a hole in shirt: methods & materials
3. How to sew hole in shirt by hand: favourite embroidery stitches
4. How to repair which garment?
4.1 Stitching holes in jeans & denim skirts
4.2 Mending holes in pants
4.3 How to stitch a small hole in shirt

1. Wha is Visible Mending?

Simply mending holes in pants for example and tears in clothes is a thing of the past. The visible mending trend, which has recently resurfaced on social media, shows us how to sew a hole in a shirt for example and how we can sustainably and creatively restore the shine to our favourite pieces that have been worn (too) often and thus damaged.

Rips in jeans and trousers, holes in a T-shirt or jumper – in times of ever faster production of clothing and shorter-lived materials, it happens quite often. Visible mending is a countermovement to fast fashion and refers to the artistic and creative mending of broken or stained clothing. This deliberately visible form of repair is a statement in itself – a decision against buying new and in favour of sustainability and at the same time a great way to add a personal touch to your wardrobe.

But where does the trend come from?

Visible mending actually has a long history: the method was already popular during the Second World War to counteract the shortage and rationing of textiles. The British government even ordered the darning of broken clothing and published a whole pamphlet with instructions and creative examples, e.g. how to sew a hole in a shirt or stitching holes in jeans, to give garments a second chance.

In the 1970s, visible mending made a modern comeback: Vivienne Westwood, British designer and punk icon, made visibly torn clothing socially acceptable. Her boutique on King’s Road in London became a centre of British punk fashion, in which the deliberately broken look embodied a rebellion against social norms.

Vivienne Westwood has always used her fashion to give a voice to social and ecological criticism and has herself been an out-and-out advocate of sustainability and fairness.


Vivienne Westwood

“Buy less. Choose wisely. Make sure they last a long time. Quality, not quantity. Everyone buys far too much clothing.”

– Vivienne Westwood

Fun Fact: Did you know that our founder and designer Juliana did an internship with none other than Vivienne Westwood herself during her studies? It was an incredibly exciting time during which she had the chance to accompany the world-renowned designer in her daily work (Vivienne would always walk around the studio barefoot) and even joined her at Paris Fashion Week.

2. How to sew up a hole in shirt: methods & materials

What’s the best way to darn holes in clothing? how to sew a hole in a shirt? Visible mending offers almost endless possibilities. As the whole thing should be emphasised on purpose, creativity can be given free rein and former holes and imperfections become small works of art. Whether you are a sewing beginner, professional or hobbyist – there is a technique for every level of difficulty and every preference how to sew up a hole in shirt.

Visible Mending
Sew up a hole in sweater
Visible Mending

How to sew hole in shirt by hand: holes in knitwear and jersey in particular can be transformed into beautiful patterns and shapes with the help of embroidery, different types of stitches and colourful yarns. Scottish knitwear designer Flora Collingwood-Norris has perfected this art and made the trend of visible mending go viral on social media. Little embroidered patterns or shapes can also be a great way on how to stitch a small hole in shirt. Patches and appliqués for sewing or ironing on in different colours and textiles create great contrasts.

Tip: You can also make wonderful use of leftover fabric for this! Different colours and textiles create excitement. how to stitch a small hole in shirt or fixing small holes in jeans for example? If you have lots of small holes, you can cut your fabric scraps into small shapes. That way, nothing will get lost and you’ll have a super unique piece!

Try patches for mending holes in pants! As an alternative to the American patchwork technique, where the patches are sewn together, it’s worth trying the japanese boro technique! Here, many patches are overlapped on top of each other, which creates a completely new and special effect, just like in the Loewe Spring 2017 ready-to-wear collection.

Visible Mending with buttons
Visible Mending Designer
Patchwork Visible Mending

Source image 1 & 2: Victor & Rolf 2016, Image 3: Loewe 2017

Sewn-on beads and rhinestone embellishments give your old jeans that little bit extra and are fixing small holes in jeans at the same time. But weaving techniques can also be an eye-catcher, especially with distressed jeans. Stains and unevenness in fabrics can be evened out by colouring, for example.

3. How to sew hole in shirt by hand: favourite embroidery stitches

  1. Satin stitch: Many individual, straight and parallel stitches placed next to each other to form a shape and cover large areas, such as holes and are a nice way on how to sew up a hole in shirt.
  2. Herringbone stitch: Particularly suitable for embroidering hems, borders or embellishments; consists of many individual stitches crossed at an angle.
  3. Chain stitch: This stitch is also particularly good for emphasising lines and edges; consists of a series of linked loops.
  4. Seed stitch/scatter stitch: This involves many small, chaotic-looking stitches loosely distributed over a surface, making them reminiscent of grains of rice. They create exciting accents.
  5. Weave stitch: Finally, this stitch creates a woven texture by crossing individual stitches and is also suitable for closing large areas.

4. How do you repair which item of clothing?

But which method is best suited to which item of clothing? how to sew a hole in a shirt for example? Basically, there are no limits to your creativity and personal preferences. We have summarised a few tips and suggestions for different items for you below.

4.1 Stitching holes in jeans & denim skirts

Everyone has that one pair of jeans in their wardrobe that has been through a lot. If the denim is worn, tears may well appear in the most unfavourable places. Is disposing of them the only option? We don’t think so! For stitching holes in jeans or just fixing small holes in jeans, a few patches, colourful sewing thread and a humorous slogan will turn your jeans into a unique statement!

Mend holes in pants
Source: Pinterest

Of course, this also applies to denim skirts! As with jeans, there are various ways to repair a damaged denim skirt, depending on the type of damage. If the denim skirt is torn, you can try to repair the tear with a patch. You can even use a piece of fabric from an old pair of jeans or buy new patches in different fabrics, colours and shapes. Sew the patches onto the torn area of the skirt or jeans from the inside and make sure that the seam is stable.

If the hem of the denim skirt is frayed, you can shorten it and sew a new one or embroider it with colourful thread and create new accents. To create a new hem, you can shorten the skirt to the desired length and then fold the hem over and sew it in place. Alternatively, you can also finish the edges with a zigzag seam or an overlock stitch to prevent fraying. You can also use different coloured threads for a special effect!
For holes or wear and tear on other parts of the denim skirt, you can get creative and decorate the skirt with patches, embroidery or studs and beads to conceal the damage and give your skirt a personalised look.

Patches and embroidery can of course also be combined for stitching holes in jeans, depending on your mood and level of difficulty. Nevertheless, when repairing holes and tears, it is important to proceed carefully so that your garment can be worn again for a long time.

Mend a hole in jeans
Source: Pinterest

Who says your clothes have to be broken to personalise them with a creative DIY? If you want to try out one of the visible mending techniques and create your own personalised jeans or denim skirt for the summer, why not try our The Dina Jeans or The Frida Skirt pattern?

4.2 Mending holes in pants

Do you wear your The Basic Sweatpants every day because they are so cosy? Have they already got a few holes from being worn so much? Then why not try out some of the Visible Mending techniques for mending holes in pants! Small embroideries look particularly good not only on knitwear but also on fabric trousers. They give your trousers that little bit extra and breathe new life into your home-sewn joggers!

You’ve never sewn your own jogging bottoms or trousers before? No problem! With The Leslie Pants pattern, you can quickly and easily conjure up your new favourite trousers.

4.3 How to sew up a hole in shirt

How to sew a hole in a shirt? The answer on how to sew hole in shirt by hand is embroidery: we can’t get enough of this simple and endlessly versatile method of rescuing our favourite items and giving them an upgrade at the same time. Delicate, lightweight linen and cotton blouses in particular look super elegant with a few fine patterns and in addition, it’s a great way on how to stitch a small hole in shirt, for example.

Still need a trendy essential for summer? Stay cool with our The Linen Co-Ord and simply sew your own linen blouse. Pair with the matching shorts for a trendy, monochrome look or combine with other pieces for a super versatile look. Visible mending techniques turn the whole thing into your personal it-piece!

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