❚ All the products we feature on Gathered have been chosen independently by our editorial team. We may get a small commission if you click on any products you see on this page. Learn more.

How to do visible mending

Master the art of visible mending with Flora Collingwood-Norris' colourful tutorial.

This competition is now closed

By Flora Collingwood-Norris

Published: January 28, 2021 at 11:07 am

We’re all about sustainability here at Mollie and are big believers in fixing your clothes not chucking them away! Say goodbye to fast fashion by learning the art of visible mending.

Visible mending is when you fix a garment (whether it’s a hole in a sock or a rip in your jeans) but keep the repairs visible. There’s something beautiful about visible mending. It’s the opposite of hiding away your mistakes and imperfections instead, fixing problems with handmade decoration that makes the garment look even better! Whether that’s through sashiko embroidery or Kintsugi, visible mending adds a whole new dimension to your pieces and will save your pennies and the planet.

So how do you mend visibly and fix a hole in your clothes? Flora Collingwood-Norris’ colourful tutorial will teach you how to fix holes with her visible mending tutorial.

Materials

Knitwear with a hole
Darning yarn in different colours (we used Laine St Pierre from Shop Beyond Measure)
Tapestry needle
Sewing needle

Visible mending tutorial

While you’re here, check out The Knitters how to darn a hole tutorial for some invisible mending techniques.

You Will Need

Needle
Thread
Scissors

Total time:

An afternoon

Step 1

Position your knitwear with the hole facing up. Leaving a good amount of room around the hole to prevent any further unravelling, thread the sewing needle with the first coloured yarn, then bring it up from the inside of the jumper, above the hole and to the right. Take the needle back down roughly 0.5cm (1⁄4″) along, bring it back up 0.25cm (1/8″) along, then take it back down over the other side of the hole. Repeat the same process of going under, over, then under the fabric again, as shown, to create the first row of mending.

Step 2

Bring the needle up next to the bottom of the first stitch, half a knitted stitch over, then repeat step 2, this time sewing upwards. Repeat for a few rows, making sure the threads don’t pull on the fabric or become loopy. Cut the yarn, leaving a tail for weaving in.

Step 3

Repeat steps 1-2 with another yarn, then continue with the other colours until the hole is completely covered.

Step 4

Thread the tapestry needle and repeat step 1 across the bottom of the mending, using the image as a guide to placement, and this time taking the needle over the first row of mending, under the second, over the third, and so on. Bring the needle back up half a knitted stitch over, then on the next row weave over the threads you went under, and under those, you went over.

Step 5

Repeat until all the centre rows of visible mending have been woven over, switching yarn colours as you go.

Step 6

To finish, turn the knitwear wrong side out, weave in the ends to secure them, then trim off any excess yarn. You can also use visible mending method to cover over stains or marks.

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about visible mending and that it has inspired you to fix your own clothes. If you’re interested in making more sustainable crafts check out our how to make t shirt yarn tutorial and our recycled craft ideas round up.

Flora Collingwood-Norris

Knitwear Designer

Flora is a knitwear designer based in the Scottish Borders. Her passion for mending started after she welcomed a very chewy puppy to the family, and Flora now offers a visible mending service as well as running workshops. You can find her knitwear and visible mending tutorials over at www.collingwoodnorrisdesign.com.