April 17, 2023

Invisible Mending

Mending is one of those historical skills that has made a come-back. While it was primarily utilitarian at one time, it's taken on new life and prestige as an art and craft in it's own right. Because of that, it's worth defining some terms:

  • Plain mending - utilitarian patching, darning, and repair
  • Visible mending - decorative, such as boro, sashiko, embroidery, fancy patchwork
  • Invisible mending - re-weaving or re-knitting cloth to look like the original fabric

Because mending is a desirable self-sufficiency skill, I've blogged about some of my plain mending (such as mending socks) and some of my visible mending (such as my barn jacket). Recently, I decided to try my hand at invisible mending. 

To learn on, I chose my favorite denim work skirt. I discovered the beginnings of a small hole when I hung it out to dry on the clothesline. 


The repair required finding threads that matched the colors of the fabric. Even though the blue threads are a dark blue close up, I chose a medium blue thread because it blended better with the overall impression of color.


I caught it early enough that I only had to re-weave the blue threads. 


I'm not patient enough to do fine, close work, ordinarily. But this was small enough that it didn't take long, although one of those crafter's magnifying lenses would have been helpful. A blunter needle would have been helpful, as well. The sharps needle kept catching the white threads.

I also want to note that I didn't try to replicate the twill weave; I just did the best I could at picking up threads to weave through. The goal is so that the hole isn't noticeable at a couple of feet away. Do you think I succeeded?


A fancier weave or multiple colors would certainly make it more challenging. Assuming one is up to that challenge!

All in all, I think this is a useful technique to learn. The end result of plain mending chore or play clothes probably has low expectations for most of us. But learning how to properly mend career, dress, or town clothes is both a budget and a landfill saver. What's not to like about that?

17 comments:

Ed said...

I can and try to do a lot of things but sewing is not one of them. If the world goes to pot and I have to be self sufficient with clothing, mine will be held together with duct tape until I run out and then maybe just a loin cloth made of deer skin.

Leigh said...

Ed, lol. If it comes to that, a lot of folks will be in the same boat, so maybe you'll start a new fashion trend. :)

Rosalea said...

Your hole is invisible!! Lovely job, Leigh.
I always seem to have a pile of mending on the back of my sewing chair, that grows...I patch, and mend and replace zippers, until the garment is toast.

SmartAlex said...

Wow. Whenever I start mending something I tell myself "its just a little hole. Certainly you can be patient enough to do very fine work." but I never am patient enough

Leigh said...

Rosalea, I'm thinking that with my new knowledge of boro, it might be possible to simply create a whole new layer of patched fabric on top of the old. I haven't actually managed that yet, but some of the ancient Japanese boro garments are just that.

Alex, patience is my problem too. At least for this kind of mending. It's okay if the hole is tiny, but much bigger and I'd simply give it a patch!

daisy g said...

Well done, Leigh. It is imperceptible!

Leigh said...

Daisy, it's definitely a useful skill, although I'd never want to make a living at it!

Boud said...

I think you did a terrific job of mending. To me it's good to be able to mend finely as well as decoratively, then you have the choice. I tend to prefer doing a bit of embroidery around holes, to patching them.

Leigh said...

Boud, I absolutely agree about choice! Plus, it's interesting to learn the different techniques. They definitely come in handy.

Mama Pea said...

Excellent job, Leigh! Goes to show that the sooner we see and mend a hole (with whatever method we choose), the less time it takes (along with less frustration!) and the better the outcome. Mending clothing always reminds me of a wool bathrobe my husband had just gotten for Christmas, and backed up way too close to the wood stove to get warm of a cold morning. "Melted" a hole right at buttinski level in the wool. I had some red wool and mended the hole with a large red heart. It was a conversation piece for some time.

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

Looks pretty invisible to me Leigh! Great job!

Michelle said...

You get an A+ from me! I have ONE goal in mending: repair the item so it can continue to be used. I don't bother with decorative, or invisible, or whatever, just 'git 'er done.' Works for me!

Leigh said...

Mama Pea, love your description of your patch job! Pretty clever. :)

That is so true about catching holes early. If I'd waited until the white threads had broken too, it would have been a more complicated task! Mending is one of those things that has to be a regular chore.

TB, thanks! I'm pretty pleased. :)

Michelle, thank you! I love to sew, but mending has never held the same interest for me. But learning some of these techniques has been interesting, and if I can apply some sort of creative aspect, it actually becomes fun. :)

Quinn said...

Beautiful work, Leigh! I have lots of things needing mending - a basket of handknit socks, a work shirt with a big angled rip in it and an old favorite work skirt, ditto...probably both garments caught on the sharp end of a piece of stock panel, which happens a lot. I do know how to mend - not as nicely as you, though! - and I've done lots decent mending in the past, but unfortunately I think my hands may not be up to such fine needlework anymore. The last sock I very carefully darned turned out to be quite a mess. It could just be that I'm out of practice and perhaps could get some skill back, but based on the way arthritis is impacting my everyday tasks, it's not very likely. Oh well, I'm glad I can still do what I can :)

Leigh said...

Quinn, thank you! I confess I was surprised that this turned out as well as it did. Also, that I doubt invisible mending is a skill I'll use a lot. I have tried it for woolen knits, but found that rebuilding the stitches was very challenging!

I agree that dealing with arthritis would be difficult. It's slowed Dan down quite a bit. I think you've got the best idea with your attitude, just be glad to do what we can.

Chris said...

Unless you told me that you repaired it, I never wouldn't have noticed. Excellent job. It's great to build our skill level to preserve otherwise functional clothing.

Leigh said...

Thanks Chris! Thanks to the internet, it's possible to learn all kinds of new skills. :)