In the weeks leading to the brilliant fashion revolution week, we wanted to celebrate some of the most beautiful and ingenious mending inspiration with you.
Here is a compilation of non-discrete clothes mending techniques drawn from Pinterest and from friends of Sunny Jar to guide your creative process in caring for your clothing.
Perhaps you may find a new favourite mending technique!
Just click on the pictures to learn more.
Appliqués and Patches
A fantastic way to reimagine old worn clothing is to fashion your own patch or to create an applique masterpiece, the possibilities are only limited by your creativity, here is some inspiration to get you started:
Molas-inspired mending techniques and Reverse Applique
Drawing inspiration from the Molas of Central America, this mending technique can give you the confidence to cut away at your clothing to create a wearable masterpiece. Molas often described as "reverse applique" are intricately patterned textiles produced and worn by the Kuna women of central America. Layers of fabric are displayed under often very beautifully shaped incisions in the cloth. It's amazing what you can do with just a needle, thread and a pair of scissors. The work of British one-man clothes mending company Darn and dusted revels in the beauty of simplicity and wonderfully encapsulates a wabi-sabi ideology. Alternatively, you could draw inspiration from the Kuna women creating beautiful motifs.
Darning
Weaving the damaged area with just a needle and thread is a simple and effective way to fill a hole with a bit of personality. It can simply involve using a needle and thread ,but you can also use left over fabric scraps scraps. Dont feel you are limited to the shape of the hole in your fabric either, get creative with some abstract shapes!
Sashiko
Sashiko is a form of Japanese embroidery, often a decorative running stitch created connecting two layers of fabric traditionally used to create added warmth to garments, sewing to create small pockets of warm air trapped in between the stitches. However, these days the traditional sashiko stitches are used as a contemporary mending technique. Take a few moments to browse around the web for sashiko embroidery and you will not be disappointed!
Other Embroidery-based techniques
Get to know your embroidery stitches. A unique embroidery design can elevate your clothes, adding personality and added flair to your garments.
Needle felt Mending
This involves the very cathartic art of stabbing wool into fabric and requires little to no experience to get started. Erica from honestlywtf recommends using cookie cutters to achieve a clean shape.
Eyelet mend
Sometimes it's helpful to celebrate in perfections! Stitch to outline the holes instead of hiding them. Why not try a screaming face or flower or sun. If you are feeling extra ambitious you could even try your hand at some Hardanger embroidery.
Happy mending!
The Sunny Jar Team x