Sashiko for Well Loved Old Jeans
Just like most people, I have a pair of jeans that I love and wear all the time. And because they are so loved, they are becoming worn in places and the fabric is getting thin. Originally these were an op shop find, so had been loved and worn well before I got them too.
Being a short girl, immediately they needed my attention to be hemmed up, my first repair on what would be my favourite jeans for the next few years. But now, they need attention again, so I set about doing bit of visible mending.
Sashiko was the first thing that came to my mind, I had mended some of my teenage son’s jeans in the past with some discrete sashiko as he didn’t want it to stand out. But for mine I wanted it to be a bit more noticeable.
The sashiko patch mending kit caught my eye and I picked out one of the patterns, the asanoha, of the six designs in the pack. The pre-printed patterns make it simple and fun to stitch.
For the colours, I chose sashiko thread in yellow and soft mushroom to stitch the pattern.
After completing the stitching, I gave it a quick press with an iron, carefully folding the edges under, and hand sewed it to the very thin fabric on the upper left leg of my jeans (the right leg is not yet super thin, but is getting there - a project for another day).
The patch all on its own looked a little out of place, so decided to do a sashiko like pattern on a circle of light blue linen that I had in my fabric scraps box. I stitched it up and added it to the jeans, this made the repair, I think, look more complete and purposeful.
Turning my attention to the rear of the jeans, there was a very worn spot at the back of the fabric where there is a bulky seam.
Puzzling over this for a while on how best to fix it, I again looked in my fabric scrap stash and found an offcut from the bottom of a skirt I once hemmed.
That piece was the perfect width and length to cover the whole seam horizontally at the back, including covering the worn section, while also being decorative. A gorgeous little pop colour!
I am very happy with the new look of my jeans created using sashiko and visible mending techniques. I am sure to need to mend them again in the future as more spots begin to wear out. But for now will enjoy wearing them as they feel like new jeans again!
Have you repaired jeans with sashiko and/or visible mending? It is very relaxing, and the results look great! Why not give it a try?
