Sashiko & Visible Mending

Visible mending turns a worn knee or moth hole into a feature instead of a reason to throw a garment out. Sashiko, the Japanese running-stitch technique, is the most popular way to do it on denim; darning looms handle socks and knitwear. This collection has the thread, needles, stencils and looms for both.

Getting started

• Sashiko thread is a tightly twisted cotton that sits on top of the fabric; use a long sashiko needle and load several stitches before pulling through.
• Stencils and transfer paper give the traditional grid, wave and hemp-leaf patterns without measuring.
• Darning looms (Speedweve-style) weave a patch directly into a hole in minutes and suit beginners.

Patch fabric and iron-on interfacing are in haberdashery; embroidery floss for decorative mending is in embroidery.