So, you ripped a hole in your favorite pair of jeans.
(Or worse: your kid ripped a hole intheirfavorite pair of jeans.)
Dont drop $100 on new Levis.
Fix them up with flair.
Patching, darning and embroidery can makedamaged clothinglook cooler than ever.
This is called visible mending.
You brew coffee at home, you dont walk into Target and you refuse to order avocado toast.
(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)
The slow fashion movement can save you money, too.
The average American household spent over $1,900 on clothing in 2022, according to aBureau of Labor Statisticssurvey.
Ready to mend those hole-y jeans?
Heres how to get started.
Decide whether you really want to take the time to fix it.
How bad is the damage?
Is it worth the financial and emotional burden?
How long will a repair really take?
One small hole will darn quickly but a moth-eaten sweater will take several hours to mend, Rodabaugh said.
Serious damage may prompt you to toss that old top into the donation pile.
Minor damage, on the other hand, could be a candidate for good old-fashioned invisible mending.
There are plenty ofsimple DIY clothing repairsthat are hardly noticeable when done right.
Thought through the alternatives?
Still excited to bring a little kintsugi to your clothes?
Just confirm that whatever caused the damage is gone for good.
Stained clothes should be completely clean.
Ragged tears should be trimmed and contained.
Moth-hole-y sweaters should be dry cleaned, dried or frozen.
(Learninghow to store winter clothescould save you from many future mending sessions!)
Need Some Quick Cash?
If youre looking to boost your income this month, weve got just the thing for you.
Choose a method
With those caveats out of the way, its time to get inspired.
Scroll through the #visiblemending hashtag on Instagram and youll see a dizzying array of colorful clothing.
Dont let the options overwhelm you.
Here are a few common approaches to visible mending to try.
Patching
Lets not overthink this.
If that fabric has a hole, patch it.
you’re free to add extra strength and style with sashiko mending.
Sashiko, meaning little stabs in Japanese, is a way to reinforce patches with visible stitches.
(Hint: this is a great use of leftover fabric from old sewing projects.)
Those extras help with comfort, neatness and precision, which are important for more ambitious mends.
Darning
Even if youre totally clueless about crafting, youve probably heard of darning socks.
Darning is basically a way to weave fabric where little (or none) exists.
Its a great choice for small holes, knitwear and, yes, socks.
A well-placed flower can cover up a stain or camouflage a patch.
For best results, use an embroidery needle and floss.
Can You Survive 10 Days of Budgeting?
If you gotta wrangle your budget, it may be time to consider a savings challenge.
Start Your Journey With Visible Mending
Enough planning: its time to start mending.
Dontcut your patch too small.
Your repair will be much sturdier that way.
Most importantly,dontlet all the information intimidate you.
That item of clothing is already damaged, anyway.
Whats the worst that could happen?
Its just mending, Rodabaugh said.
it’s possible for you to always take it out and start over if you like.
If you really love visible mending, you dont have to stick to your own wardrobe.
Rescue damaged clothes and sell them online.
Read our guide onhow to sell clothing on Depop.
Contributor Ciara McLaren is a freelance writer with work in Huffpost, Insider and elsewhere.
