Erin Eggenburg's Mending Blog — tutorial

5 Embroidery Stitches to Know

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5 Embroidery Stitches to Know

If you are just learning how to embroider, there are 5 stitches that will get you started embroidering right now! Watch this video tutorial for a quick tutorial!

I love using embroidery as a way to mend over stains and tears in clothing. It can also be a fun way to update or add a little something special to an otherwise drab garment. 

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Repairing Denim Worn Paper-Thin: Using Visible Mending to Fix Your Jeans

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Repairing Denim Worn Paper-Thin: Using Visible Mending to Fix Your Jeans

There comes a time in every well-worn pair of jeans life (especially if there is lycra involved), when the fronts of the thighs begin to wear past the comfy stage, and into the paper-thin-afraid-to-wear-out-of-the-house-for-fear-of-tearing-wide-open stage. 

Read on for a step by step mending tutorial. Sashiko style visible mending. 

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Visible Mending: Weak in the Knees

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Visible Mending: Weak in the Knees

Those cute pre-ripped jeans are great, until one day you crouch down, and riiip. And there's your leg. Is it over? Should you throw them out? Read on for the complete repair prescription.

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Mending Project: Wide Legged Levi's & Kimono Scraps

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Mending Project: Wide Legged Levi's & Kimono Scraps

This is a pair of Levi's 569 32 X 30. The legs were so wide, I wanted to give them more of a feminine feel with the visible mending. 

Before I start any denim mend, I cut off all of the excess strings and fluff, leaving a clean denim edge. This often makes the rips appear much larger, so make sure not to cut your patches until you have cut away all of the damaged denim. 

After cutting off all of the excess, I cut patches 1/2"- 3/4"  larger than the hole you are repairing. Then, secure the patch by pinning all the way around the hole. 

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A Mending Story of Unmentionable Areas (Upper Thigh Denim Repair)

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A Mending Story of Unmentionable Areas (Upper Thigh Denim Repair)

I teach workshops on visible mending regularly, and by far, the most requested mend is the dreaded crotch repair. 

If you are like me, jeans are my favorite article of clothing to wear. And a well fitting pair of jeans is magic, and also tragic when they are in need of repair. And it seems that the upper thigh/crotch area is the first to go. 

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