What is Sashiko Mending?

Sashiko is a Japanese hand-stitching technique that repairs and strengthens fabric using small, visible running stitches. It started as a practical method, not a decorative one. Farming communities in Japan used it to make worn cloth last longer, at a time when fabric was too valuable to throw away.

I use it for the same reason. When a pair of jeans wears through at the knee or the seat, sashiko reinforces the weak spot with new thread, in a pattern you can see. The repair doesn't hide. Which is why this technique is also known as visible mending. 

Why the stitching is visible

Most mending tries to disappear. Sashiko doesn't. The stitches sit on top of the fabric in straight or geometric lines, usually in a contrasting thread colour against indigo denim. I stitch with actual sashiko thread, 100% cotton, made in Japan, not a substitute. The visible line is honest about the garment's history. A repaired knee isn't a flaw to cover up. It's a celebration of the garments history, and proof the piece was worth keeping.

Sashiko vs other mending methods

• Darning weaves new thread through a hole to close it, usually with matching thread, aiming to blend in.

• Patching covers a hole with a separate piece of fabric, sewn or ironed on.

• Sashiko stitches directly into and around the worn area in a repeating pattern, adding strength across a wider area than the damage itself, and doesn't try to hide. 

How I use it

I stitch sashiko repairs by hand, into the denim itself, starting where the fabric is showing signs of thinning, not just at the edges of holes. It's slow, portable & medative. That's part of why it works.

I sell a sashiko repair kit with what you need to do this on your own garments: a proper sashiko needle, 100% cotton sashiko thread made in Japan, patching fabric cut from my own production offcuts, and a card template for marking an accurate sashiko grid