Visible Mending Advice: Your Mending Questions Answered

In my newsletter, I try to answer questions I’ve been asked about visible mending, especially if I’ve been sent questions that require longer answers than I can easily give in an Instagram story!

Here are some of the questions I’ve been sent, and my responses- I hope they help you with your mending. You can find answers to previous questions, including how do you decide which techniques to use?, how do you decide if something is beyond repair?, and how do you match the weight of the yarn to the garment if you’re not a knitter? in my previous blog post “Knitwear repair: your questions answered”.

How do I make sure I have the right needle for mending knitwear?

I recommend using tapestry needles for mending knitwear- they have a large eye and a blunt point which make them great for it. I wouldn't worry to much about size, and apply common sense as much as you can- use smaller sizes for finer knits, larger ones for chunkier knits. Your yarn needs to fit through the eye of the needle too- if it doesn't, that's often a good indicator that your needle is too small. 

I include a tapestry needle with my book and materials kit, and three different sizes of tapestry needle in my visible mending kits.

Should I use a rag behind the stitches as reinforcement when mending?

The answer is no, I don't think it's necessary. The repair techniques I demonstrate in my book, workshops and videos should all ensure you're creating a functional and secure mend, with no need for backing. However, these things come down to personal preference I think, so if it would make you feel like you've created a more secure mend then go for it! If you do want to add a backing, then I recommend using scrap fabric that's knitted if you're mending knitwear. 

What's the best way to mend something that will be visible on both sides, like a blanket? 

I have to admit I don't worry about this too much. My thinking is that you rarely need to see both sides of a blanket, and you can choose to have a "right side". So place the blanket the way you want it to be seen would be my first tip! However, you can use the darning method I call "darning from the back" as a way of making the darn look very similar on both sides, blending your stitching into the fabric at the edges. If it's a knitted blanket or scarf, then using swiss darning will be your best option of making the fabric look as it used to, just in a different colour. 

You can do a double-sided or carefully darn on the back of a darn that's on the other side of the fabric. It's twice the work to make it double-sided, and it can feel bulkier, which is why I prefer to choose a right side and not worry about it too much! 

I have been working on some double-sided darning techniques this year, and hope to have a tutorial for them at some point. Make sure you’re signed up to my newsletter to find out when it’s ready (you can sign up at the bottom of this page).

How do you decide which colours to use for visible mending? 

There are several ways I choose my colours for mending. Sometimes there are colours that just work for the garment- blues on navy for example, or warm orange tones on reds. If it's something for myself, I choose colours I love at the time- it can depend on what mood I'm in and what's inspiring me. If it's for someone else, I try to choose colours they love, and that work with the garment. I always choose them in natural light, so I can see how they work together before starting.

Tips for choosing colours for your mending:

1: Choose them in good natural daylight

2: If there are any flecks of colour in your garment you can pick out, that can often be a good starting point for your colours.

3: 3-5 colours is generally enough, depend on the size and number of holes in your sweater. Don’t have too many otherwise it’s hard to balance them.

I include 10 colours in each of the darning yarn packs that I have available. This is so you can create several different colour palettes with them and they should work together in several combinations.

Is it possible to mend a jersey t-shirt? 

Yes! Although I have to admit I'm very new to mending them, and the above t-shit is my first and only one so far!
Jersey is knitted, but it's so fine it's a bit different to repairing knitwear. You won't be able to follow the stitches and rows which I normally recommend as it's so fine, but instead adjust your darning to the thread you have available, or find other techniques.

I embroidered over very tiny holes and darned a much larger one on this piece, using embroidery thread that I separated out so I was just using 2 strands at a time. The neck was coming apart, and I used blanket stitch for that. I found the jersey fabric harder to hold than knitwear- probably because its much lighter weight and flimsy- so that made it slower, but I think that's the only issue I came across. You could also appliqué patches on, using decorative stitching to attach the patches. If I repair more t-shirts, I'll share any tricks I may come up with! But for now, I suggest giving it a go and taking your time, and explore which techniques work for you. 

Your thoughts on how function, aesthetics and art are tied together in your creative mending work? 

Function always comes first. There is no point in making something look good if it isn't functional. I apply this to my knitwear too, as quality is always important to me, but maybe it's even more important when you're spending time mending something. I love beautiful and useful things, and I love beautiful and functional repairs.
Mending takes time (I think I've said this a lot here!), and if I'm going to spend hours mending something, then I want to enjoy it. For me, that means making it colourful, making it work with the original garment, and bringing an element of design into it. Then it ticks all the boxes for me: creativity, and making with purpose, and I suppose the finish mend is the natural result of bringing the things I love into each repair. The design part is always something that I develop as I go with each project, which makes it exciting from start to finish as I slowly see how it turns out. 

How to tell if a sweater or even darning yarn will be durable?

 
There are several things that affect the durability of a sweater. The quality of the fibre used to make it, how the fibre is spun, and how tightly it’s been knitted. Look for good quality fibres, reputable brands who care about their sourcing (and who hopefully provide you with some information about it), and opt for pieces that have a closely knit fabric. The more open the knit, the more it will pill (bobble), the more likely it will be to snag, and the less durable it will be.
 
Choosing darning wool is perhaps slightly harder to judge, although the yarn itself will be one determining factor. Choose good quality fibres, and choose to buy from people you trust to source them well. The good news is that you’re in control of the repair, so you have control over making it as durable as you can- looser stitching will be less durable than tighter, closer stitches. Choose the most appropriate technique, and consider about how the repair will be worn/ what strain it will be under. 
 
If you’d like to find out about where the yarn I use comes from, you can read my blog post about it here. The cashmere yarn I use and sell for darning is from the same mill, and goes through the same stages.

If you’re not sure what thickness or weight of darning yarn you need, you can read my blog ‘understanding weights of darning wool’.

The sweater above with the dotty mend on the elbows comes from a mill near me in the Scottish Borders. It’s cashmere, and has clearly been knitted for softness rather than durability, as it’s wearing through fairly quickly. Although I think it must be 10 years old now, and it has been a favourite, so it has had a lot of wear! Byt I feel the fabric of the sweater is generally becoming thin, and it’s not just the elbows that are starting to need reinforcement.