Skip to Content

How To Patch A Hole with Wonder Under & Sashiko Stitching

Sharing is caring!

How to mend a hole - use Wonder Under, knit fabric scraps, and sashiko stitching to mend a pants hole. Visible mending is a fun trend - show off those stitches and give old clothes new life!

Stop trying to hide holes – fix them with some bright sashiko stitching! I tried out visible mending for kids as a part of my Try Something New Every Month project , with more details shared in this post. Now I’m sharing the quick and easy mending tutorial; this is a perfect fix for creatively mending knee holes. I have more mending tips and tutorials in my kid’s mending e-book.

visible mending before and after

You can see the before and after here – the holes weren’t horrific but I wanted to mend them before they got bigger.

boys pants mended

Cutting out those stars was actually really easy, if you’ve never used Wonder Under before keep reading! It is one of my favorite sewing tricks! (2024 edit – Wonder Under is the same thing as Heat N Bond, which I now have grown to prefer over the years!)

Check out these other posts while you’re here!

How to mend a hole - use Wonder Under, knit fabric scraps, and sashiko stitching to mend a pants hole. Visible mending is a fun trend - show off those stitches and give old clothes new life! #mending

How to mend a hole with visible sashiko stitching

Materials

Steps

step 1

Step 1: Smooth out the edges of the hole, making sure they are clean and flat.

step 2

Step 2: Cut a piece of light interfacing off that is slightly larger than your hole, slide it in and under with the bumpy side UP. My pants were lined, so I used hemostats to move it around in between the layers, you can simply use your hand on regular pants. (Note: I did this interfacing step because the pants were lined – if they are single layer, you can  make a second patch with Heat N Bond and put it on the other side.)

step 3

Step 3: With your pen on the papery, non-shiny side of the Wonder Under, draw your shape! You can also print something off and trace it if you’d rather not freehand.

step 4

Step 4: Place the shiny side of the Wonder Under down on the wrong side of the knit fabric scrap, and press until adhered.

step 5

Step 5: Use your scissors and cut out around your shape.

step 6

Step 6: Peel off the paper backing and place your shape Wonder Under side down on top of the hole. Press, which will fuse the interfacing up and the Wonder Under shape down. Be careful not to iron any buttons or plastic pieces!

step 7

Step 7: Thread your needle and stitch over the shapes! I used 3 strings of embroidery floss and a sashiko stitch – you weave the needle in and out in a loose running stitch. Tie off your ends and you’re done.

Now you have custom pants with a neat design feature, instead of adding to the landfill. Visible mending is so fun!

Sharing is caring!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Taryn

Tuesday 18th of May 2021

Why did you use knit fabric scraps rather than woven? I need to mend a large hole in a linen apron i made my mother. I have woven fabric scraps but no knits. Thanks for her tutorial!

Stephanie - Swoodson Says

Tuesday 4th of July 2023

because the edges don't fray :) woven would work too though - you might consider using pinking shears to cut them out if the garment will be washed often to reduce fraying!

LAUREN WHITE

Saturday 19th of August 2017

This is so cute and clever! Recently I wished I had learnt to sew. But I have two young kids and I devote my spare time to my art. But I feel confident I can attempt this. Thanks so much! Lauren in New Zealand

Stephanie - Swoodson Says

Monday 16th of October 2017

Let me know if you try it Lauren, I'd love to see :)

Pam @Threading My Way

Saturday 25th of June 2016

Wish I'd thought of this when my kids were little. I've featured your visible mending and your blog today, Stephanie.

Denise/DIY Crush

Wednesday 8th of June 2016

This looks phenomenal!! I love it! I've actually never heard of this technique. Will keep it in mind. Pinned :)

Stephanie - Swoodson Says

Friday 10th of June 2016

Thanks, Denise!

Marsha Law

Tuesday 7th of June 2016

Oh! Your mending is so much nicer than mine. I love the effect of orange over blue.

Stephanie - Swoodson Says

Friday 10th of June 2016

Thanks Marsha! I love color :)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sharing is Caring

Help spread the word. You're awesome for doing it!