Ripped and torn clothes: they can be repaired creatively!
It can happen to anyone that they find themselves having to get rid of their favorite dress or sweater: sometimes it is because the moths got at it; other times it can be due to some washing disaster that caused the fabric to become discoloured. Then there are the cases in which permanent stains appear due to some act of carelessness or an accident, or one of a thousand other reasons and ways in which clothes can get damaged and ruined.
Often, these items can still be worn - they become work clothes or to "stay at home" apparel. But it is not always the case that they can continue to be used as they once were. But there is hope - it is just a matter of finding the right way to repair the damage. Or rather, to disguise the damage using some creative method that, not infrequently, ends up giving an even more interesting look to the original garment!
There are several communities of people online who share their creative ideas about this type of creative repair work. One of these, who can be found on Reddit, is called "Visible Mending".
For example, one idea to draw inspiration from is to repair jeans whose tears have become too large by using lace or even a piece of crochet.
The small holes caused by moths or some burning ember / spark, as well as permanent stains that bleach or other substances can cause, can be covered with embroidery.
Fabric of any kind, which matches the color of a ripped pair of jeans, is great for repairing them. And the repair can be enhanced by embroidering around it.
Hidden under these embroidered leaves, for example, there are bleach stains that had discolored the sweater.
These flowers, on the other hand, cover drops of nail polish.
There are also people who learn to replicate the textures produced by knitting, but by using sewing needles, to restore frayed or damaged garments, like this sweater.
The embroidery technique can work on many different materials, even on the synthetic fabric of a bag or backpack. In this case, the embroidered flowers covered splashes of white paint.
These projects are ideal for getting getting truly creative with the embroidery technique. There are many tutorials online to learn the simplest embroidery techniques step by step: and once you have mastered the basics, you can start experimenting with more sophisticated designs.
This "visible repair" approach is a great idea to avoid throwing away clothes that are still perfectly functional, and indeed, it's a way to give them a new life!
