T-shirt fabric seems to be getting thinner and thinner. My eldest has only had this t-shirt a couple of months, and already it has those small holes developing where the fabric rubs on a trouser waistband or belt. Time for some more mending.
I didn’t get to these in time to attempt a proper invisible mend, so I’m left trying to decide how best to make a visible mend acceptable to my eldest child. Flowers and swirls are not quite the thing. Somewhere online – probably on Pinterest – I saw a picture of someone who used a rainbow of embroidered squares to cover the hole in the nape of the neck of a t-shirt around where a brand label is stitched. I can’t find it now – if anyone can let me know, I’ll add a link to it here. I liked this more geometric approach, so decided to give it a go.
I had a few scraps of iron-on interfacing which I ironed on to the inside of the t-shirt. Note that this is the actual “mending” part – this is what stops the holes getting any worse and reinforces the surrounding area. Everything else is just decorative.
I have a very random stash of embroidery cotton, decades old, but I liked the way these five colours worked with the colour of the t-shirt.
I can only find this one of my embroidery hoops, but it was thankfully about the right size.
I faintly sketched some small rectangles that would cover the main area of holes using a pencil and then just went for it with a simple satin stitch. I used the weave of the fabric to keep my rectangles straight – which is why overall the block is on a slight tilt compared to the hem of the t-shirt. (The way cheaper t-shirt fabric is made on a circular loom means the grain of the fabric doesn’t not run straight up and down the garment.)
The least said about the back, the better. It’s secure, that’s all that matters…
There were a few more of those pesky little holes dotted around, so I gave them the treatment individually.
And I can report that my eldest is happily wearing this t-shirt again now, so it can’t be too embarrassing.
See my post about Visible Mending of Woollen Jumpers and all my mending and upclycling posts here.
I also have a Pinterest board where I collect useful ideas about mending and up cycling, you can find it here: