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Article created by: Evelina Šiukšterytė

Just because something gets broken, torn, or old doesn't mean we need to throw it away. 92 million tonnes of textile waste ends up in landfills in the U.S. every year as it is. But there are ways to prolong the life of an item of clothing. One of them is mending, and it can be quite an art form, too.

People in this Reddit community know that. They're into what's called 'visible mending,' the art of repairing clothes, furniture, textiles, and in some cases even cars by displaying their flaws instead of hiding them. So, scroll through this list of stunning mending projects and perhaps it'll inspire you to prolong your garment's life too!

To know more about the benefits and joys of visible mending, Bored Panda reached out to fiber artist and author of Mending Matters and Make Thrift Mend Katrina Rodabaugh. She kindly agreed to tell us why mending clothes instead of throwing them away can be so joyous and shared some practical tips for aspiring menders. Read her insights below!

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

Embroidered Couch Repair!

Side-by-side images showing a couch visibly mended with colorful embroidery after cat damage.

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    #2

    Third Attempt At Darning!

    Visible mending on a gray fabric with green and white threadwork, creatively repairing a worn-out patch on clothing.

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    #3

    Fixed A Small Hole In The Sleeve Of My Boyfriend’s Jacket. Do I Tell Him Or Let Him Find It?

    Visible repair on gray fabric with a spider design, showcasing a creative way people mended their ruined things.

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    #4

    Denim Opus Complete!

    Blue jeans visibly mended with intricate white embroidery, showcasing creative and cool repairs on damaged clothing.

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    #5

    Patched A Hole In The Crotch Of My Jeans

    Visible mended patch on black fabric with a colorful cat face, showcasing creative repair and cool visible mending.

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    #6

    I Sewed Some Doilies Into Both Knees Of My Jeans (My First Mend Ever)!

    Denim jeans visibly mended with white crochet lace patch, creatively repairing and enhancing the ripped area.

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    #7

    The Adhesive That Holds Together The Covering On My Headphones Ear Cups Came Apart

    Close-up of a headphone ear pad visibly mended with yellow thread, showcasing creative and cool repairs.

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    #8

    Salvaging A Sentimental Sweatshirt

    Person wearing a denim jacket with a visibly mended artistic patch standing in front of a black piano indoors.

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    #9

    Promised To Mend My Husband's Pants Forever

    Faded jeans with visible mended patches featuring colorful embroidery, showcasing creative repairs that made them cooler.

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    #10

    Short Had Holes. Made Some Fish About It

    Visible mended fabric with creative embroidery of two colorful fish and bubbles, making the repair cooler.

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    #11

    I Covered Up A Wine Stain On My Favorite Dress With A Cross Stitch Flower (X-Post From /R/Crossstitch)

    Floral fabric with visible mended flower embroidery patch, showing repaired clothing made cooler with creative visible mending.

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    #12

    Really Happy With How This Came Out, Dandelion Seed Head Over Some Small Tears In A Shirt

    Visible mended fabric with hand-embroidered dandelion design adding a cooler, creative touch to ruined clothing.

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    #13

    First Visible Mend!

    Visible mended fabric with decorative bee embroidery and honeycomb patch on dark patterned cloth.

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    #14

    My Boyfriend’s Mom Had A Medical Emergency And The Emts Cut Her Favorite Jacket. I Mended It For Her Christmas Present

    Green jacket with visible mended tear using decorative stitch patterns to make it look cooler and unique.

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    #15

    Fixed Some Holes With Bees

    Yellow sweater with visible mended holes creatively repaired using bee embroidery, showcasing visible mending made cooler.

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    #16

    Had A Stain On A Shirt, Fixed It With A Little Ducky!

    White ribbed tank top with a visible yellow cross-stitched duck patch mending a worn spot, showcasing creative visible mending.

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    #17

    Cold Snap Here, So I Needed To Patch A Hole In Favorite Winter Coat

    Visible mended sleeve with a large yellow patch on a black jacket, showing cool and creative repair work.

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    #18

    First Attempt At Sashiko, Covering A Grouping Of Stubborn Stains

    Shirt mended with visible patches in different fabrics, showcasing creative and cool visible mending techniques.

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    #19

    Ripped Jeans

    Denim fabric visibly mended with embroidery of pink and red flowers, creatively enhancing the worn area.

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    #20

    My First Visible Mend And First Embroidery Ever!

    Close-up of denim fabric with a small red heart-shaped visible mend making the ruined area cooler and decorative.

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    #21

    First Time Mending & Embroidering!

    Embroidered floral patch visibly mending a tear on a plaid fabric, showcasing creative repair to make it cooler.

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    #22

    A Snail To Fix A Torn Pocket Corner

    Visible mended jeans pocket with creative embroidery of a snail stitching detail making it uniquely cooler and stylish.

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    #23

    Added A Little Strawberry To My Daughter’s Damaged Shorts

    Small fabric hole visibly mended with a cute embroidered strawberry patch, creatively making it cooler.

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    #24

    Mended My Toddler's Shirt With Some Mushrooms!

    Visible mended fabric with embroidered mushrooms creatively repairing ruined orange clothing patch.

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    #25

    Been Going Through It; Mending My Clothes As An Attempt To Mend My Self

    Close-up of a sock with a visible mended hole using red thread, showcasing creative and cool visible repairs.

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    #26

    Darning Pattern

    Denim visibly mended with creative red and beige embroidery using a small weaving tool, making it cooler and unique.

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    #27

    Rescued My Favourite Hoodie

    Beige Nike sweatshirt with visible mended holes patched with floral fabric showcasing creative repairs.

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    #28

    I Thought You Guys Might Appreciate My Pants

    Denim jeans visibly mended with colorful, creative embroidery patches, showcasing unique and cool clothing repair.





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