Fabric Repair

Patch a Hole With Visible Mending Using a Wash-Away Sashiko Stencil

Back the hole with a patch, tuck and stitch the edges, then stick a wash-away stencil over the repair and stitch along its printed lines. The stencil dissolves in the wash, leaving a clean geometric sashiko pattern over a sound patch.

fix ripped jeans, torn knee repair, japanese stitch pattern over a patch, decorative fix for a hole in clothes

intermediate Tools: scissors Added Jul 25, 2026
Watch the instagram video by @guccciclone (opens in new tab)

The Problem

A blown-out knee or a distressed patch of denim can be closed up invisibly — badly — or turned into visible mending that looks deliberate. Sashiko-style stitching does the second, but freehanding an even geometric pattern over a patch is where most attempts fall apart. Wash-away stencils remove the freehand part: printed stitch lines you follow, on a film that dissolves in the laundry.

The Technique

  1. If the hole has ragged distressing, cut it out to a clean opening first — a tidy edge makes a tidier repair.
  2. Turn the garment inside out, lay a fabric patch over the hole, and pin it in place.
  3. Run a basting stitch around the patch border. It doesn't need to look good — it comes out at the end; its only job is holding the patch flat while you work.
  4. Turn the garment right side out. Tuck the raw edges of the hole under, pinning as you go, then stitch the folded edge down to the patch. Start outside the opening and keep tucking as you come around.
  5. Cut the wash-away stencil to size, peel its backing, and stick it directly over the repair.
  6. Thread up and stitch along the stencil's printed lines until the pattern is filled in.
  7. Wash and dry the garment normally — the stencil dissolves away — then snip out the basting stitch.
Pro tip: Stitch the pattern in passes by direction — all the verticals, then all the horizontals — rather than completing one small section at a time. The creator did sections and said afterward they wished they'd worked directionally; it keeps tension and spacing consistent across the whole patch.

What You'll Need

A needle, thread (contrasting thread is the point of visible mending), pins, a fabric patch bigger than the hole, scissors, and a wash-away sashiko stencil.

Watch the instagram video by @guccciclone (opens in new tab)

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