Creative mending

Holes in pants, not very appealing.  They still fit, they're comfortable but not ready to be tossed.  Only one thing to do, fix them to look better.  These pants started off with an odd L shaped tear in a not exactly flattering spot.

I don't bother with an embroidery hoop since these pants are always kinda wrinkly looking.  I thought on it awhile & then started with the baseball stitch mending, or that is what I call it.  The repair looks very industrial and chunky.  I used 2 strands of 6 strand embroidery floss, unknown brand for these repairs.

 I set it aside for a day to let the details develop.  When I looked at it again it made me think of squares since the pocket and stitching details are very linear.

 White chalk and an old phone card helped me to rough out placement of lines.  Since this is hand stitching, I am using, perfect is a term not needed.

 I added more stitching similarly on the pocket to echo the effect an make it more deliberate looking.  You can click on the picture to enlarge if you like.

Here's another pair I repaired awhile back.  The complete "flower" was a hole in the centre of the flower.  I used variegated blue/white embroidery floss.  I was pleased with how they turned out.

 Same repair, close up picture.

When I am needing inspiration I google doodling, doodle stitching, embroidery, henna tattoos, graffiti, cartoons, zentangle, squiggle drawing...  Clicking along the internet does not let me down for ideas.  I encourage you to try this type of repair some time, its just a needle and embroidery thread with a wandering idea.  The best part is, if its a flub, well, the clothing is already paid for & destined for the rag bag anyways.  Here's some more creative mending ideas if you need inspiration.  http://whipup.net/2011/03/26/creative-mending/