{"title":"How to Sew Sashiko Stitches to Mend Jeans (Visible Mending)","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/embroidery/how-to-sew-sashiko-stitches","category":{"slug":"embroidery","name":"Embroidery"},"creator":{"name":"Levi's®","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFVl0Sp2AN0d2uALmaOarg","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku32uireU8Y"},"tldr":"How to sew sashiko stitches to mend jeans: patch the hole from behind, chalk a grid and stitch an easy running stitch crosshatch by hand.","quickAnswer":"How to sew sashiko stitches to mend jeans: patch the hole from behind, chalk a grid and stitch an easy running stitch crosshatch by hand. An easy project: about 1 hour. Materials cost about $4 to $10. You need 8 things, including sashiko thread, denim scrap for the patch and sashiko needle. The 10 steps start with gather Sashiko Thread, Needles and Snips for Mending Jeans and measure One Inch Beyond the Hole in the Jeans.","totalDurationSeconds":251,"videoDurationSeconds":251,"difficulty":"easy","project":{"difficulty":"easy","projectMinutes":60,"waitMinutes":null,"totalMinutes":60,"estimatedCost":{"currency":"USD","min":4,"max":10},"yield":"1 mended pair of jeans"},"tools":["sashiko needle","fabric shears","thread snips","clear quilting ruler","tailor's chalk","safety pins"],"materials":["sashiko thread","denim scrap for the patch"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Gather Sashiko Thread, Needles and Snips for Mending Jeans","text":"You need very little for this mend. A long sashiko needle, a skein of sashiko thread and something to cut with are the basics. Dyuna also has fabric shears for the patch, thread snips for trimming, and a finished sampler to show what the stitches look like. Find a scrap of denim for the backing too. An old pair of jeans is ideal."},{"number":2,"title":"Measure One Inch Beyond the Hole in the Jeans","text":"Lay the jeans flat and check how big the damaged area is. Use a clear ruler so you can see the fabric underneath. Measure at least one inch past the hole above, below and on both sides. The denim around a hole is usually worn thin, and you want the patch and stitches to reach solid fabric. For this hole, a 4 by 4 inch patch covers it."},{"number":3,"title":"Place the Denim Patch Behind the Hole Inside the Jeans","text":"Cut your denim scrap to the size you measured. Turn the jeans inside out and find the back of the hole. Lay the patch over it so it covers the hole with an inch to spare on every side. Smooth it flat with your hand. The patch sits behind the hole, so from the outside you see the hole with new denim showing through."},{"number":4,"title":"Pin the Denim Patch at All Four Corners","text":"Secure the patch before you turn the jeans back the right way. A quick and easy way is a safety pin at each corner. Safety pins will not fall out or poke you while you handle the leg. Check that the patch is still square and flat. Then turn the jeans right side out again, so the hole and the patch behind it face up."},{"number":5,"title":"Draw Chalk Guidelines Over the Patched Hole","text":"Give yourself some lines to follow. Lay a ruler across the patched area and draw evenly spaced lines with tailor's chalk, first in one direction and then the other. Dyuna draws a grid for a crosshatch pattern. You can also skip the guidelines and stitch by eye. There is no wrong way, but lines help your rows stay straight on a first try."},{"number":6,"title":"Sew Vertical Sashiko Running Stitches Along the Grid","text":"Thread your needle with sashiko thread. Even though the finished look is a crosshatch, every line is a plain running stitch: in and out, in and out along the chalk line. Do all the vertical lines first. Sew through both the jeans and the patch behind it, so each stitch holds the two layers together. Keep the stitches roughly even in length."},{"number":7,"title":"Add Horizontal Sashiko Stitches to Make the Crosshatch","text":"Once every vertical line is done, go back over the area and stitch the horizontal lines the same way. Where the two directions cross, you get the crosshatch look. Keep the thread relaxed as you pull it through. Tight stitches pucker the denim, while relaxed ones lie flat and give the mend that soft, quilted look sashiko is known for."},{"number":8,"title":"Bring the Needle Up for the Last Sashiko Stitch","text":"Dyuna switches to a denim scrap to show the finish up close. Treat the end of your last row as the final stitch of the project. Bring the needle up through the fabric to the front at the end of the line and pull the thread through. Leave the thread loose enough that you can flip the fabric over without tugging the stitches."},{"number":9,"title":"Lock the Sashiko Thread With a Back Stitch on the Back","text":"Flip the garment inside out, or in this case flip the scrap over. Take the needle back through the same hole as your last stitch. That makes a small back stitch, which locks the thread so it cannot pull loose. Pull it snug. Now the end of your stitching is secured and will survive wearing and washing."},{"number":10,"title":"Trim the Sashiko Thread Tail on the Back of the Denim","text":"On the back of the fabric, cut the leftover thread close to the stitch with thread snips. Leave a short tail so it cannot work its way back through. That is it. The hole is backed, reinforced and covered with a personal detail that makes the jeans yours. Take out any safety pins that are still in place."}],"commonProblems":[],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-10-22T13:55:56.479Z","published":"2026-10-22T13:55:56.131Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}