This was a handsewing project I had on the go in December to offset ‘Christmas stress’. This padded check shirt is a very old one of my husbands, it’s in quite good condition but the top layer of fabric on the elbows had worn away exposing the wadding underneath. I really wanted to try Sashiko as part of the mend – bought Sashiko templates (Stencil Stash on Etsy) and Prym Aqua-Trickmarker white water erasable pen (jaycotts.co.uk), I already had a Gütermann Sulky colour 4007 thread which is red/blue space dyed.

The elbow hole was patched with denim (from old jeans), slip stitching the edges. The squishy padded fabric made marking the fabric a bit tricky, especially as the pen ink is invisible at first, taking a couple of minutes to appear. Following the Sashiko pattern was easy to do and enjoyable. To be honest I had hoped the space dyed thread would produce a more interesting effect, it was an experiment, but I still like it a lot …. now for the other sleeve.