Approved Textiles - Dissolvable Stitching Guides For Visible Mending

The Frog

Frogs are masters of transition. They live between water and land, breathe through skin, and transform completely just to survive. In folklore, art, and cartoons, frogs have always carried a strange double meaning—both humble and magical—which is why we called this pack The Frog, a quiet nod to Kelso the Frog and the way symbols slip between seriousness and play. This kit draws on frog forms and movement to translate that in-between energy into stitches that feel curious, adaptable, and alive. 

Anni Albers

Inspired by Anni Albers’ visionary work in weaving and design, this artisan mending transfer invites you to stitch your own dialogue between function and form; a tribute to textiles as both utility and art. The Art of Hand-Stitching In just 1–2 hours, you’ll bring this geometric pattern to life—no machine needed. All it takes is needle, thread, and a bit of focused time to transform your garment into a tactile tribute to Bauhaus brilliance. What’s Included: Four architecturally inspired transfers on water-soluble stabilizer Clean, easy-to-follow instructions that echo the clarity of the design Compostable, gift-ready packaging that shares the story behind the piece Perfect For: Elevating sturdy wardrobe pieces with structure and meaning Gifting to admirers of fiber art, design history, and modernist style Repairing with intention—honoring tradition while embracing the new Channeling Anni Albers’ belief in “starting from scratch,” this design turns repair into reinvention.

Baba Yaga 
Inspired by Baba Yaga, the formidable woman of Slavic folklore, this artisan mending transfer brings a little wildness, mystery, and transformation to the clothes you already own. An homage to independence, the unknown, and living outside the boundaries. The Art of Hand-Stitching Spend 1–2 hours bringing Baba Yaga into your wardrobe. No sewing machine required—just needle, thread, and a little time to stitch her into something you already love. What’s Included: Three transfer designs printed on a water-soluble stabilizer (1 transfer is 8.5" x 5.5", 2 transfers measure 4.25" x 5.5") Clear instructions for getting started with each design Compostable, gift-ready packaging that keeps the whole thing plastic-free Perfect For: Adding a little folklore and weirdness to denim, linen, or canvas Gifting to lovers of Baba Yaga, folklore, and handmade things Repairing, embellishing, and generally making your clothes a little more your own Baba Yaga has never been particularly interested in following the rules. Neither should your clothes be. Stitch her onto something you already own and let the transformation begin.

Bat Bat

Our bat friends can signal good fortune, insight and intuition, longevity. They are also associated with bad fortune, vampires, and the underworld. Either way, 70 percent of bats hunt using echolocation, otherwise known as screaming into the darkness until they are fed <3 While you're stitching, you should have Suzy Izzard's Wunderbar on in the background. She has a great bit about Batman, BatGiraffe, and Batbat, the namesake of this pack. How to Use Your Visible Mending Transfers • Prep Your Fabric: Make sure your fabric is clean and dry before starting. • Choose Your Design: Pick one of the four designs from the set. • Apply the Transfer: Place the transfer design with the printed side facing the fabric. Gently press to activate the adhesive. • Stitch: Use a needle and thread to stitch along the design, following the printed lines. Feel free to add your own flair or skip areas you don't like. • Rinse and Reveal: Once your stitching is complete, rinse the fabric to remove the stabilizer. Your design will stay in place, and the stabilizer will wash away!

Frond

Ferns are an ancient plant originating in the Devonian period (383-393 million years ago), and predating the dinosaurs. They do not have true flowers or fruit, and reproduce by distributing single cells (spores) into the forest floor. 2 transfer cutouts measures 4.25" by 5.5". 1 transfer cutout measures 5.5" x 8.5" How to Use Your Visible Mending Transfers Prep Your Fabric: Make sure your fabric is clean and dry before starting. Choose Your Design: Pick one of the four designs from the set. Apply the Transfer: Place the transfer design with the printed side facing the fabric. Gently press to activate the adhesive. Stitch: Use a needle and thread to stitch along the design, following the printed lines. Feel free to add your own flair or skip areas you don't like. Rinse and Reveal: Once your stitching is complete, rinse the fabric to remove the stabilizer. Your design will stay in place, and the stabilizer will wash away!

Louise Bourgeois

Stitch the intimate and the monumental into your garments with designs inspired by Louise Bourgeois—where strength and vulnerability coexist in every line. Her sculptures and drawings transform memory, family, and emotion into forms that are at once delicate, unsettling, and tender. What’s Included: Four transfer designs printed on water-soluble stabilizer (exact size; cannot be scaled) Clear, easy-to-follow instructions for confident stitching Compostable, gift-ready packaging that shares the story behind the piece Perfect For: Adding sculptural, emotionally rich detail to coats, scarves, or denim Gifting to admirers of art, craft, and deeply personal storytelling Repairing or embellishing with intention—stitching reflection, memory, and resilience into everyday wear So let the spider crawl across your sleeve, its legs wrapping a quiet tension into your stitches. Place a soft, biomorphic form on your hem, carrying memory and intimacy in every curve. Or let a monumental abstract shape anchor your coat, delicate yet powerful. These aren’t polite motifs—they’re living, breathing reminders that your stitches, like Bourgeois’ work, hold both strength and vulnerability.

Stars

Stars: Infuse your textiles with a sprinkle of celestial magic—Stars turns every repair into a little burst of night-sky wonder. Revitalize Your Wardrobe with Eco-Friendly Mending Transfers Bring new life to your cherished garments with our eco-friendly mending transfers from Approved Textiles. Our sustainable mending transfers are meticulously crafted to honor the art of repair while championing eco-friendly, sustainable fashion. Using innovative wood pulp sticker transfers, you can easily perform visible mending—a modern, DIY textile repair technique that transforms damaged clothing into unique, artful pieces. Embrace sustainable textile repair and reduce waste by simply adhering the transfer to your fabric, stitching along the clear, precise pattern with a constant running stitch, and rinsing away the residue to reveal a beautifully renewed textile. At Approved Textiles, we believe every mend is a bold statement in sustainable fashion. Join the movement of eco-friendly mending and sustainable DIY repair that celebrates creativity while reducing environmental impact. How to Use Your Visible Mending Transfers Prep Your Fabric: Ensure your fabric is clean and completely dry. This step is essential for optimal adhesion and flawless sustainable textile repair. Choose Your Design: This pack includes three thoughtfully curated patterns designed for visible mending projects. Select the design that best suits your style and project mood for an effortless, creative DIY repair. Apply the Transfer: Place the transfer with the printed side facing your fabric. Gently press it down to activate the adhesive from our innovative wood pulp sticker. This ensures a secure bond, making your eco-friendly mending transfer ready for stitching. Stitch: Thread your needle and follow the printed lines with a constant running stitch. Enhance your sustainable mending process by adding your own creative flair. This visible mending technique allows you to personalize every repair, turning it into a statement of sustainable fashion. Rinse and Reveal: After stitching, rinse the fabric to wash away the stabilizer. The transfer design remains perfectly in place, transforming your repair into a stunning example of visible mending and eco-friendly textile repair. Enjoy Your Artful Repair: Let your fabric dry and admire the transformation. Your repair is now a bold, eco-friendly statement that showcases sustainable fashion, DIY repair, and creative upcycling. By choosing our eco-friendly mending transfers, you’re not just repairing clothing—you’re joining a sustainable fashion revolution. Discover the art of visible mending with Approved Textiles and elevate your DIY textile repair to new, stylish heights.

Spooky Skeleton

Skeletons exist in every culture, though they carry different meanings. In Mexican Día de los Muertos, skeletons are colorful, humorous, and celebratory, honoring the dead. In Europe, they often appear as grim reminders of mortality, while in East Asia they can be omens or ghostly figures. Across Hindu, African, and Indigenous American traditions, skeletons appear in ritual, iconography, and art—sometimes feared, sometimes revered—always carrying lessons about life, death, and transformation. Mexico & Mesoamerica: Skeletons (calacas) are playful and celebratory, central to Día de los Muertos, depicting everyday life and honoring ancestors. Europe: Medieval and Renaissance skeletons (memento mori, Danse Macabre) remind viewers of mortality and the fleeting nature of life. East Asia: Chinese and Japanese folklore often depicts skeletons as omens, spirits, or cautionary figures; sometimes censored in modern media. South Asia: In Hindu and Buddhist art, skeletons symbolize impermanence and spiritual transformation, particularly in tantric imagery. Africa: Bones and skeletal motifs appear in ritual and masquerade art, symbolizing protection, ancestral presence, or warnings. Indigenous Americas (outside Mesoamerica): Skeletal imagery signals transformation, mortality, or the cycle of life, though generally less playful than in Mexican culture. Each transfer cut-out is 4.25" by 5.5". How to Use Your Visible Mending Transfers Prep Your Fabric: Make sure your fabric is clean and dry before starting. Choose Your Design: Pick one of the four designs from the set. Apply the Transfer: Place the transfer design with the printed side facing the fabric. Gently press to activate the adhesive. Stitch: Use a needle and thread to stitch along the design, following the printed lines. Feel free to add your own flair or skip areas you don't like. Rinse and Reveal: Once your stitching is complete, rinse the fabric to remove the stabilizer. Your design will stay in place, and the stabilizer will wash away!

Georgia O'Keeffe Florals

Georgia O’Keeffe is celebrated for transforming flowers into bold studies of form, scale, and light. Her iconic floral paintings ask viewers to slow down, observe contours, and see both structure and subtlety within petals and curves. This transfer set from Approved Textiles translates that approach into mending designs, and introduces multiple line weights for the first time in the Inspired By collection: bolder lines are sized for 6-strand sashiko thread to establish structure, while finer lines guide shading and texture, best stitched with 3-strand sashiko or embroidery floss. The Art of Hand‑Stitching Created for handwork only, these transfers encourage intentional, layered stitching. Using two line weights allows makers to build depth and dimension, echoing O’Keeffe’s careful interplay of form and shadow. What’s Included Hand-drawn floral transfer designs inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe Multiple line weights for structural and shading stitching Printed on water-soluble stabilizer for easy placement and removal Clear, focused instructions for a calm, accessible stitching experience Sustainably packaged and gift-ready Perfect For Makers who want both structure and subtlety in visible mending Repairing garments where form and texture matter Projects exploring layered stitching, depth, and contrast Shops curating skill-building, design-forward craft tools Intentional. Dimensional. Made to endure. Inspired by art that balances bold structure with subtle shading, these designs make repair a practice of attention, depth, and care.

Weavings

In the tradition of Japanese Kurgurizashi, Darning, and American Needle Weaving, we present you with patterns meant to be stitched and woven. First, stitch the pattern following the thick guide lines. Next, use your needle to weave through the stitches, following the solid, thinner, guide line pattern. Revitalize Your Wardrobe with Eco-Friendly Mending Transfers Bring new life to your cherished garments with our eco-friendly mending transfers from Approved Textiles. Our sustainable mending transfers are meticulously crafted to honor the art of repair while championing eco-friendly, sustainable fashion. Using innovative wood pulp sticker transfers, you can easily perform visible mending—a modern, DIY textile repair technique that transforms damaged clothing into unique, artful pieces. Embrace sustainable textile repair and reduce waste by simply adhering the transfer to your fabric, stitching along the clear, precise pattern with a constant running stitch, and rinsing away the residue to reveal a beautifully renewed textile. At Approved Textiles, we believe every mend is a bold statement in sustainable fashion. Join the movement of eco-friendly mending and sustainable DIY repair that celebrates creativity while reducing environmental impact. How to Use Your Visible Mending Transfers Prep Your Fabric: Ensure your fabric is clean and completely dry. This step is essential for optimal adhesion and flawless sustainable textile repair. Choose Your Design: This pack includes three thoughtfully curated patterns designed for visible mending projects. Select the design that best suits your style and project mood for an effortless, creative DIY repair. Apply the Transfer: Place the transfer with the printed side facing your fabric. Gently press it down to activate the adhesive from our innovative wood pulp sticker. This ensures a secure bond, making your eco-friendly mending transfer ready for stitching. Stitch: Thread your needle and follow the printed lines with a constant running stitch. Enhance your sustainable mending process by adding your own creative flair. This visible mending technique allows you to personalize every repair, turning it into a statement of sustainable fashion. Rinse and Reveal: After stitching, rinse the fabric to wash away the stabilizer. The transfer design remains perfectly in place, transforming your repair into a stunning example of visible mending and eco-friendly textile repair. Enjoy Your Artful Repair: Let your fabric dry and admire the transformation. Your repair is now a bold, eco-friendly statement that showcases sustainable fashion, DIY repair, and creative upcycling. By choosing our eco-friendly mending transfers, you’re not just repairing clothing—you’re joining a sustainable fashion revolution. Discover the art of visible mending with Approved Textiles and elevate your DIY textile repair to new, stylish heights.

Catshiko

Cat Studies with Straight Lines, a detail from Design in Theory and Practice (1910) by Ernest A. Batchelder, captures the quiet discipline at the heart of the Arts and Crafts movement. By denying the use of curved lines, Batchelder shifted focus from observation to construction, asking students to think like makers rather than illustrators: "It is the purpose to seek a happy middle ground between Nature and the geometric basis on which the work has developed, to retain the distinctive character of a natural form without sacrificing the distinctive character that claims interest from a design point of view." Ernest Batchelder Each transfer cutout measures 4.25" by 5.5". How to Use Your Visible Mending Transfers Prep Your Fabric: Make sure your fabric is clean and dry before starting. Choose Your Design: Pick one of the four designs from the set. Apply the Transfer: Place the transfer design with the printed side facing the fabric. Gently press to activate the adhesive. Stitch: Use a needle and thread to stitch along the design, following the printed lines. Feel free to add your own flair or skip areas you don't like. Rinse and Reveal: Once your stitching is complete, rinse the fabric to remove the stabilizer. Your design will stay in place, and the stabilizer will wash away!

Dolly Parton

Inspired by Dolly Parton’s timeless style and boundless creativity, this artisan mending transfer celebrates individuality, craftsmanship, and heart. Add a touch of Dolly’s spirit to your garments with just a needle, thread, and a quiet moment—no sewing machine required. The Art of Hand-Stitching In 1-2 hours, stitch this design by hand, transforming your favorite denim, canvas, or other cherished pieces into wearable art. What’s Included: Four beautifully crafted transfers on water-soluble stabilizer Simple, elegant instructions for an effortless experience Sustainable, gift-ready packaging that shares the inspiration behind the design Perfect For: Adding a refined, handcrafted detail to premium denim, totes, and more A thoughtful gift for those who admire Dolly’s legacy and creative spirit Elevating your wardrobe with eco-conscious, personalized flair Infuse your garments with the essence of Dolly Parton’s iconic artistry, blending cultural craftsmanship with sustainable style.

Shrimpshiko

Shrimp are remarkably durable animals, protected by segmented shells and shaped by constant movement through water. Their forms translate naturally into structured, repeating stitch paths. This transfer set from Approved Textiles combines shrimp imagery with sashiko-inspired patterning, creating mending designs that emphasize rhythm, reinforcement, and visible repair. The Art of Hand-Stitching Designed for handwork only, these transfers draw on sashiko’s tradition of repetition and durability. Stitching follows structured paths that reinforce fabric while highlighting pattern and texture. What’s Included Hand-drawn shrimp-inspired, sashiko-style transfer designs Printed on water-soluble stabilizer for easy placement and removal Clear, focused instructions for a calm, accessible stitching experience Sustainably packaged and gift-ready Perfect For Reinforcing high-wear areas like elbows, knees, and pockets Makers interested in sashiko-inspired visible mending Projects that benefit from strong, rhythmic stitch patterns Shops curating playful yet functional repair tools Rhythmic. Durable. Made to last. Inspired by creatures built for survival and stitches built for wear, these designs frame mending as structure you can see.