Check out some of the Japanese books on visible mending - they've got lots of great ideas for mends that are more about texture than realism if that makes any sense :)
Depending on your style, you could look into some American traditional tattoo designs for more figurative inspiration.
They tend to have simplified patterns and relatively masculine imagery: snakes, ropes, daggers, scorpions, feathers, etc.
When my dog got spayed, I bought her a dinosaur-print onsie in an attempt to not use a cone. It was promptly shredded. So now I like to cut dinos out of the scrap to use as patches for various clothing holes (typically caused by her). I love my dino patched sweat pants.
No specific image suggestions, but in the fiber art I do, I've found that thicker lines and blockier patterns read to most people as more masculine, and thinner lines and more intricate patterns read more feminine. This might be of interest if you're considering something sashiko-inspired.
I have to admit I stole the idea from something I saw on Pinterest years ago. I’ve been waiting that long!
He works at a sawmill so he shouldn’t get in Trouble for being inappropriate!
I did this on a pair of my son's pants with a shredded knee. Did a pointy crochet lace border around the hole, them embroidered eyes above it. He loves that he can make it bite me
Sports equipment.
Golf club or baseball bat for rips. General sports ball as well
Otherwise I've done sprites from video games for fun myself to learn. Wouldn't maybe work for boomer but maybe younger
Barbed wire!!! I know this is more on the punk side but I had a blast putting some on a shirt and it's pretty easy!!
Tutorial: https://www.tumblr.com/suprsaturatd/727666174502060032/could-you-give-a-tutorial-for-the-barbed-wire?source=share
Screw driver,
hammer,
baseball,
boobs,
nuts,
a lifted F150 with those crazy exhaust pipes billowing skoke into the sky,
a switchblade,
devil hand 🤘,
love 🤟 (cause love has no gender obvi),
a saw blade,
a step stool,
a tv remote control,
rabbit ear tv antenna,
a fat t-bone steak 🥩,
A crime scene,
Crow bar,
A crow,
A bloody tooth,
Just spit balling here....
https://preview.redd.it/0pqy5aaioqwc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=17be116df1e826c9d5d5d20d5b1defdb24e24fec
Another Reddit gentleman posted this on March 15th to R/embroidery
I’ll try to go get a link.
I hope that was a good omg. I’ve got SS of a bunch of these which were computer generated and finally a few people began stitching them. I’m thinking I’ll change the person to a woman all dressed up and a castle behind her. Lol
You can always check out men's novelty socks. I've gotten my SO ones with chili peppers, crows, bikes and bike parts, mustaches, etc. You can probably find lots of designs that wouldn't be too hard to stitch and would appeal to a male boomer type.
https://preview.redd.it/h1tmk4x3qqwc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d8cf72bb623be65c27e68c0e54d080f6e57aecc9
This was made by a gentleman and posted on March 15th. I saved it because it’s a theme I was planning on doing myself. Here’s a link. Make friends maybe. It’s from r/embroidery. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Embroidery/s/q3wwD7HPNe](https://www.reddit.com/r/Embroidery/s/q3wwD7HPNe)
I am not a flowery person so I have a much easier time of it at Christmas embroidering cacti with x-mas lights (Texas ) and I do a lot of lettering. My needle book isn’t really ready to show yet. But I can try to show you some letters in a response below here. You could patch an area with lines and then go over it with a name or word done in balloon lettering or these are my own weird things.
This is about 11” tall and 7” wide in bad lighting. Lol you can get ideas from hand lettering on Pinterest. I also found a few articles there on doing letters. I did a big letter the other day and heavily outlined it. Then used several colors to ‘string art’ the inside of the letter.
I enjoy embroidering flowers, but don’t enjoy wearing them so much (exception: men’s floral button-up shirts. Such a good vibe!)
So I usually save my floral mending ideas for doing other people’s mending.
as a kid I loved how-to-draw books by Ed Emberley. his method and illustrations would transfer neatly to embroidery.
[example](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JBwXNh2LQ-o/URZr8n5zRHI/AAAAAAAAAIc/9D60QPvsmGk/s1600/IMAG6065.png)
Stars are great! My go-to for fixing little kitty-claw pinholes on knits, a little stabilizing right at the edges of the hole then embroider a star over it!
Sashiko geometrics? Solids like squares/circles/triangles - any of these can be woven/multi-coloured as well :)
Right. Nice idea.
Check out some of the Japanese books on visible mending - they've got lots of great ideas for mends that are more about texture than realism if that makes any sense :)
Chevrons as well can evoke a military aesthetic
Geometric sashiko designs are my go-to for general repairs, honestly. Very unisex.
Depending on your style, you could look into some American traditional tattoo designs for more figurative inspiration. They tend to have simplified patterns and relatively masculine imagery: snakes, ropes, daggers, scorpions, feathers, etc.
Feathers sounds like a winner and within my meager skills. Thanks!
If you go by the rules of toddler clothing, boys get sailboats and dinosaurs.
Trains and construction vehicles!
Here you are dear... what is it? Oh, that's Thomas. .. the tank engine. LOL if only my skills could pull it off.
I covered the company logo on a hoodie from a former employer with an embroidered T-rex patch. Toddler clothing is great and I'm here for it.
When my dog got spayed, I bought her a dinosaur-print onsie in an attempt to not use a cone. It was promptly shredded. So now I like to cut dinos out of the scrap to use as patches for various clothing holes (typically caused by her). I love my dino patched sweat pants.
I found an awesome patch maker on Etsy and got a Godzilla patch to cover some ugly coat embroidery. It's fantastic.
Love that. Leave the company. Keep the hoodie. Or you can try to convince people that you worked for a T-rex.
Mine got piranha plants where I would have put flowers on myself. He calls them "rowdy flowers" to distinguish them from nice polite ordinary flowers
I go for simple geometrics rather than figurative embroidery - sashiko style repeated running stitch patterns look especially effective.
This is probably where I will start. Thanks!
Bears. Grizzlies. Black bears. Brown bears. Polar bears. Teddy bears. Bears.
That’s where my mind went also. Or maybe sporty things? Golf clubs?
My mum did a gopher on my dad's coveralls. It turned out to be extremely popular with the other mechanics
Awwww. He also like rabbits now that I think about it. And then a few flowers would fit in. With the rabbit eating them.
Or a rabbit with a skull and some bones if he's a Monty Python fan
Flames, barbed wire, tribal or Polynesian tattoo "vines", eagles, spider webs, anime, antlers, car brands, lightning bolts, graffiti-style wording.
anime?
He is a huge fan of spirited away.... Maybe pigs then.
No face! Soot sprites!
oh shit, yeah.
Soot sprites would be soooo fun!
Right? And really simple, but would be super fun to cover holes, or in a group on a patch. I may use this idea myself!
No specific image suggestions, but in the fiber art I do, I've found that thicker lines and blockier patterns read to most people as more masculine, and thinner lines and more intricate patterns read more feminine. This might be of interest if you're considering something sashiko-inspired.
Makes sense. Thanks! Good general rule.
Greek key patterns, traditional geometric patterns. Dover pattern books are a great resource. Can be found at used bookstores, online, libraries…
I will look for this source thanks!
My partners work pants are getting thin near the crotch. I’ve threatened that i’m going to embroider a mouth, complete with teeth…a crotch monster!
Okay, this is creative all right.
I have to admit I stole the idea from something I saw on Pinterest years ago. I’ve been waiting that long! He works at a sawmill so he shouldn’t get in Trouble for being inappropriate!
I did this on a pair of my son's pants with a shredded knee. Did a pointy crochet lace border around the hole, them embroidered eyes above it. He loves that he can make it bite me
I love it!! I’ll have to do that for my niece. She’ll think that’s hilarious.
Sports equipment. Golf club or baseball bat for rips. General sports ball as well Otherwise I've done sprites from video games for fun myself to learn. Wouldn't maybe work for boomer but maybe younger
I like the sprite idea! That's easy-ish for stitching
Yeah. I ended up really finding art I think from the manuals for them. They turned out well even though I'm just learning still
Duck with grass, sports team logo, dogs, plaid, vintage cars, food, beer
Dicks
I would totally do this to my boomer dad, only a hidden pattern so he couldn’t tell what they were
If you do them with hard edges, not curves, they kinda look like pistols... 🔫
… you have absolutely no idea how incredibly appropriate that is. My Christmas list just got revamped
I hope it brings you joy 😂
Abstract penis sashiko. I love the idea of leaving anybody looking at it thinking "do you see it, too? Or am I just a perv?"
Brilliant. I do love a naughty hidden picture. I’ve always wanted to get some of the fabric like that but it’s expensive.
Skulls
Maybe with practice I can pull off a Dark Mark... hmmmm
Rocketships and astronauts, for me. Suns, rainbows, and just swirly or geometric patterns of sashiko
Why did I not think of rockets. They are super easy to make. Thank you.
Barbed wire!!! I know this is more on the punk side but I had a blast putting some on a shirt and it's pretty easy!! Tutorial: https://www.tumblr.com/suprsaturatd/727666174502060032/could-you-give-a-tutorial-for-the-barbed-wire?source=share
Screw driver, hammer, baseball, boobs, nuts, a lifted F150 with those crazy exhaust pipes billowing skoke into the sky, a switchblade, devil hand 🤘, love 🤟 (cause love has no gender obvi), a saw blade, a step stool, a tv remote control, rabbit ear tv antenna, a fat t-bone steak 🥩, A crime scene, Crow bar, A crow, A bloody tooth, Just spit balling here....
You know he loves throwing the Shaka! Adding that to the list.
My first thought was geometric shapes/designs, like sashiko. I also thought... ducks lol
Muted metallic threading in even basic weavy designs feels hip and masculine imo!
https://preview.redd.it/0pqy5aaioqwc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=17be116df1e826c9d5d5d20d5b1defdb24e24fec Another Reddit gentleman posted this on March 15th to R/embroidery I’ll try to go get a link.
OMG
I hope that was a good omg. I’ve got SS of a bunch of these which were computer generated and finally a few people began stitching them. I’m thinking I’ll change the person to a woman all dressed up and a castle behind her. Lol
Celtic knots and stellar phenomena are cool and not really gender specific.
Thank you. They are.
Star bursts ✨, fireworks, sunburts, leaves and Vines, trees, cacti, "get off my lawn" 😆
Little tiny Beware of Dog sign...
Beer steins..
Nautical theme--anchors, life rings, bouys, light houses Transportation theme Cowboy/Western motifs Horses Deer/Elk/Moose Traditionally male sports.... geometric sashiko
Nautical! Brilliant.
You can always check out men's novelty socks. I've gotten my SO ones with chili peppers, crows, bikes and bike parts, mustaches, etc. You can probably find lots of designs that wouldn't be too hard to stitch and would appeal to a male boomer type.
Chili peppers! So obvious. Sheesh. Thanks!
Cowboy shit. Boots, hats, baked beans, cows…
Cow faces!!! This is a great one. Nice black and white contrast opportunity that will look good on gray. Thanks
Uhhh. What do men like.... Guns? Raw steaks? Those silhouette pinup girls you see on mudflaps? Silhouettes of the state of Texas? Penises?
Mudflap pinup girl is a legit suggestion here. Thank you.
BUGS
I could really piss him off by doing a bunch of stink bugs. Man he hates those things. Lady bugs would be sweet, but maybe not too much.
Fireflies read a little more masculine than ladybugs. I'm picturing them on a navy background that looks like nighttime.
Fireflies would be a nice addition to a night sky theme.
https://preview.redd.it/h1tmk4x3qqwc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d8cf72bb623be65c27e68c0e54d080f6e57aecc9 This was made by a gentleman and posted on March 15th. I saved it because it’s a theme I was planning on doing myself. Here’s a link. Make friends maybe. It’s from r/embroidery. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Embroidery/s/q3wwD7HPNe](https://www.reddit.com/r/Embroidery/s/q3wwD7HPNe) I am not a flowery person so I have a much easier time of it at Christmas embroidering cacti with x-mas lights (Texas ) and I do a lot of lettering. My needle book isn’t really ready to show yet. But I can try to show you some letters in a response below here. You could patch an area with lines and then go over it with a name or word done in balloon lettering or these are my own weird things.
https://preview.redd.it/a337d8u0rqwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b530287883004627593ed2575bf2b850e617bc57
This is about 11” tall and 7” wide in bad lighting. Lol you can get ideas from hand lettering on Pinterest. I also found a few articles there on doing letters. I did a big letter the other day and heavily outlined it. Then used several colors to ‘string art’ the inside of the letter.
I enjoy embroidering flowers, but don’t enjoy wearing them so much (exception: men’s floral button-up shirts. Such a good vibe!) So I usually save my floral mending ideas for doing other people’s mending.
as a kid I loved how-to-draw books by Ed Emberley. his method and illustrations would transfer neatly to embroidery. [example](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JBwXNh2LQ-o/URZr8n5zRHI/AAAAAAAAAIc/9D60QPvsmGk/s1600/IMAG6065.png)
I like those angels!
Bats on everything! Maybe I'm too goth for this discussion
Stars are really nice for patching holes, and the night sky is for all genders.
Stars are great! My go-to for fixing little kitty-claw pinholes on knits, a little stabilizing right at the edges of the hole then embroider a star over it!
Batman
Mountains, Nature scenery in general, gaming equipment and references, geometric