‘Oh bother’ (or stronger words to that effect): something sharp caught the hem of your trousers as you climbed that wobbly stile and now there’s a small gash. Or maybe it was your sleeve that snagged. If left un-mended, the small rip could soon turn into a large, draughty tear. Quick, to the sewing box...
TIME: 20 mins YOU WILL NEED:
• Needle, scissors and thread (ideally in a matching colour).
• Optional: iron-on woven interfacing for added support – check if your garment can be ironed first. Technical fabrics usually can’t be. We used low-temp interfacing to repair polycotton trousers.
• Optional: a sewing machine (to make for a speedier repair).
1
Turn your garment inside out and lay the rip on a flat surface, with the two sides flush. Trim away any loose threads. If you’re using interfacing, now’s the time to cut out and iron on a patch covering the entire tear (leave it to cool once it has adhered). Next, double thread your needle and tie a stopper knot in the thread tails.
2
We’re using cross-stitch (if you’re using a sewing machine, set it to a zig-zag stitch with a close spacing). Make the first stitch at one end of the rip by pulling needle and thread through from the back of the fabric and over the rip at an angle, then back through the other side. Repeat this until you’ve stitched along the full length of the rip.
4
Finish by passing the needle and thread through to the reverse side and oversew a showing thread two or three times. Finally, cut away the loose thread and admire your handiwork.
3
Now do the same in reverse, passing needle and thread across your earlier stitches and through the same holes, creating the crosses.