Mending large holes to repair garments we love and because we need to do our part to stop polluting our environment. We have touched lightly on the subject of basic mending we can do at home, and the cost of fashion, watch the video and perhaps you will never set foot in a mall or order online again. But, what can we do whether we are moved by the love of a garment or alleviating pollution?
This is not an easy tutorial to write, the subject alone can fill a book of at least 400 pages, the possibilities are endless. We can all agree that there are five things to consider: the size of the hole, the type of fabric, wear and tear or an accident.
Mending Large Hole Techniques
Patches
Best for large areas on elbows in jackets, knees on children's pants, and decorative patches in jeans.
Lace Patches
- Lace an easy way to make a patch to reapir a round hole or a tear along a side seem.
Handmade Patches
Store-bought, hand made or machine-made patches are perfect for rounded holes or large tears.
Machine Embroidered Patches
Darning
This technique can be done by hand or using a sewing machine.
Jeans, twill, and thick fabrics are by far the easiest to darn using the sewing machine.
Darning by hand this technique is perfect for delicate fabrics, and knitted garments.
Let me know if you would like a separate tutorial for this technique.
Mixing Techniques-Patches and Embroidery
The perfect way to express your creative individuality suitable for all fabrics.
We can all agree jeans are the easiest to mend and wear, that despite our best efforts things don't always turn out the way we want.
Other times mended clothes are associated with a lack of money.
To avoid this it is important to take into consideration the garment, the person wearing it, and the technique. It is my opinion that mending large hole mixing techniques gives the best results and I will prove my point in my next article where I will show you how I mend a few rips on one of my favorite summer dresses.
While mending large holes can sometimes seem like a hard task, reusing, repairing, and recycling the garments that we love is a great way to stop creating more waste and pollution. It is also a great way to explore our creativity.
Need more inspiration for mending large holes? Do you have a technique I do have not covered above? Please share it on the comment below, or use Instagram using the tag #mendinglargehole so I can see your creation. Until then, let's keep the world together one stitch at a time.
My (adult-21) son keeps so much in his pockets in his jeans, that he has torn them in the-(excuse the term) crotch- in several pairs now. New ones that I just bought him. The tear is next to the seam from the bottom of the zipper for a few inches. I did repair one pair with an iron-on patch (all they had at local store) and then I stitched around it 3-4 times with my machine. They tore again. I now have 4 pair, 2 brand new, and 2 slightly older, that are torn in this way. Not really sure how to address this so it would hold up. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
My problems come with choosing what stitches to use (and machine or hand) when patching a large hole so that it looks neat and tidy on the outside
Do I cut away any frayed material? lend it with the stitching?
and if there’s no handy fraying to hide in – how do I get a neat finish? Soo many questions!
maybe a tutorial, if you would? Huge thanks for this site, though, I learn so much
Thank you for generously sharing your expertise! I cannot find the link to the video. Please direct me.
Impressive. Iv’e darned socks before, but the threads pulled on the surrounding fabric so much, when stretched, that it needed a BIGGER mend. I tried using a duplicate knit stitch through the knit fabric and it moved with the stretch. And when you show it off, looks like your’e so talented! It works on any knit fabric you care to deal with.
My hand darning work is never as neat nor closely woven as I would want it to be. I do use an embroidery hoop to keep the fabric as taut as it gets. Any tips, tricks and further guidances on this technique would be much appreciated!
Hi Eunice I will make a separate post about this technique because it is not as easy as I would like it to be and takes a lot of work. The key is to match the thread as close as possible to the fabric and match the amount of warp and weft strings as possible. Embroidery thread DMC using one strand or Gutermann to work the best for me.