How to mend sweater holes

Matching thread  

Before

Step 1

Seam rip off the collar. I was gentle and took my time taking off the collar. I didn't want to cause any additional damage to the sweater.

Step 2

Gently pull the thread that the collar was woven from apart. Side note: This was an interesting experience because I have told my children so many times never to pull loose threads because it will make holes or cause damage to fabric. Always cut it carefully. Now I was pulling on threads intentionally to pull the collar apart.

Step 3

Take a needle and some of the thread that was pulled apart and thread your needle. 

Step 4

Place your hand inside of the item you need to mend in the area where the hole is located. Notice outside your hole you will see threads that look like they are on top and thread below those same threads or staggered beneath the threads on top. You will be weaving over and under these threads to create a new patch of fabric where the hole is. For me I measure how big the hole is and start about that same distance away from the hole weaving over and then under, over and then under repeating that pattern until I get to the edge of the hole. Now I will leave a straight line of thread across the hole. On the other side of the hole I will start weaving over then under, over then under until I have gone the same distance away from the hole as I did on the other side.

Turn around and go back the way you came on a parallel line next to the one you just created. Make sure to go under then over. You want to do the opposite of whatever the line you just did for your weaving. For Example: if you just did over then under then do under then over on the way back. Repeat this until you filled in the hole horizontally. At the end you should have a bunch of parallel threads across your hole and along both edges of the hole. It should be a rectangle  that is larger than your  hole.

Step 5

Now going perpendicular to the weaving you just put in your sweater you want to weave over and then under and alternating on the next line under then over in parallel lines again. Except this time your will get to weave over and under your threads that you ran across your hole. Keep repeating this pattern back and forth again until you have closed up the hole. You should now have perpendicular rectangle larger than the original hole you had.

Here is what mine looked like closed.

After

Can you tell that these have been mended, yes if you are up really close. But at the distance that most people stand at before the pandemic it wouldn't matter.

What if you don't have perfectly matching thread you can use from the same clothing item? I had a jacket that had a hole at the neck that had come apart. Side note: I think the tag is what made it wear out there.

Here is an alternative solution when you don't have identical thread to use.

Contrasting thread/yarn

Before

Repeat steps 1-5 as shown above.

Step 6

Outline a shape that you like with a contrasting color, I chose a star. I also decided to use a yarn that was very close to the mint green the jacket was trimmed with along the edge. Then using the same weaving technique I filled in the shape till I liked how it looked. Side note: Not all mending has to disappear. It can add interest to show that clothing has been mending depending on how you do it. It could just be a mended item or you can make it look more original by embracing the chance that mending brings. It can be fun.

After

Back Story:

Shopping at Thrift stores can be really fun. There is so much variety in the styles of clothes and you can often get nicer quality clothing for far less than buying it new. When I take my teenage daughters we wander around looking at all the clothes, hats, scarves etc. When we have found everything we think we might like we start to narrow things down. We look at how long the clothes might last, are there any holes in them, or are too big or have a stain on them. With thrift store shopping these kinds of problems just arise and we expect them when we look at clothes.

 For our family these kinds of things are not necessarily deal breakers because I can mend and sew. If the clothes have a hole my next question is, Can it be mended closed or patched with out it ripping back open. If the answer is yes, then the item is still under consideration. If the item is too big can I take it in? Some fabrics do not handle seam ripping well and would not handle well what it would take to make the item fit. With other fabrics it's no problem to take things in a little bit or a lot. If its a stain, is this a stain that will come out? If the clothes are a little too bit and I take the item in so that the stain is gone? It is a whole process and is very tiring.

So when I was shopping for "new" clothes with our teenage daughters we found a cashmere sweater one of our daughters loved the color and texture of but there was a collar she didn't like and there were some holes in the front and back. She asked me "Could you take the collar off?" I looked at it and said "Sure." I didn't even mention the holes I noticed because I knew I could use the collar thread to mend the holes in it. I was able to take the collar off and mend the holes in a about an hour. Well worth the 5 dollars we paid for the cashmere sweater she wears at least once a week.