Environment,  Repair

How to repair a rip by a pocket – shirt/pyjamas

You’ll recognise these from the last post. They are getting really old and slightly thin. The fabric was never that hefty to start with which had the benefit of being lovely in the summer.

I leaned over slightly and heard that nasty sound which can strike fear when you’re out for the evening. Your clothes being ripped is rarely good news, although it could be if your love object then lends you their jacket and it turns out you’re in a romcom. This did ACTUALLY happen to me as a student at a posh dinner – sat down heavily in a skin tight dress and the seam by the zip ripped massively. Sad to tell, said jacket-lending, love object turned out to be a damp squib, as my mum would put it – sounds ruder than it was – think it’s something to do with rubbish fireworks.

This repair will only work if the shirt or PJ top has some room at the front. It’s basically creating a little tuck where the rip is so a sliver of fabric is being removed from the front. I decided I didn’t want a darn on the front or a patch.

1. Trim any messy loose threads and pin the two ripped sides together, right sides together.

Close up of pins and rip
Rip along a pocket edge

2. Stitch close to the edge, going a little beyond the rip in both directions and starting and ending as close as possible to the edge. Use fairly small stitches and a thin needle suitable for light cotton (smaller number needle). Tie off the threads.

Close up of machine stitching repair
Close up of stitched repair
The paler stitching is the new, the darker is original which attaches the patch pocket.

3. Press and check you’ve got the stitching in the right place. If not, carefully unpick and re-sew.

Pocket repair photo

4. Cut small strip of medium/lightweight iron-on interfacing slightly longer than the rip. Press using steam and press-cloth (protects iron from any glue at edges). Allow to cool. Check it has bonded, if not redo, slightly longer press or slightly hotter.

Photo of interfacing on repair
Photo of finished pocket repair
Finished!

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