4 Tips to Mend Your Clothing

It's happened to every guy and girl at some point in their lives: favorite items of clothing start to wear and tear. You never want to throw these beloved pieces away but what other choice do you have? You can't wear clothing with gaping holes in them. Now, thanks to DesignMom, we have 4 clothing saving tips to help save wardrobe mishaps! The tools are minimal and the salvaging is HUGE.

OVER PATCHES

To start, you’ll need some type of iron-on interfacing. This helps strengthen the fabric as well as adhere it to the area being patched. It’s basically a sheet of fabric glue that melts between your piece of clothing and patch when you iron it. I recommend Heat n’ Bond. Because it can be used on lower heat settings, doesn’t require steam, and works with a wide variety of fabrics, including synthetics. It’s also much stronger than traditional fusible web. You’ll want to cut it exactly the right size, using the patch as a pattern. Remove any stray threads.

Secret #1: If you need a really precise edge, skip the scissors and use a rotary cutter with a straight edge tool instead. Rotary cutters are also good for thick, tough-to-cut materials, such as leather.
The rough side goes against the fabric. Be sure to iron inside the fabric as well!

Secret #2: Corners and thicker areas are the trickiest parts. Double-check that these are totally adhered. If they’re not, add more heat or use Liquid Stitch on parts that are loose and floppy!

KNITS

When patching a knitted clothing item, such as a sweater, you won’t want to use the heat n’ bond or glued or under-patching techniques above. Instead, you’ll want to pick a sturdy fabric that coordinates with the sweater and use a simple stitch to sew it on.
For the elbow patch pictured, heavy upholstery felt was used. Regular felt strengthened with interfacing will work too. Or even leather would also make a handsome patch.

Secret #3: Sometimes, patches on knits are used to reinforce instead of repair. But, if you are using the patch to cover a hole, you will need to mend the hole a bit first so it doesn’t keep unraveling under the patch.

UNDER PATCHES

Sometimes you may want to use an under patch, like when holes develop in the knees of your favorite jeans. Cut a piece of Heat n’ Bond the same size as your fabric patch, leaving a hole in the center that will align with the hole in the jeans.
Secret #4: You'll want to make the fabric patch extra strong to ensure it would hold up longer, so I used Heat n’ Bond to attach some sturdy twill to the back of the fabric.
 
There you have it folks! Enjoy these secret 4 tips to improving your patchwork.