How to Fix a Wrap Sweater

Used wrap sweaters just need a little TLC to be as good as new.

Wrap sweaters add shape and interest to the typical cold-weather outfit. These comforting and snug garments usually have two long tails that wrap around the torso and tie on the side or at the back. Wrap sweaters are typically made with a classic knit pattern, which can develop snags, small holes and stretched sleeves. All of these issues can be remedied at home with just a few sewing and clothing care materials.

Things You'll Need

• Kettle
• Bowl
• Blow dryer
• Iron
• Small needle
• Thread
• Scissors

Instructions

Fix Stretched Sleeves and Tail Ends

1. Boil 2 cups of hot water in a pot or in a kettle. Pour the boiling water into a bowl.

2. Dip the stretched areas of the wrap sweater into the hot water. The tail ends of a wrap sweater often become warped or stretched from use. Place just the stretched areas in the water, not the entire sweater.

3. Apply hot air onto the moistened areas using a blow dryer. The heat from the blow dryer will shrink the fibers and tighten the weave on the sweater.

4. Heat up an iron to the correct setting for the fabric, for example cotton. Iron the dried areas to create a crisp, even finish.

Fix a Hole

1. Thread a needle with 1 foot of thread. Tie the two ends of the threads together. Turn the wrap sweater inside out with the area with the hole laying flat on an even surface.

2. Pinch together the two sides of the hole in the sweater. Push the needle through the fiber of the fabric, going through both layers of fabric. Pull the thread taut. Push the needle back through the fabric in the other direction. If you are working with a large knit, push the needle through the fibers of the weave, mimicking the patterns of the fabric.

3. Tie off the ends of the thread once the hole has been sewn shut. Cut off the excess thread using a pair of scissors.

Fix a Snag

1. Pull on either side of the snag, gently, to see if the snagged fibers will resettle into the weave of the sweater fabric.

2. Thread a needle with 6 inches of thread; do not tie the ends together. Push the needle into the base of the snagged fiber, as close to where the snag begins as possible. Push the needle out through the top of the fabric about an inch away. Do not pull the needle all the way through but leave the end of the needle sitting outside of the snagged cloth.

3. Wrap the snagged thread around the base of the needle and the beginning of the thread a few times and push the end of the needle through the fabric. The snagged fiber will resettle into the weave of the wrap sweater as you pull the needle through the fabric.

References

• Real Simple: How to Fix Stretched Sweater Cuffs
• Woman's Day; How to Fix a Sweater Snag; February 2011

Resources

• Redbook; How to Get Rid of Sweater Pilling; Jennifer Jafarzadeh; February 2008