How to Close a Sewing Seam

Learning to sew and mend can preserve the quality of your clothes.

Instead of discarding a household item or an article of clothing because its seam is torn open, repair it yourself using a sewing machine or a needle and thread. Work carefully and you can create a subtle seam, leaving the torn object looking as good as new. You can close sewing seams on anything, like garments, dolls, pillows, blankets and tablecloths.

Things You'll Need

• Sewing needle
• Thread
• Pins
• Sewing machine (optional)
• Scissors

Instructions

Closing a Seam by Hand

1. Lace your needle with a color of thread that matches the fabric of the seam you are going to close. Tie the ends of the thread in a knot to keep them from slipping through the eye of the needle.

2. Push your needle through the fabric at the beginning of the open seam. Position your first stitch strategically so the knot at the end of the thread is not visible. For example, turn a garment inside out before sewing or make the first stitch on the inside of the open seam of a pillow.

3. Push the needle through both layers of fabric repeatedly, making tiny stitches for maximum strength and minimal visibility. Once you reach the end of the open seam, sew over it again in the opposite direction to reinforce your work.

4. Make a final loop with the thread and pass the needle through this loop. This is a knot that will keep your stitches from coming undone.

Closing a Seam by Machine

1. Connect the separated edges of the seam with pins. Be careful to pin the pieces together with the correct alignment so you will not have to remove your stitches later.

2. Raise the foot of the sewing machine and place the open seam beneath it. Position the fabric so the needle lines up with the seam you wish to close.

3. Put the foot of the sewing machine down and make several stitches forward. Reverse the direction of the sewing machine and make several stitches backward to lock your work in place.

4. Reverse the machine’s direction again and sew forward along the length of the open seam. When you reach the end, reverse the direction again for a few stitches to prevent the seam from reopening.

5. Lift the foot and needle and gently tug the object you have sewn away from the machine. Snip away excess strings.

Tips & Warnings

• Examine the torn seam to determine whether it would be best to repair it by hand or using a sewing machine. Some seams may be especially difficult to access using a machine, while for others a machine would save you time and hassle. If you don’t own a sewing machine, anything can be sewn by hand. If you can place the torn seam flat on a table and if it is longer than 2 inches, it is a good candidate for repair with a sewing machine. However, if you are repairing the seam on a stuffed pillow or another bulky object, sewing by hand would be easier.

Resources

• “Stitch by Stitch: Learning to Sew, One Project at a Time”; Deborah Moebes; 2010