How to Repair a Run in a Silk Blouse

Silk is one of the most luxurious and beautiful fabrics in the world. But silk blouses are often easily snagged, thanks to zippers in the pants or skirts you wear with them, or from hitting something sharp with your arm or catching a necklace on the front of the blouse. When a snag turns into a run, you can follow a few easy steps to repair it.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Assess the damage to see how bad the run is. Carefully remove the zipper from the blouse if it's caught, without damaging it further. Notice how big the run is, being careful not to pull on the fabric as it will cause the run to extend, much like pantyhose.

2. Dab some clear nail polish lightly on the hole and the length of the run, this is a temporary fix to get the shirt home. This will stop the run and hole from getting bigger by "freezing" the fabric. Allow it to dry. Do not help it dry with a blow dryer or other heat source, as this could cause the fabric to melt.

3. Take the blouse to a fabric store and match the fabric or thread. You have two options. You can replace the entire panel where the run is or you can try to reweave the existing fabric. If you are not skilled at fine needlework, which is needed to make the repair, you should try instead replacing the panel of fabric, as this is an easier, cleaner job to do. Purchasing the silk fabric and take the damaged panel off the blouse. Use it as a pattern and cut the new fabric. Sew back into place using the same stitch pattern and thread.

4. Take the blouse to your dry cleaner or seamstress if you have no sewing skills. It can be rewoven or fixed. Do not, however, let the dry cleaner clean it as the dry cleaning solution could damage the nail polish-painted portion of the blouse. Save the shirt for special occasions or wear it cleverly, if you can't afford to have it rewoven.