How to Repair a Rip in a Cashmere Sweater
Cashmere, that idol of softness and luxury, requires a bit of tender, loving care for a lifetime of use. Small rips commonly develop in cashmere sweaters that are worn frequently, especially in the more affordable grades of cashmere. Rather than throw away that beautiful sweater there are a few ways to mend the fabric. The art of reweaving is the ideal way to repair that little rip in your cashmere sweater. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Magnifying glasses
- Scissors
- Swatch of cashmere fabric
- Soft yarn, preferably cashmere
- Needle
Instructions
-
-
1
Assess the damage to the cashmere sweater. Larger rips will require many reweaving stitches, while smaller rips can be repaired with a small patch of cloth. Take careful note of the size and dimensions of the rip.
-
2
Turn the garment inside out before beginning any repair work on the sweater.
-
-
3
Cut a small piece of cashmere from an unnoticeable part of the sweater, such as an inner seam. Ensure that the piece of cashmere you cut matches the size and dimension of the rip. If there is no subtle place to cut from, find a delicate yarn with a very close color match to the sweater. Both of these techniques will be ideal on smaller rips in the cashmere.
-
4
Place the piece of matching cloth into the ripped area. Using a matching yarn carefully sew the patch into place, making the stitching as subtle as possible. The goal is to make the patch seem as if it has been woven into the fabric. Using the yarn sew into the actual woven stitches of the fabric looking for the gaps the weaving naturally leaves open.
-
5
This step will only be necessary if there is no extra cashmere available and the rip itself is minimal. Sew the rip in the cashmere using the matching yarn. This technique, while less subtle than the patch technique, will be ideal if you do not have extra cashmere. Carefully and gently resew the rip in the cashmere making the smallest possible stitches and also mimicking the weave of the fabric.
-
6
Weave the yarn into the natural openings available along the edge of the rip. Following along the edge of the rip, pull the yarn through the natural woven gaps recreating as closely as possible the woven affect in the rest of the sweater.
-
7
Turn the sweater right side out and check for evenness in the weaving and ensure that there is no puckering or gathering from the repair.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Do not pull on the fabric, as this can make the rip larger.
Do not pull the thread too tightly or it will cause the fabric to pucker.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Lana image by Stefano Maccari from Fotolia.com
