How to Invisibly Repair a Seam

Sewing is an invaluable skill. The lifetime of clothes can be greatly extended by knowing even the most basic sewing techniques. The most common repairs I find myself repairing are existing seams in clothing that have unraveled or ripped. However, it is even more useful to learn a technique for repairing seams that isn’t visible after the repair. 

Time required: Anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the seam and familiarity with the tools and techniques.

Definitions and Notes:

• A seam is a line where two pieces of fabric have been sewn together. This instruction set outlines the steps needed to repair an article along this already existing line. However, the same steps can be utilized to repair almost any hole in fabric (the repair will just be more visible). 
• Fabric scissors (or sewing scissors) are specialized scissors used to cut through fabric or thread. These will be the biggest investment needed to start sewing, but they are not strictly necessary. You can also purchase small thread snips which cannot be used to cut fabric but are used to cut through strands of thread. Regular scissors are not sharp enough to easily cut through thread without mangling it, and not having specialized scissors will make your job a lot harder. 

Cautions:

• Needles and scissors are sharp! Always use caution when working with these tools (pricking yourself with a needle is normal, but watch your fingers!).
• Sewing scissors are for cutting fabric and thread ONLY! Using them to cut anything else makes them dull and ruins the investment you’ve made by buying them.

• An article of clothing with a ripped seam
• A needle
• Thread (dental floss can work in a pinch)
• Fabric scissors or thread snips (not optional, unless sewing with dental floss)
• Seam ripper (optional)

Tip: make sure you are in a well-lighted area to make seeing the eye easier.

Carefully push the end of the thread through the eye of the needle.

Tip: If the end is frayed, snip the end with your sewing scissors or thread snips to make it easier.

Double up the thread and cut it so it is about 3 times as long as the seam you are repairing. This should give you plenty of thread to repair the entire rip and tie off.

Note: Don’t stress! Having too much or too little thread doesn’t really matter (although it is easier to have too much rather than not enough).

To make a knot, first wrap the end of the thread around your index finger.

Next, using your thumb and index finger, roll the thread off your finger. This will push the end of the thread through the loop made from wrapping the thread around your finger.

Finally, pull the very end of the thread to create a knot.

Note: Practice makes perfect! If you’re not happy with the knot you made, simply snip it off and start again.

Repeat steps 4 - 6 multiple times to ensure your knot is big enough to not pull through your fabric.

Note: Ideally the knot will not be visible at the end, so don’t worry about it being pretty.

Turn your article inside out so the seams are showing.

Find the edge of the rip and push your needle through to the other side, pulling the thread all the way through.

Troubleshooting Tip: If your knot doesn’t hold, don’t worry! Simply go back and repeat steps 3 - 5 in “Knotting the Thread” until it is big enough.

Turn your article right-side out again.

Note: I am using brightly colored thread to make my stitches more visible, but it’s best to try and match the color of your thread to the color of the piece you’re repairing, just in case any stitches remain visible.

To ensure your seam will be sewn correctly, line up the ripped edges to make sure the rip isn't noticeable after sewing.

Push the tip of the needle into the other side of the rip directly across from where the thread is coming out of the fabric but do not push all the way through.

Warning: Watch your fingers during this step! Make sure to hold the fabric so you aren’t in danger of poking yourself when the needle comes back out.

Push the needle back out of the fabric on the same side it went in a short distance down the seam.

Note: Making this stitch is the hardest part of the repair, so don’t be afraid to try it a few times before committing to a stitch.

Once you are happy with the needle placement, pull the needle and thread all the way through.

Congratulations, you have made your first stitch!

Repeat steps 11-14, lining up the seam edges and making another stitch across from the one you just made.

Continue making stitches, always checking that the edges of the seam are aligned, until you reach the edge of the rip in the seam.

Note: In the image, the thread was not pulled all the way through after each stitch to make the stitches more visible for demonstration. If all the stitches are tight, none of them should be visible no matter what color thread (or dental floss) you use.

Before tying off your seam, make sure you are happy with the way it looks. If the edges aren’t lined up correctly or you think you can do better, just use a seam ripper or fabric scissors/thread snips to remove your work and start again.

Push the needle all the way through the fabric to the inside of the piece.

To start tying off, push the tip of the needle in and out of the fabric to create a very small stitch.

Pull the needle through, but only pull the thread partially through, creating a loop.

Repeat steps 19-22 in the same spot to create a second knot for more hold.

Either cut the thread close to the knot, leaving a short tail, or continue to the next section to make an optional second knot.

Cut the thread close to the needle, leaving two long ends of thread.

Take the two ends, and tie them together as if you are beginning to tie your shoes.

Repeat steps 25-26 to make a secure square knot.

Cut the ends of the thread close to the knot.

Turn the piece right-side out again to admire your work.