How To Mend a Seam

Split seams are one of the easiest things to tear in clothes.  It's a natural process that occurs over time, so there's no need to toss out your old favorite shirt. It can be easily mended with just a few simple steps!

Materials Needed:

• Needle
• Thread the same/nearly the same color as the rest of the thread in the garment
• Scissors that can easily cut thread
• Pins

Directions:

1. Turn the garment inside out and locate the area where the seam has split. Pick away any stray bits of thread that are in the way, but be careful not to rip out too many pieces of thread.
2. Tie off the loose thread at the two ends to prevent them from unraveling in the future.
3. Match the two torn pieces of fabric together and pin them in place. Place the pins at a right angle to the split seam with the pointy ends pointing outwards. Place as many pins as needed to keep the two pieces secure and in place.
4. Thread the needle with as much thread as you think will be necessary. It's always better to have a little extra just in case. Tie off the end of the thread.
5. Insert the needle to where the seam is still closed.  Go about ½ an inch in, and just a little below the old seam line. Start sewing towards the open end. Remove the pins as you sew past them.
6. When you have reached the end of the ripped seam, tie off the thread as close as possible. Cut any extra thread away from the knot.
7. Turn the garment inside out and you now have a self-mended garment!
8. Optional:  You can also iron the seam to make it look more professional and to hide mistakes.  Make sure that the cloth is heat friendly first though.

Now that you know how to mend your own seams, there no need to call up Mom or a more crafty friend to help you out. Once you've learned the basics of mending seams, you can adapt it to mending almost any other kind of clothing products!

*Some clothes require a zigzag stitch instead of straight stitch to keep the fabric from unraveling. You can temporarily replace the zigzag with a straight stitch, but the cloth will still gradually unravel. Just try your best impression of a zigzag, and as long as the zigzags overlap the cloth, it will keep it from unraveling.