For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
Some of you might remember my purchase a while ago of a giant Avanti "classic" bear. After more than a year of being my bunkmate, he was looking a little worse for wear. I dismanted him, carefully washed his fur, and was in the process of sewing him back up to re-stuff when I discovered quite a few holes in him! They don't show on the outside, because his fur is so thick and fluffy, but I'm worried about them getting worse. How do you fix holes in a knit fabric like this, without the repair showing or creating a pucker?
Edited for typo.
Hi,
If you are yet to restuff him you can darn the holes on the reverse side of the fabric (i.e., the non-fluffy side). This should make the fabric secure without adding extra bulk. If the holes are particularly large you can tack a piece of net or fine fabric around the hole first and darn over the top; this will give extra support to the darning. I have included a diagram that shows how to darn on knitted fabric.
I hope that this helps. Best of luck!
Claire.
This is excellent! Thanks so much!
I was going to suggest a spray on interfacing (not sure iron on would be safe) on the inside... that's if you didn't want to darn it?
I darned the holes last night- all five of them. Time consuming, but oddly satisfying. I used three strands of embroidery thread, since that's what I had on hand and the color matched the fur pretty well. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out- I hated the thought of another favorite bear falling apart on me. I don't think I could handle it happening again!