Can I patch linen?

amother

OP ↓

Sun, Dec 01 2024, 4:14 pm

I have a nice set of line that is starting to show its age.

It is really soft and I want to continue using it. I recently replaced the sheets to it. Today my toddler put its foot its into hole on the quilt cover and pulled. The small hole become a large rip. Is there anything I can do to fix it?

amother

Tealblue

Sun, Dec 01 2024, 4:36 pm

You may be able to patch it, but it's hard to say without seeing it how worn the fabric is. Fabric that's very weakened (how did the original hole form?) usually won't be strong enough to take a new seam without forming new holes.

If it's too worn to fix in the area with the tear, but good in other places, you might get away with cutting it up to make pillowcases out of the stronger areas.

If what caused the original hole was a sharp object, and it's not otherwise worn, it probably can be patched.

zaq

Sun, Dec 01 2024, 4:46 pm

You can, but it's not worth it if the fabric is so worn that it ripped on its own before your child aggravated the situation. Bedding tends to wear thin in areas of friction, usually the middle, while the outer parts stay thick and strong. If it's velvety soft, it's too worn to patch, as it will just tear elsewhere, and soon. (When my sheets start to feel like velvet, I know I'm going to poke a toe through them very soon, which means my rag bin is going to get a nice new donation and I can start thinking about Purim costumes.)

However, if you like sewing and love the quilt cover, you can take apart the seams, rip the worn-out part down the middle, hem the torn edges, sew the old outer edges together to form a seam down what is now the middle, and reassemble. That will give the item a new lease on life for awhile. I have never done this with a blanket cover because it's too much work for what is already an old item. Furthermore, it will work only if the blanket itself is narrower than the cover by quite a bit, because obviously the cover gets narrower due to the new stitching. But if you LOOOOOOVE the quilt cover or it has special meaning to you like it was lovingly handmade by your great-grandmother--even in that case I would probably cut out a panel in good condition, have it professionally framed for display, and rip up the rest for shmattehs.

Another possibility, which IMHO is also a waste of effort and material unless the item has sentimental value, would be to take apart the cover, cut out an identical panel of new fabric, and either laminate the old fabric to it with iron-on interfacing or stitch the old fabric to it like quilting, then reassemble the quilt cover.