What's the best way to mend a hole in a t-shirt?

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I just ripped a hole (dime-size) in the left sleeve of my favorite shirt and have no idea how to go about repairing it. Does anyone know how exactly to do this?

― Simply Steve! (née Christiane F.) (drowned in milk), Thursday, 25 January 2007 19:50 (nineteen years ago)

a 4"x4" square of electrical tape will do.

― chicago kevin (chicago kevin), Thursday, 25 January 2007 19:54 (nineteen years ago)

Honestly? Patch it with some other fabric you like, and make the stitches DIY and interesting. There's no way to hide the fix.

― Laurel (Laurel), Thursday, 25 January 2007 19:59 (nineteen years ago)

you can get iron-on patches to mend the hole in various fabrics, which you can then apply to the inside of the shirt. i'd check your local sewing / craft supply store, or google a bit.

― elmo argonaut (allocryptic), Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:07 (nineteen years ago)

that's industry insider advice, btw

― elmo argonaut (allocryptic), Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:08 (nineteen years ago)

That's true, and if it's a plaid or patterned shirt, the edges might not show too badly! Good idea.

I have a hundred sweaters with moth holes and keep meaning to bead them or otherwise embellish with ribbon roses or funny geometric stitches or etc but no motivation so far.

― Laurel (Laurel), Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:10 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.joann.com/catalog.jhtml;$sessionid$EFCYBRIAAAUAAP4SY5NBHOR50LD3OEPO?CATID=82300&PRODID=165402

― elmo argonaut (allocryptic), Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:12 (nineteen years ago)

I googled a LOT and couldn't find anything. It's a black shirt.

― Simply Steve! (nï¿½e Christiane F.) (drowned in milk), Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:29 (nineteen years ago)

Let it go.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:30 (nineteen years ago)

google for black fabric mending tape. if you fail, no one else can help you.

― elmo argonaut (allocryptic), Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:39 (nineteen years ago)

I have been casually looking around my neighborhood for a fabric patch for ages, and no handy place carries them -- drugstores, cleaners, arts & crafts store, cobbler, nothing. It feels a little weird that a person would need to take a special trip or place an order to get a simple little patch, but such (apparently) is our disposal economy. (This is just a tiny moth-patch for $200 wool pants, though: I can't be the only person in the neighborhood wanting to patch some decent clothes!)

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:47 (nineteen years ago)

have you gone to a fabric store (sewing supply?)

― Ms Misery (MissMiseryTX), Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:49 (nineteen years ago)

you could always have a sewing supply / fabric store order it for you if it wasn't in stock, i'm sure.

― elmo argonaut (allocryptic), Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:50 (nineteen years ago)

I guess part of my point is that there's isn't a fabric store in the area, so I expected drugstores to keep a couple little patches over by the shoelaces and stuff. (This was where I always got them in Chicago.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:58 (nineteen years ago)

looks like you'll have to go back to chicago, nabs.

― geoff (gcannon), Thursday, 25 January 2007 21:05 (nineteen years ago)

also: first and only ilx link to joann fabrics? awesome.

i need to patch up a couple pairs of jeans now that i think about it. i had two really great pairs that inexplicably ripped out in the crotch at around the same time

― geoff (gcannon), Thursday, 25 January 2007 21:06 (nineteen years ago)

"inexplicably"

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 25 January 2007 21:07 (nineteen years ago)

Haha sorry, I'm just jealous, cause 90% of my trousers very explicably wear out in the crotch after approximately 9 months.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 25 January 2007 21:08 (nineteen years ago)

"very explicably" = subway frottage, obv

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 25 January 2007 21:08 (nineteen years ago)

I don't know Geoff, we might have linked to joann's on the sewing thread.

where do you live now Nabisco? nyc? I find it hard to believe there wouldn't be some sort of sewing store in a major city.

― Ms Misery (MissMiseryTX), Thursday, 25 January 2007 21:10 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, NYC, and I know there are plenty of fabric stores -- hell, there's that whole damned garment district -- I just mean there's no place within my immediate walking neighborhood where I've seen patches. I always thought of them as the sort of thing you'd be able to find in your immediate neighborhood, like dry cleaning or flowers. I'm sure I'll eventually get around to actually going somewhere and picking them up.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 25 January 2007 21:12 (nineteen years ago)

one of those dry cleaners is maybe a repair-tailor type place, too?

― geoff (gcannon), Thursday, 25 January 2007 21:19 (nineteen years ago)

That's how the whole thing started! I took them in to have the hems altered, and they pointed out the hole so I wouldn't blame them. I asked if the tailor could patch it, and he declined! I dunno, maybe everyone in the neighborhood is just conspiring to keep me looking sloppy and moth-eaten.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 25 January 2007 21:40 (nineteen years ago)

"no. no, you are not dapper. i will not repair this."

― geoff (gcannon), Thursday, 25 January 2007 21:47 (nineteen years ago)

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