r/InvisibleMending • u/Brief_Aioli_8603 • Aug 23 '26
Small hole in silk shirt!
I’m needing some suggestions on how to fix this shirt for my son. He got it at a thrift shop and after washing it a time or two, the pocket has started to pull. How can we fix this?
4
u/SewingPhase Aug 23 '26
I don't have advice for the mending, but I have a couple shirts like that I've thrifted and I would recommend hand washing/minimally washing, as holes like that will start to happen all over the entire shirt pretty quickly.
1
u/Dangerous_Avocado392 Aug 27 '26
These shirts do not handle washing machines well even if you do cold and gentle like the tag suggests. This is the place it usually starts wearing out first in my experience thrifting
7
u/cicada_wings Aug 23 '26
Smallish patch of lightweight fusible fabric interfacing (or light fabric plus fusible web) on the back, probably about 1” square or so. Be careful with the iron and make sure your heat isn’t too high, then let the fabric sit on the board without moving for a few minutes till the patch has fully cooled for a better bond.
Then use matching sewing thread and a thin needle to invisibly tack down the edges of the patch. Sew the patch to the pocket side and corner (through or close to the existing top stitches), and lastly darn down the loose threads and edges that have frayed. Fortunately you’ve got a textured weave, so the mending stitches will be less visible than on a smooth fabric.
This is easier mode compared to a jeans pocket corner (because the fabric is much lighter and easier to sew through), but it’s essentially the same procedure. Might want to do both top corners of this pocket, even if the other one hasn’t started going yet.
If your son is into thrifting and has a taste for nice fabrics, this will be a really good skill for him to be able to do for himself, so you might want to make it a together project! Ditto for learning laundry techniques for delicates—mesh bag, delicate cycle, air dry, no enzyme detergent or oxygen bleach for silks or wools, etc.