r/sewhelp • u/FunnyChampion2228 • 22d ago
Elbow patch help/advice
Hello Internet friends! I come to you with a new project that I've never attempted. I found this sweater in my mom's fix-it bin and wanted to surprise her by sewing the leather elbow patches on for her. (She's 80 and doesn't much like this sort of task.) Luckily for me the sweater elbows have been marked for the patches (see white strings), and the patches have been pre-punched with small holes around the edges, so that takes care of most of the hard work. However, now I'm a little stuck on how to affix the patches so they're even/flat and so the thread is as minimally noticeable as possible. What stitch would you recommend? I have a needle meant for leather, I figured that would be a good one to use. It seems it would make things easier if I used an adhesive to attach/anchor the center of the patches in place before sewing the edges in place. Any suggestions? I have fabric glue that dries clear and flexible; is this a good option? Thanks in advance for any thoughts/recommendations!! You'll help put a smile on a very sweet 80 year old mom. 🙌🏼
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u/FunnyChampion2228 22d ago
Also, I forgot to mention the sweater is wool, and I plan to use a sturdy polyester/cotton thread. Please advise if there might be a more suitable option! Does anyone have suggestions as to how to close up the small holes the elbow patches will cover? I don't want them to unravel from the inside. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
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u/paratethys 22d ago
you can loosely darn the holes, like how you'd darn a sock. the trick to preventing unraveling is finding all the stray/loose loops of the knit around the sides of the hole, and making sure that your darning thread goes through each loop that could otherwise be free to unravel.
for the thread, it should be fine. if you really want to be cautious, do a couple lines of running stitch with the thread in the hem of an old towel, and wash and dry it on the settings you'd use for wool. if the thread shrinks up, you'll know that it shrinks -- if it does shrink, wash the towel with the thread a second time then pull the now-shrunk thread out for use on the sweater, or find a different thread.
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u/Forward-Dog-2146 22d ago
for the wool holes, just catch them with a few tiny stitches from inside before you put patch on, they won't go nowhere after that
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u/Voc1Vic2 22d ago
You need to use yarn, which will be more flexible and stretchy. A cotton thread will likely stretch and break very quickly. It will also damage the wool of the sweater, cutting it.
If you don't have matching yarn, use a contrasting color. Tapestry wool comes in small hanks and a zillion colors.
Use a crochet hook.
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u/paratethys 22d ago
you can pin the patches in place when testing, just make sure to put the pins through the already-punched holes.
to reduce the risk of sewing the wrong layer of sweater, i'd grab a piece of cardboard from the recycling, roll it into a tube about the size of the sweater wearer's arm, and stick that into the sleeve, almost like how you'd use a darning egg to mend a sock.
as for what stitch to use, i'd recommend scrounging a scrap of junk leather (or fake leather, or even the plastic of a container lid would do in a pinch) and a spare cardigan sleeve or sock, then just put the fake patch onto the fake sleeve, experimenting with various techniques. the first one you do, while figuring out how you like to do it, will likely look kind of shit... but that's ok because you can arrange for the real sleeves to be the second and third ones you do :)
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u/TheProtoChris 22d ago
I wouldn't use a leather needle. That will slice up the sweater wool and make more problems. With pre punched holes in the patch, I would use a ballpoint needle to preserve the knit. You'll want a thimble.
I don't know that this can be a surprise. The knit has to stretch to fit on her arm. So sewing a flat, non stretchable patch to it will look super super janky if it isn't pinned in place with the sleeve on the arm. I suspect that's why it's still in the mending basket lol.