By Joseph VanDeWalker
Some garment holes can be easily fixed by darning them (sewing with a needle and thread). If you want to know how to patch large holes in clothes, you must use a fabric patch. The fabric patch, combined with correct sewing patterns will have your garments fixed up in no time.
If you can find a piece of the garment that you are repairing, use it as the patch. Cut out a rectangle shape in the hole, and the patch. Make the patch one inch large than the hole on all sides.
How to hand-sew a large hole
Lay your clothes right side up. Place the patch in the center of the hole and use pins to keep it in place. Clip each corner of the repair area diagonally 1/4 inch. Take the edges of the hole and fold the under. Apply a slip-stitch sewing pattern to the patch.
How to machine sew a large hole
Large holes are best patched with a machine zigzag. Set the machine to a short stitch length and a wide stitch width. Pin the patch to the right side of the hole. Stitch along the edge of the patch, with the piece of clothing face-up. Next, sew a row of straight, medium length stitches right inside the zigzag stitches.
You can use ready-made iron on patches if you want to fix the patch up fast. These can be very convenient if you have children who like to play hard! If your patch is a different color than the garment, make the fuse on the outside. This gives it a decorative look. If you want a uniform look, fuse it to the inside. If you are repairing heavy cotton clothes, using aluminum foil will help to get the materials hot enough to iron together.
If you want to know how to patch damaged elbows of sweaters and jackets, you can start with a piece of suede or suede cloth. These are sold ready-made or in sheets. Cut out 5 to 6 inch ovals out of the fabric. When patching a sweater use the buttonhole stitch, and apply by hand. When repairing jacket holes, free the lining at the cuff. Pull it away from the work area, and pin the patch to the garment. You can use either straight machine stitches or buttonhole stitches. Finally, replace the lining to the sleeve by resewing slipstitches to the fabric.
