How To Repair Torn Upholstery

I wrote about the flooring model chair that I picked up for half-off yesterday. It had a 2″ tear along the summit (not along a seam), and I asked if information technology seemed like something that can be fixed.

I called Anthropologie to see if they could offer a better discount (no), but they did say that I could nevertheless return the chair even afterward attempting to fix information technology, and then I figured I had aught to lose by trying. Many of you recommended keeping the orange chair that we already ain, and having it reupholstered for a new await. I like the shape of the new chair more though, I love the cloth, and if I sell the orangish chair I tin essentially swap chairs at no price. And then if I decided to reupholster the new chair at some point, I'm not out whatsoever more money than I would be had I reupholstered the orange one.

[ 1, 2, 3 ]

I went to the material store for mending supplies and came home with an embroidery hoop and some cloth to practice on, various liquid stitch adhesives, Fray Check, curved needles, fe-on patches, and several types of thread and embroidery floss.

I stretched my flake fabric on the hoop and jabbed at it with scissors to recreate the upholstery tear. I frayed the edges too for good mensurate. Then I got to work trying out various methods, keeping the fabric stretched tight on the hoop to simulate the conditions of the fabric stretched tight across the chair back. Here are the methods that I (a novice) used.

Method 1: Darning Upholstery with a Looped Stitch

Outset, I applied Fray Check, every bit recommended by this upholstery darning tutorial. Then I used a heavy-weight thread that matched the fabric, and started with a looped stitch. I'll let my play-by-play Twitter updates tell the story hither.
[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/#!/makingitlovely/status/98945229838749697″]
[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/#!/makingitlovely/status/98947933138993152″]
[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/#!/makingitlovely/status/98950876621836288″]
OK, I was trying to be cute with that last scrap. The Frankenstein stitching was somewhat charming, simply non enough to actually use it on the chair. And I did effigy it out toward the stop, but information technology still wasn't a practiced plenty fix and I was worried that the extra tension would eventually rip the fabric further.

Method 2: Trying to Glue the Cloth Back Together

I idea that I could slip a little fabric under the tear and so mucilage in back together. I had actually called a local upholsterer for advice and this was the technique that they recommended, so I tried it. Messy and awful. The worst of information technology was a product I institute (that sounded promising!) called Tear Mender. It was a rubber-cement like agglutinative that smelled awful and gummed up my fabric. I think it could be slap-up for thicker fabric or leather, but information technology was terrible for my linen. I tried a few other liquid stitch products, merely none with good results.

Method three: Patching the Fabric

There were two options for patching. One: I could cut out a matching portion of fabric from my chair'due south armrest covers, glue it over the tear or iron it on with fusible mending tape, apply Fray Check to the ends, then sew together around the patch to secure. Or option ii: slap an atomic number 26-on patch over the rip. To my surprise, the easier option worked! The patch fuses completely to the fabric, bonding to the ripped portion and preventing the tear from getting worse. And even better, the edges of the mending patch won't fray then there's no demand to stitch around the edge (which calls more attending to the repair).

It'southward not invisible (and I never expected that it would be), but it looks like it'due south only role of the chair'southward busy pattern. And as I had mentioned, the tear takes abroad some of the chair'due south preciousness, which isn't such a bad thing. I could even blend the patch by using fabric paint to lucifer the design, but I don't think that will exist necessary.

I Last Option

I can pile on the pillows and a throw blanket. Certain, there's no room to sit, but look how cute it is.

I kid! The chair's going to be just fine.

Source: https://makingitlovely.com/2011/08/04/how-i-repaired-a-tear-in-my-chairs-upholstery/

Share this post