A Creative Sweater Fix

Does your favorite sweater have a hole it in? Don't toss that torn top, get creative and try one of my easy fixes. Sew or no sew, you can repair it in minutes.


A few days ago, I finally had a chance to pick up needle and thread to mend a couple of torn sweaters.

I would like to say that when something is ripped or needs a few stitches, I take care of it immediately, but then I would be a liar.

Truth be told, such pieces usually sit for a long time, before I find the motivation to patch them up. This time, motivation came in the form of a very persistent teenager.

Her sweater fix was easy, a torn sleeve cuff, ripped right across the seam, a convenient mishap. It was was a very simple repair.


Unfortunately my sweater had bigger problems and even for a relatively experienced seamstress, it presented quite a problem.

I can knit in a rudimentary kind of way....like in a straight line. So basically, I can make scarves. And only scarves.

I don't crochet either. Frankly, even if I did know how to do these things, I'm not certain they'd be useful.

Because this sweater was a mess.

My Creative Sweater Fix

The two rips on the back were easy fixes. The sweater had an open weave and a delicate crocheted pattern.

I grabbed a large needle and a matching embroidery thread, because of its thickness, and just started sewing the holes up with a basic stitch.

I was careful as I went along, trying to catch and secure any loosed ends that were frayed on the original sweater.


The embroidery thread was a perfect substitute for yarn.

It matched the sweater amazingly well and it was dirt cheap. It was also available at my local drug store. It met all of my criteria.


The finished product wasn't perfect, but certainly better off than when I started. 

And honestly, you have to look really, really close to notice my stitches. Success.

Now I could move on the the tear in the front.

This hole was more problematic.

It was obviously not on a seam and it wasn't located in the more forgiving open weave area of the sweater.

Plus, it was front and center.

I really liked this sweater, I literally wore it once and I'm not even sure how the damage was done. And while it wasn't expensive (Marshall's), I wasn't ready to toss it.


So I stitched it up the best way I knew how.

I had to close that hole, but leaving that giant Frankenstein scar was not acceptable. So I had to get creative and put my crafty thinking cap on.


I wear a lot of brown...brown boots, brown belts, brown tees and sweaters.

I decided to embellish the sweater with a bit of brown embroidery thread, knowing it would work with my wardrobe. Now, I'm not an accomplished embroiderer, so I opted for a few simple, thick X's over the seam to camouflage it.

They aren't perfect, but they cover that seam well and almost look like they were part of the original design.


When paired with jeans and brown accessories, it totally works.

The holes have been mended and even if they weren't done the right way, my creative fix sits well with me. It suits my style.

Not your style? That's perfectly fine!

Here are a few alternate suggestions to cover up that hole:

My point is, don't throw it away. Get creative! What have you got to lose?

Well, besides a big nasty hole.

Do you fix or toss?