Face it - at some point, no matter how careful you are, you're going to lose a button, put a hole in your shirt, or wear through your stocking. This happens now, and happened in the 18th century as well. If it happened to a soldier of the period, his choices were the same as they are for you today - fix it himself, or pay to have somebody else do it for him. Given that choice, the average soldier would be reasonably adept with a needle. The skill required to do basic maintenance of your own clothing is minimal, and knowing how to do it will greatly improve your impression.

Repairs generally fall into one of four categories - repairing a seam or hem that has come undone, reattaching a button, darning a small hole in a stocking or other garment, or patching a larger hole or tear.

Notes on Stitches

There are a few stitches you need to be familiar with in order to proceed. These are:

Running stitch - the most basic sewing stitch. The needle is passed alternately up and down through the fabric. Take up only a few threads with each stitch; taking longer stitches will let you finish more quickly but at the expense of a weaker repair.

Back stitch - a variation on the running stitch. Pull the needle up through the garment and take a stitch over six threads on the stitching line. Bring the needle back up through the garment, with the entry point three threads BACK from where it went in on the top. Again, stitch over six threads and go back three - the stitches should butt up end-to-end, which is why this stitch when well-executed looks like machine stitching.

Blind stitch - This stitch is worked along a fold of fabric. Start by pulling the needle through the edge of the folded fabric so that the knot is inside the fold. Pick up one or two threads (no more) of the garment, then run the needle back inside the fold. Run the needle along the fold (on the inside) for about six threads, then back out to pick up one or two threads of the garment. When carefully done, this gives a stitch that is practically invisible on the right side of the garment.

Zigzag stitch - This stitch is used to fasten down a raw edge and prevent it from raveling. Working from right to left, take a stitch through a thread or two of the garment. Move diagonally to the left across the raw edge of the fabric approximately 1/8 inch, take a second small stitch, then move diagonally to the right back across the raw edge and take anothxer small stitch.

Whip stitch - This stitch is used to tack down the edge of a fold of fabric. Start by pulling the needle through the edge of the folded fabric so that the knot is inside the fold. Take stitches, picking a few threads just next to the folded edge and a few threads on the folded edge, drawing the needle through.

Sewing a knot - Take a tiny stitch through the surface of the fabric about 1/8 of an inch away from your last stitch. Pull the needle and thread through, leaving a small loop. Turn the needle around and pass it through the loop, pulling snugly. Clip the thread.

Repair Techniques

Stitching up a seam:

First, identify whether you are repairing a regular seam or a flat-felled seam. A flat-felled seam is one where the edges have been rolled under each other to enclose the raw edges; these are more common in garments that get washed frequently (such as shirts).

• If you are repairing a regular seam:
  1. Pull the edges of the garment flat, matching the "raw" seam edges to each other.
  2. Starting at a point where the stitching is still solid (slightly before the beginning of the tear), take back stitches along the seam line. You should be able to follow the pricks and the fold of the earlier stitching; if not, eyeball it so that you're going in a straight line.
  3. Continue the stitching until you are slightly past the point where the stitching is missing; for the last section, be sure to keep to the existing stitching line.
  4. When you have finished the stitching, secure your thread by sewing a knot.

• If you are repairing a flat-felled seam:
  • If the actual seam is intact (you can't poke your finger through the hole), you'll just need to stitch down the folds.
    1. Tuck the seam extensions securely into their pre-existing folds - this is usually just a matter of tucking the folds that are already there a little more tightly. If you are working with natural fibers, you probably will not need pins to hold the folds in the fabric. Pinch them down with your fingers; dampening your fingers will help hold the creases even better.
    2. Starting at a point where the stitching is still solid (slightly before the beginning of the tear), whip stitch along the seam line.
    3. Continue stitching until you are past the point where the felling is loose, and secure your thread by sewing a knot.

  • If the actual seam is not intact:
    1. Repair the seam as described in section 1.
    2. Fold the seam allowance to one side. If one side is narrower than the other, fold them so that the narrow one is under the wider one. If they're the same width, fold them towards the ridge formed by the existing portions of the seam. If there are creases in the seam allowance from its former folds, they should stick up.
    3. Fold the upper seam allowance around the lower one (if the lower one is narrower) or, if they're the same width, fold both seam allowances under.
    4. Proceed as directed for repairing the folds of a flat-felled seam.

Repairing a hem:

Hems involve a double fold to protect the raw edge of the fabric; repairing a hem is very similar to repairing the fold of a flat-felled seam as described above.

1. Fold the hem into place, following the creases that probably exist in the garment. If it's gone so long between repairs that you can no longer find the creases, eyeball the folds based on the edges next to the missing stitches. Again, natural fibers hold a crease very well. Pinch the folds well with your fingers and you should be able to continue without using pins.
2. Starting at a point where the stitching is still solid, blind stitch or whip stitch along the fold just catching a thread or two of the garment fabric.
3. Continue stitching until you are slightly past the point where the hem is torn, and secure your thread by sewing a knot.

Reattaching a button:

First, determine what kind of button you're replacing. In general, you will be dealing with a shank button (like a uniform button or a thread button, with a loop underneath it) or sometimes a flat button (two or four holes in the button, no loop). Next, look to see if your garment has a "button stand." In general, you will find one on a woolen garment (coat, waistcoat, breeches). This is a strip of linen that is sewn along the long edges below where the buttons are attached. When you are replacing a button, you need to be sure to stitch into this strip, otherwise your button will be prone to ripping off again.

1. Wax your sewing thread by passing it several times over a chunk of beeswax, and thread your needle with a double thickness.
2. Take several stiches through the loop and cloth, making sure to catch through to the button stand, which will keep the buttons from tearing the cloth.
3. Draw the thread to the inside and take a couple of stitches to finish.

If you have a flat button:

1. Wax your sewing thread by passing it several times over a chunk of beeswax, and thread your needle with a double thickness.
2. Place the needle into the fabric, starting at the back side of the garment, bringing it up through the garment.
3. Make two or three stitches in the fabric where the button will be placed, without the button, to anchor your thread.
4. Place the button over the anchor stitches and bring the needle up through the button.
5. Lay a straight pin or another needle over the button, between the pair(s) of holes.
6. Bring your needle down through the button and fabric, allowing the thread to trap the pin.
7. Repeat two or three times. If you have a 4-hole button, do one pair of holes first, then repeat these steps with the second pair of holes.
8. When you have taken two or three stitches through each pair of holes, remove the straight pin.
9. Bring the needle up through the fabric and wrap it around the threads a couple of times just underneath the button to form a thread shank.
10. Bring the needle back to the underside of the fabric and take a couple of stitches to finish.

Darning:

1. Setting up:
   • Find thread or yarn that matches the fabric in color, fiber content, and texture; you can use linen or cotton thread for most applications, while wool yarn is best for wool stockings. Choose a darning needle - look for a large eye. A tapestry needle may also be used for stockings, although it won't work as well for other garments.
   • Darns go on the wrong side of the garment; if you're darning a stocking, turn it inside-out.
   • If darning a stocking, place a darning egg inside it and position the hole over the egg. Your needle will glide smoothly over the egg's surface, making your stitching go faster. If there is no darning egg available, any hard rounded object (such as a smooth rock) will work. If darning a flat garment, work against a table or other hard flat surface.
   • Thread the needle with the yarn or thread and leave the end unknotted. The darning process should create a tight weave that makes knots unnecessary.

2. The first stage:
   • Start your work on either side of the hole. Take several small vertical running stitches in the intact fabric of the garment, about 1/2 inch to the left or right of the hole. Turn the garment upside down and make another row of stitches next to the first. Keep your stitches even - try to pick up a single thread per stitch, if possible. This will make the darn sturdier and more even.
   • When you reach the point at which the hole begins, your stitching line should extend from 1/2 inch above the hole to 1/2 inch below it. Think of drawing a rectangle around the hole with your darn, and keep the sides of the rectangle relatively equidistant from it.
   • Continue making vertical running stitches. When your stitching reaches the hole, take your thread or yarn over the hole and into the fabric on the other side, forming what resembles a vertical bridge over the hole. Stitching should extend 1/2 inch beyond the hole at both the top and bottom edges.

3. The second stage:
   • Once you have covered the hole with vertical threads and extended the stitching 1/2 inch past it so that both sides of the hole look identical, take a tiny stitch across the corner of the rectangle of stitches you have just created.
   • Take the threaded needle and weave it under and over the vertical threads that cover the hole (as well as the vertical threads that lie within 1/2 inch of the hole).
   • Turn the garment upside down once you reach the opposite end of the hole, and weave another thread next to the first, making sure you go under the threads you formerly went over, and vice-versa. You are, in effect, re-weaving the fabric that is missing. Make these rows very tight together - use your fingers to pack them closely, if necessary. Continue stitching back and forth until you've completely filled the hole. Trim excess thread. No knots are necessary if you work the stitching correctly.

Patching:

Patches are applied to the inside of the garment. Ideally a patch will very closely match the garment; the goal is for the patch to be as unobtrusive as possible.

1. Cut a patch that is sufficiently large to extend beyond the damage and permit it to be sewn to sound cloth.
2. Fold under the cut edges of the patch and pin it to the inside of the garment, allowing it to overlap beyond the edges of the damage.
3. Stitch down the patch with a whip stitch or blind stitch.
4. Turn the garment to the outside and secure the edges of the damage to the patch with a zigzag stitch.

If you prefer, you may cut back the damaged area close to the edges of the patch, turn the edges under, and whip stitch them to the patch. This finish gives the appearance of a flat-felled seam.

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