How To Repair A Tear In Microfiber

I recently acquired a nice microfiber couch from a friend who was getting rid of one. It is in much better shape than our old couch, which ended up in the trash bin (it was un-salvadgeable). Anyway, the only flaw in the couch was that there were a few tiny little tears in the fabric of one cushion that needed a bit of repair.

So, I set out to find instructions on repairing microfiber or microsuede, and found very little information. A few sites suggested expensive kits, but they didn't seem right for the type of material I was working with. The rest of the sites were all asking the same question, with no answers.

I managed to stumble across a site suggesting using a Fray Check on the edges of the tear to prevent further tearing, and then sewing the hole shut, but didn't give good instructions for sewing the hole shut. So, I decided to make my own instructions, and created a way to sew the hole shut so that it not only blends, but should be very, very sturdy, even with 6 kids jumping on it.

How To Repair Microfiber

You will need:

Fray Check
Buttonhole or Button Craft thread to match your fabric (it's a sturdy thick thread that is good for tears like this)
A sharp needle
Scissors

Find the hole in your microsuede, and treat the edges with Fray Check or some sort of anti-fray treatment available in the sewing section of a store. Allow it to dry completely.



When your fabric is dry, take a length of buttonhole thread that will be just about the length of your arm (it's better to have too much than too little, and I am repairing a small hole). Tie a small knot on the end and trim off any excess thread. Thread your needle through the hole and down a little bit under where the hole starts.



You want to be able to start your sewing just a little before the actual hole.

Make a few straight stitches under the hole. You want it to be taut, but not tight enough to make the fabric pucker. I could have made mine a little tighter than I did.


When you get to the actual hole, you will want to begin a sort of weaving process with your needle. Come up through the fabric to one side of the hole, put your needle through the hole, and bring it up on the other side of the fabric. Pull it taut (not too tight), and repeat the process.




You can use the fabric itself as a guide here, following the weave of the fabric to make your stitches. Continue "weaving" until you reach the top, keeping it taut as you go.





When you reach the top, create a few more straight stitches. When you're ready to tie off, make a small knot using your needle (like a French knot), and pull your needle through about an inch of fabric, bringing it up and pulling it tight. If you can pop the knot under the fabric, that would be great. If not, just clip the tightly drawn thread and let the tail get sucked back under the fabric.



(my apologies on this one, blogger keeps turning it sideways on me, and I can't figure out why...but, you get the idea, don't you?)



And, you're done! A nicely repaired hole, that, unless you're sitting next to it staring at it, will blend in fairly well and stay repaired for a very long time.