How to repair moth holes

This super soft cashmere sweater was not only loved by its owner, but also by a pair of moths. Result: several moth holes that needed repairing.

Before I started tackling these moth holes, I put the sweater in the freezer for 48 hours (the best way to do so is to put it in a plastic bag first, but then the picture would be less obvious). This is supposed to be a very good method to get rid of possible eggs or larvae that aren't that easy to spot. To be completely safe, it's also best to wash your sweater after freezing it, so all residue is gone.

But holes, I was talking about holes. To make sure that I had found all holes and near-holes (those patches where the moths have already eaten some of the thread, but not all yet), I held the sweater up against the light for thorough inspection. I then put a safety pin next to each hole I spotted. Don't be surprised that you find a lot more holes than you initially bargained for. Moths have a large appetite.

Freezer, check. Washed, check. All holes marked, check. Finally time to start tackling. To do so, I used a super sharp needle and some wool. Not to sew the holes shut, but to punch them shut. This technique is called needle felting, because by punching the wool, you are actually filting it. Sounds logical, doesn't it?

To use this technique, you need:

• A piece of mousse that you can put underneath your clothing
• Felting wool, or leftover wool from other projects
• A felting needle

The technique itself is simple. Put the mousse underneath the hole, place some wool on top of the hole, and start punching until it becomes a solid piece of wool. Still some hole left? Just add more wool, and keep on punching. Just make sure not to punch in your fingers, these needles are really, really sharp.

To fix these moth holes, I chose a much brighter blue than the sweater itself, to create a bubble effect. What do you think? Success, or not?

Do you have a sweater spotting moth stains lying around?  Feel free to drop me a line, and together we can find a solution.

 

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Een bericht gedeeld door Mémé Georgette – Lies (@memegeorgette.be)