How To Repair Frayed Fabric

Download Article

Learning how to effectively end fabric from fraying can salve you fourth dimension, aggravation, and money. Whether you're in the centre of a sewing or quilting project or you're trying to relieve a favorite piece of clothing, a fraying edge tin can be an unwelcome sight. In that location are several methods out there that will help yous preserve your fabric edges and foreclose fraying.

1
Utilise scotch tape for a quick fix. Lay your cloth on a difficult, flat surface with the back facing upwards. With the fabric's edge laid out in front of you horizontally, identify the tape forth the top of the border. Cover nearly ⁱ⁄₂ in (ane.three cm) of the cloth's edge with the tape. Allow the backlog tape set up the textile loosely to your work surface. Cutting a new, clean line through the taped fabric, beneath the fraying border.^[1]
- Leave the tape on the edge to proceed information technology from fraying.
- Scotch record is a clear, adhesive record. Select a matte tape as opposed to one with a glossy finish because it will be less noticeable.
- This method will non terminal if the piece is washed, but it is helpful when cutting directly edges in hard-to-handle fabrics. It is also useful for pillows or other projects where the seams are hidden and subject field to minimal washing.
2
Glue your edges with textile glue, seam sealant, or super gum. Buy any one of these adhesives at a local arts and crafts store or online. Simply identify small dabs of gum along the edge of the fabric. Employ a cotton swab or toothpick to spread the glue evenly. Avoid using as well much glue as information technology can leave dark spots on your fabric once it has dried.^[2]
- Alternatively, utilise the same procedure to apply the glue just then fold the glue-covered edge of the cloth over and press it down to create a hem.
Advertisement
3
Using pinking shears to cut a fresh border. Pinking shears await similar scissors with teeth and you can notice them at any craft store or online. Yous utilise them as you would use scissors, cutting a new edge onto your fabric. Instead of a straight border, however, the shears cutting in a jagged-tooth pattern. This cut will prevent the edges from fraying.^[3]
- This is a popular beginner-level method for dealing with fraying edges.
- For boosted stability, apply adhesive to the cut border with a cotton fiber swab or toothpick.
Advertisement

1

Cut and tie your thread. The low-tech and sometime-fashioned way to deal with a fraying edge is to set it with a needle and thread. To begin, cut a length of thread that is effectually 18 in (46 cm) in length. Tie a knot in i end by looping the cease around your forefinger, then push the shorter end through the loop, and pull information technology through.
ii
Thread your needle. Take the unknotted cease of your thread and grasp it betwixt your thumb and forefinger. Loop it effectually the needle and slip the tiny loop off over the head of the needle creating a tight little loop. Flatten the loop between your fingers and and then insert it through the eye of the needle until the loop pokes out the other side. Grasp the loop with your fingers and pull it through until the tail comes through.^[iv]
- You may need to cutting a fresh terminate on your thread if it is a bit worn and floppy, as a soft piece of thread is hard to work with.
- Pull the tail through and so that information technology is almost 3–four in (7.6–10.2 cm) in length.
3
Insert the needle from back to front to create a whipstitch. ^[5] Hold your textile with the front or finished side facing upward. Starting at the back of the fabric, insert the needle as close to the edge as yous can. Push the needle through the fabric to the front and pull the thread through until the knot catches.^[6]
- Don't pull too tightly or you'll create a rumpled expect on your edge.
- Stay close to the border, about ^one⁄_eight in (0.32 cm) or less is platonic.
4
Repeat your stitch to finish the border. Place your needle again on the dorsum of the fabric, next to the spot where you inserted it for your first sew together. Move on, repeating this same sew together across the length of your edge, always inserting the needle from the back to the front.^[7]
- Infinite your stitches closer together for a tighter stitch or farther autonomously for a looser stitch.
5
Necktie off the thread later the last stitch. Turn to the dorsum of the cloth. Thread your needle under the terminal stitch and pull the thread under it until a pocket-size loop forms. Pull the needled through the loop and pull to create a knot. For more security, echo this to make a 2d knot.^[8]
- Cutting the thread to end the edge, leaving no more than an ^ane⁄₈ in (0.32 cm) remaining at the finish.
Advertizing

1
Use a serger to secure the border. The virtually professional mode to stop an edge is with a specialized sewing automobile called a serger.^[9] This sewing gadget uses four threads and two needles. Thread your serger and feed your seam under the foot, moving it through your machine needles, as you lot would with whatever sewing motorcar.^[ten]
- Be careful to remove pins earlier feeding the fabric through the serger.
- A serger sews, cuts, and finishes a seam all at the same fourth dimension. For this reason, it can save you time.
- A serger is a specialized automobile that cannot supersede all the more than basic functions of a regular sewing machine. They cost a couple hundred dollars, but if you lot do a lot of finishing work this might be a good choice for you.
2
Try a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine. Set your sewing motorcar to the zigzag setting by using the punch or digital display on its side.^[11] Identify the cloth under the raised human foot of your machine.^[12] Lower the human foot and proceed to feed the fabric through the machine. Keep the textile's edge lined upwardly with the middle of the foot.^[thirteen]
- Refer to your machine's manual for details if you're unsure how to gear up it for a zigzag stitch.
- Add together a few contrary stitches at the get-go and stop to knot the thread.
3
Use an overlock human foot and your sewing auto to mimic a serger sew. Remove the regular pes of your machine and attach the overlock foot in its place.^[14] Prepare your machine to do an overlocking sew. Line your fabric up with the inner border of the pes. Feed the textile through the machine as usual.
- By attaching an overlock foot to your sewing machine you can create a stitch that looks similar to what a serger creates.
- Apply a zigzag setting with the overlock foot to achieve a similar finishing effect if you don't take an overlock setting on your machine.^[15]
- Consult your sewing machine manual for details on switching out the pes. It is usually a matter of popping it off and on, no tools required.^[xvi]
Advertising

Add New Question

Question

How do I keep my delicate wearing apparel from getting frayed when I wash them?

Kamel Almani is a Laundry and Cleaning Specialist and the Co-Owner of WashyWash, a toxin-free and eco-friendly laundry and dry clean service based in Amman, Jordan. Kamel and his staff at WashyWash use Bluish Affections certified and dermatologically-tested detergents. They also combine EcoClean and digital technology to provide an eco-friendly, convenient, and quality cleaning service. Kamel holds a BA in Pattern from the University of Practical Science, Amman.

Laundry & Cleaning Specialist

Expert Answer

Put them in a mesh bag before you lot wash them. So, apply a gentle bicycle wash with a depression spin, and hang them to dry—don't use a dryer.
Question

How do you stop fabric from fraying with nail polish?

This answer was written by one of our trained squad of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Cut off the frayed border, then pigment some clear blast smooth along the edge. Permit the polish dry out completely before you handle the edge of the fabric. Be careful not to make it besides thick, since this will stiffen the border of the cloth. You lot might need to touch upwardly the polish later on a while as it begins to flake off.
Question

How exercise yous stop rubberband from fraying?

This respond was written past one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

You tin employ a liquid fabric stabilizer, or stabilize it with a zigzag stitch. You can do the zigzag stitch either by manus or with a sewing machine.
Question

How do you go on textile from fraying during prewashing?

This answer was written past one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Respond

Launder the fabric on a gentle cycle with a mild detergent. You can also endeavour cutting the edges with pinking shears earlier yous wash them to minimize fraying. Make certain the textile is unfolded before you put it in the washer, and load it loosely to prevent stress on the fabric.