How to repair moth holes in wool pants

FIXER-UPPER If moths munched through your favorite sweater during lockdown, all’s not lost—an expert weaver might be able to repair your gnawed-on knit.Illustration: Chris Gash

June 15, 2021 3:24 pm ET

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LAST MONTH, while dusting off clothes I hadn’t worn since the PCE (Pre-Covid Era), I discovered, to my horror, that two of my favorite wool suits have been moth-eaten into oblivion. Throughout 2020, while I was cycling through the same cotton sweaters and trousers on repeat, these pests had feasted on my sport coats and dress pants like they were offerings in a Vegas buffet.

It’s not like the world’s moth population focused exclusively on my own closet. In the work-from-home period, many of us stowed away our burly wool sweaters and fine corporate suits for months in dark, undisturbed crevices—prime feeding ground for famished fiber-eaters. And now that we’re venturing out, we’re discovering just how thoroughly our neglected wardrobes have been devoured.

From scarves to sweaters and dresses to coats, we turn to woollens to keep us warm and cosy as the seasons get cold. However, tears, pulls or moth holes can deem your favourite knits unwearable. From darning to visible woven patches, we have a range of techniques to bring your wool garments back to life. Learn about our invisible mending technique as we repair a moth hole in this Burberry scarf.

From hemming jeans to replacing zips and debobbling knits to repairing moth holes, our artisans make sure your wardrobe works for you. Book your collection online, drop in stores or get a preliminary quote.

The moth hole aside, this Burberry scarf was in good condition thanks to its quality materials. We assessed the size of the hole and from there could understand what knitwear repair options we could offer. The hole was a little too big for darning and the repair would show in a different texture; visible mending would involve creating a woven pattern across the hole which would visually clash with the print of the scarf; so the remaining option was visible mending. This is a traditional technique where the empty space across a hole is rebuilt using threads subtly harvested from elsewhere on the garment. While we cannot guarantee that this repair will be fully invisible, using threads from the same garment ensures a consistency in colour and texture.

To begin this moth hole repair with invisible mending, we started by harvesting threads from elsewhere on the scarf. Often, this harvested thread will be taken from a seam allowance on the inside of the garment or from a lining. We took the thread from a tassel to ensure this extraction was as subtle as possible.

Then, using a sharp needle, we reconstruct the area across the hole by meticulously weaving each individual thread. For a strong and lasting repair, it’s important to rebuild this in both the vertical and horizontal directions, also known as the warp and weft. Individual strands of thread were rewoven into the scarf until the original thread count density was matched.

Finally, it was time to address the texture. To recreate the soft, fuzzy texture of the rest of the scarf, we used the same technique of using original threads to rebuild a targeted area. We plucked the finer wool from the underside of the scarf and used a specialist textured needle to adhere this to the rewoven area.

With the area across the hole rebuilt and the texture replicated, this scarf was repaired and ready to be worn all winter long.