How do I repair a torn shirt?

Question

I have a gauze big-shirt with a fairly large corner tear on the sleeve. I wear this shopping and walking the dog so it doesn't need to look perfect, but the fabric is flimsy so I am afraid hand sewing won't work well. It has been years since I have done any serious sewing, so are there new products available that I could use to repair this favorite shirt?

Answer 1

It sounds unlikely that you would be able to fix your shirt if the tear is in the fabric since the fabric is so flimsy.  If you tried to piece it back together or use some kind of patch, it would be very obvious.  However, if you just have a torn seam, you should be able to stich that right up either by hand or with a machine.

Answer 2

Take some hem tape and iron it over the torn spot.  Make sure you use wax paper over top of it so it won't stick to the iron. Hem tape is very transparent and you probably won't see it through the sleeve.  You could also iron a patch on the underside and then embellish the sleeves so the tear won't be too noticable.

Answer 3

I would zig zag over the tear and then cover it with an embroidered applique.  You can buy these at the sewing or craft store; they aren't expensive and come in a lot of sizes, so you should be able to find something the right size.  There are lots  of designs, you can probably find one with a dog on it!