Casualty, any suggestions?

LorrelMae

LorrelMae

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Sorry about the poor photos!

I am assuming the prongs were snagged on a dress next to it. Someone went to pull it off the rack and tore the sheer fabric that the rhinestones are attached to.

I can't think of any way to repair it :duh2:!

I thought maybe someone here may have an idea!

Thank you, Sandi
 
Sandi, I'm not quite sure what we're looking at: is it a fold of fabric under the bust of a '60s dress, taffeta (or satin) covered in chiffon and then encrusted with rhinestones?

Okay - here is what I would do but it's not a quick fix.
If the chiffon was very badly damaged, I would undo the fabric piece, remove the rhinestones, and either replace the fabric fold into the dress or I would recover with a new piece of chiffon and then replace. Whether you put these rhinestones, other "jewels" or nothing at all on the fabric is up to you. I'd be inclined to put the shinys back if you could.

Or - you could remove the chiffon by carefully cutting it away, around the rhinestones and the stitching. It looks like it might be a nylon chiffon? That would be much easier than the first "proper" way.

How annoying! Beaded, sequinned and "gem" encrusted gowns don't mix well with others. I tend to hang them seperately, preferably where they can't be damaged.

Nicole.
 
I htink we are looking at a waist line and there is a rip the the left (when looking dead on) of the big stone?

I am thinking pull out the stones cloese around the rip and stitch witch it if there is a clothe under the shiffon... if not then pull out alot of stones and cut out and even section, then sew the new piece in and replace the stones...

or the easiest way.. if you dont mind taking a loss of value.. sell as is? somethimes worht the time you save lol :-) hope that helps... unless i have the entirely wrong idea of what I am looking at?

Jennifer
 
I wish I could see what's going on with this a bit more clearly... Can you post a photo of what is around this--is it a waistline?

I've repaired nylon chiffon a couple of times, and it's come out nicely. But, gosh, it depends on if the tear is a "clean" one, how long it is, exactly where it is, and how fine, or not, the nylon chiffon is. Also, just how valuable the item is. Based on what I see in the photos, you might try repairing it--but I can't say for sure if it would be possible unless I physically saw this, or had a clearer photo to look at.

What I've done is find a matching thread and "split" it to make it thinner, as I've never found a thread that is fine gauge enough for nylon (I do this with lace repairs, too, if the lace is very fine). I use the finest hand-sewing needle I have, and, pricking it between the weave of the chiffon, taking tiny stitches, I use an overcast stitch to close the tear. This sounds time consuming, but it's really not--at least not as much as the other solutions available! I would start & end my stitching as near to a rhinestone on either end as possible, or under the edges of the stone if there is some room. That'll "hide" the small knot at the end of the thread. If the "weave" of the chiffon is fairly loose, this works well, as it's a lot like pulling up lace to repair it. And it can be impossible to detect unless one is specifically looking for it. In this case I think the stones will help in camoflaging the repair. If this is in a spot where this area doesn't stick out like a sore thumb, it won't matter if the repair is totally "invisible."

If you've got a steady hand and good touch with a needle & thread, and the other factors are favorable, that is, personally, what I would do. If the tear is more than about 1/2", though, I think I'd just remove the chiffon layer, as Nicole suggests, and leave it that way. Or, if this is a very old, and/or very valuable piece, I'd leave it as is if I were selling it.
 




These were the best I snapped, this morning! So I added one full length, so you could get a better idea. If you click on them, it should take you to my flickr page, and you can see better on the larger images.


I'm not a very good seamstress, laughable really. I may just try to repair it, without taking out the chiffon. Just to make it less noticeable, and maybe mark it down. It's just so pretty. It's hand made, she attached the rhinestones to the chiffon, then backed it with nude sheer fabric.

I should probably use the clear/ nylon thread?

Thanks everyone!

Sandi
 
If you are good with a needle and thread I would try mending the rip. First DO NOT use the full thickness of the thread. Unravel it to get a very thin strand. Most thread consists of two/three twisted fillaments. Use a very fine beading needle and weave back and forth to fill the hole make sure you start beyond the edges of the rip. When you have filled in one direction begin weaving the opposite way. This will close the hole and fill it in. It will show a little but look much better.

Melody
 
Melody, if it's an actual hole, I'd go with your suggestion. But, if it's a straight tear, with all the fabric intact, wouldn't it be easier to stitch the edges together with a very fine overcast stitch and take up only a hair's width of fabric on each side--with, as we've both suggested, splitting the thread? I actually enjoy weaving in holes on wool tweeds and in lace if I can't just draw it up, but I'd hate to try it on chiffon myself--I don't think I'd trust my eyes or hands!
 
Thank you Melody, and Anne!

I will have to look in my sewing books for some stitch diagrams. I think I know what you mean by "weaving"!

Thank you again!!

Sandi
 
Sandi, I wouldn't use the clear nylon thread, though. It's slippery and I find it hard to work with. I'd find a silk thread, then pull the filaments apart to get a fine gauge thread.

It sounds harder than it is to do the repair, and I think that the fact that you have so many stones around the area will make the repair difficult to notice.
 
I will look in my local sewing store for a silk thread. I don't usually look too longingly at thread! I manhandle velvets, silks, and woolen!

Sandi
 
I suggest silk because it's thinner and finer than many threads, but if you can find a synthetic that's thin, that'll work, too. If you do have a local sewing shop, the person in the notions dept. should be able to help you select a good thread to use!
 
You can avoid this by pulling the thread through by hand.
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Melody, this sounds like the perfect way to avoid making bigger stitching holes than necessary! This may be a dumb question, but do you need a beading needle (which I have never used) to accomplish this? I usually use a hand-sewing needle with the tiniest-width eye I can find, but even after splitting the filaments of the thread (and I do find that cotton tends to break; that's one reason I like the silk), I have a devil of a time threading the thing. It's probably my eyes and not the needle, but, alas, not much to be done about that!

I have several repairs that need doing soon, and would love to have exactly the right thing to do them with! So, I would use a beading needle, right? And do those come in different gauges? And do you partially pull the thread through with the needle, then pull it off and finish it by hand? I'm dumb about arts & crafts thingies. I make jewelry, but only with spring-set castings and pre-made chains!!!!!!! The easy way out.... Thanks!
 
A beading needle does not tear up delicate fabric like a regular sewing needle can. I use them on chiffons, organzas, fine silks and voiles. They are awful to thread! I need strong reading glasses just to see the eye and you need to cut the end of the thread with good scissors so it it nice and sharp to pass through easily. Most craft stores carry them they are ultra thin and a bit long.

Yes, I pull the thread through with the needle until it just clears then I pull the rest through by hand gently. I only have one gauge beading needle at home but they may come in other gauges.

For medium weight fabric I use an average sewing needle and for heavy wools I use a crewel needle. For wools I try and tease a thread out of the hem or a seam so it matches perfectly.

Melody
 
They are awful to thread! I need strong reading glasses just to see the eye and you need to cut the end of the thread with good scissors so it it nice and sharp to pass through easily.
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LOL! Melody, I have to do that with a regular sewing needle, plus take my glasses OFF to see well enough to thread it!!!! Sometimes takes me as long to thread the needle as to do the repair!

Thanks for the tip on the beading needle--I'll stop at the local Michael's this week and pick one up.

I use the crewel needles with wool, too, and I've co-opted several of my husband's old wool sweaters to pull threads from. I usually can find something to match, which is faster for me than trying to find a large enough seam allowance to take from. But, alas, when there's something unusual, I do resort to stealing from the item itself!
 
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