Repairing Moth Holes in Velvet -- Is it possible?

BGVintage

BGVintage

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Hi Everyone,

Hope everyone is ready for the holiday season!

I have a 1930s black velvet dress that needs to be repaired. I've attached photos, please excuse the bad lighting. It is so hard to properly photograph black + velvet -- I was trying to show the areas of concern. There are areas where the velvet is missing its 'pile' but the fabric still has the backing - possible moth damage to the bodice of the dress.

Just curious if anyone has had this before and had an idea of how to repair or mend it.

Thanks so much!

xo
Brooklyn
 

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Moths don't eat rayon or cotton, and rarely eat silk, so its probably carpet beetles, but the resulting holes are the same... I have no creative solutions for you - velvet is so finicky and shows every issue.
 
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I don't have any solutions for this either. Has anyone ever tried dabbing a little permanent ink in this situation? I don't know if it would help or just call more attention to the spot.
 
Maggie, I wondered the same thing. I think it might work on a skirt, but perhaps not a bodice?
Be sure to use fabric markers. The ink in writing pen often has some kind of metallic shine to it, that makes trying to conceal a blemish more noticeable. I have used fabric pens successfully on light spots and faded areas. It's aways a guess and a gamble, but you may be able to salvage something you love.
Marian
 
Moths actually do eat silk - silk is a protein animal fiber, the same way that wool is, and both silk and wool are delicious.

For improving the nap, you could use a needle press board specifically meant for ironing velvet and bringing the nap back where it has squished. But, that will only work if the nap is still there, not for a bald spot. I would try to resurrect first with the velvet board, and then, hopefully, it would be fewer spots that need to be colored in with fabric markers. Maybe test a fabric marker on a less conspicuous spot on the skirt, before working on the bodice.

And, then - there are always rhinestones, trim, soutache, embroidery, beads, chainstitch... all the embellishments to make it unique and still in the vintage style. And, a lot of us wear imperfect vintage, I know I feel less bad if I spill or bust a seam while dancing.
 
dollsntrolls said:
Moths actually do eat silk - silk is a protein animal fiber, the same way that wool is, and both silk and wool are delicious.

For improving the nap, you could use a needle press board specifically meant for ironing velvet and bringing the nap back where it has squished. But, that will only work if the nap is still there, not for a bald spot. I would try to resurrect first with the velvet board, and then, hopefully, it would be fewer spots that need to be colored in with fabric markers. Maybe test a fabric marker on a less conspicuous spot on the skirt, before working on the bodice.

And, then - there are always rhinestones, trim, soutache, embroidery, beads, chainstitch... all the embellishments to make it unique and still in the vintage style. And, a lot of us wear imperfect vintage, I know I feel less bad if I spill or bust a seam while dancing.
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Love the idea of soutache or embroidery! All of these might be a nice way to hide the imperfections.

I also like to wear vintage that has some imperfections -- I find that I am not overly carful while wearing and can be more at ease with these pieces.
 
Moths only eat silk if nothing else is available. It's bread and water compared to Prime rib... We had a moth infestation thirty years ago that came in on a military uniform. We caught it early, but it was interesting to see their preferences. White, soft furs like white fox and rabbit were definitely the lobster at the buffet... next came soft (cashmere) light coloured wools, then dark furs and dark soft wools. Then finally hard spun wools, colour didn't seem to matter, were barely touched. Silk was completely untouched, but I have evidence of minor moth activity in old silk pieces that have come into the collection - but it's always minimal - all they need to survive and then get out and move on to tastier futures.
 
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Jonathan said:
Moths don't eat rayon or silk or cotton, so its probably carpet beetles, but the resulting holes are the same... I have no creative solutions for you - velvet is so finicky and shows every issue.
Click to expand...

Hi Jonathan, I'm sorry to disagree but I've seen more moth infestations than I'd like and while they do prefer soft wools like cashmere and merino, they're not fussy when times are tough. I've seen many serious silk and rayon infestations and even found them munching away (incredibly) on acrylic and Crimplene. In fact the worst infestation I've ever seen was on a wardrobe of 1930s rayon.
 
Jonathan said:
Moths only eat silk if nothing else is available. It's bread and water compared to Prime rib... We had a moth infestation thirty years ago that came in on a military uniform. We caught it early, but it was interesting to see their preferences. White, soft furs like white fox and rabbit were definitely the lobster at the buffet... next came soft (cashmere) light coloured wools, then dark furs and dark soft wools. Then finally hard spun wools, colour didn't seem to matter, were barely touched. Silk was completely untouched, but I have evidence of minor moth activity in old silk pieces that have come into the collection - but it's always minimal - all they need to survive and then get out and move on to tastier futures.
Click to expand...

Oh yes, they love fur! I'm currently working on a costume collection and so far have found infestations in six fine wool garments (including a morning coat) and a fox fur. One '40s silk printed dress was untouched but the shoulder pads had been eaten out - not sure what they were padded with, could be anything in WW2.

I suspect that Australia, being generally hotter and more conducive than Canada, I unfortunately see a lot more insect infestations that you do.
 
Brooklyn, this is a lovely dress and well worth saving. My advice is to get it dry cleaned, as there are likely more moth holes that you can't see yet, and you want to make sure that the moths have gone and are no longer doing their dirty work. Once it's clean, I would search for fabric scraps in seams and gently hand-patch from the interior. Velvet is quite good at hiding mends as long as you ensure the grain is all lined up - nothing worse than a patch where the pile announces itself because the it's going in the opposite direction.
 
Portland is damp 8 months out of the year. I have found nesting moths (and dried, dead nests) in garments that they would not be feeding to their young, but rather parked in the closet next to some delicious fur, wool or silk. I am in the habit of freezing and washing everything that comes into the house, to minimize risk to mine and my partner's wardrobes, and to keep the sale racks clear of danger. It can be exhausting after a big shopping day, but much better safe than sorry. What drives me nuts is when I get excited to go through a cedar chest and find that the original owner also tossed moth balls in. Poison on top of natural (lovely smelling) deterrent!
 
Hi all, what about a powder glue like SuperMend? Might that work for applying a backing fabric then filling in with a glue/fiber mixture?

I've seen ads but haven't yet tried it on my own blue velvet dress with moth holes
 
Circa Vintage Clothing said:
Hi Jonathan, I'm sorry to disagree but I've seen more moth infestations than I'd like and while they do prefer soft wools like cashmere and merino, they're not fussy when times are tough. I've seen many serious silk and rayon infestations and even found them munching away (incredibly) on acrylic and Crimplene. In fact the worst infestation I've ever seen was on a wardrobe of 1930s rayon.
Click to expand...
Moths don't eat cotton, cellulose or synthetic fibres unless they are blended with wool, or maybe very soiled?, or maybe, it's some different kind of insect? Sometimes things will eat through something to get at what they want underneath. Generally though, moths always go for the easiest and tastiest proteins they can find. That's why they can bypass a wool suit to get at a cashmere sweater, or if they have a soft nap, they won't chew into the weave, and just eat the surface, leaving dents.
 
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