By Lana Bray
Reweaving is a skill used to repair tears and holes in damaged fabrics. In this technique, thread strands are woven by hand to sew the damaged garment areas in a way that the repair done cannot be seen. Every weaver used a plated with a magnifying glass and small needles with threads to knit the damaged areas. They replicated the torn area of the fabric stitch by stitch, making the area with damage to be undistinguishable.
This process is particularly handy in repairing damages found in fine wool such as moth holes. A weaver must carefully examine an evaluate how the tear or hole looks like, to find out what can be repaired in the garment and what is not possible. However, the garment owner is not assured that the repaired areas will be completely invisible.
Reweaving is done in three unique techniques. Any of the three techniques can be applied, depending on the conditions and hole size of the damaged area as well as the fabric being repaired. One of these methods is the French reweaves, additionally called the invisible reweave. This method is used to repair respected fabrics with tiny tears, burns and holes. Undetectable thread strands coming from unseen areas are woven together using hands, the likes of inseams or cuffs.
The French technique results in a new garment since it zips the hole or tear, making it virtually impossible to for the naked eye to distinguish the difference between the enclosing fabric and the repaired area. In some fabric like gabardine, the repaired section is not totally unseen. One setback of this method is that large tears or L-shaped holes cannot be rewoven.
For large tears whereby the French technique cannot be used, the Inweaving method can be used. In this technique, the worker cuts a piece of unseen fabric and places them over the area with damage in a way that matches the pattern of the fabric. The edges with frays are then woven by hand into the fabric. The repair edges cannot be seen by the naked eye. This method can be used to repair a tear or hole of any size provided there is enough fabric to cover the tear or hole. On plaid or patterned garments, the fabric must have an exact match. A minor outline of the fabric will always be seen.
Another technique almost identical to the French reweave is the reknitting technique. In the process, unseen strands from pullovers, wool and double knits are used, knitting them onto the damaged area. Care should be exercised to ensure the knit patterns and styles of the garments are a match. How visible the repair is depends on the type and color of the knit together with the tear size.
Garment owners who are planning to reweave damage in their fine wool fabrics that are as a result of insect bites are advised to clean the garments first. This is because most of the times, reweavers will only work on garments that are clean. In addition, the only way to see the full extent of the damaged area is when the garment is spotlessly clean.
The process of reweaving is a painstaking and labor intensive one that has to be done with magnifying glasses, top skills of the worker, and lamps with high intensity. Since this is the case, repair of a garment is likely to take up to about six weeks.
This process is particularly handy in repairing damages found in fine wool such as moth holes. A weaver must carefully examine an evaluate how the tear or hole looks like, to find out what can be repaired in the garment and what is not possible. However, the garment owner is not assured that the repaired areas will be completely invisible.
Reweaving is done in three unique techniques. Any of the three techniques can be applied, depending on the conditions and hole size of the damaged area as well as the fabric being repaired. One of these methods is the French reweaves, additionally called the invisible reweave. This method is used to repair respected fabrics with tiny tears, burns and holes. Undetectable thread strands coming from unseen areas are woven together using hands, the likes of inseams or cuffs.
The French technique results in a new garment since it zips the hole or tear, making it virtually impossible to for the naked eye to distinguish the difference between the enclosing fabric and the repaired area. In some fabric like gabardine, the repaired section is not totally unseen. One setback of this method is that large tears or L-shaped holes cannot be rewoven.
For large tears whereby the French technique cannot be used, the Inweaving method can be used. In this technique, the worker cuts a piece of unseen fabric and places them over the area with damage in a way that matches the pattern of the fabric. The edges with frays are then woven by hand into the fabric. The repair edges cannot be seen by the naked eye. This method can be used to repair a tear or hole of any size provided there is enough fabric to cover the tear or hole. On plaid or patterned garments, the fabric must have an exact match. A minor outline of the fabric will always be seen.
Another technique almost identical to the French reweave is the reknitting technique. In the process, unseen strands from pullovers, wool and double knits are used, knitting them onto the damaged area. Care should be exercised to ensure the knit patterns and styles of the garments are a match. How visible the repair is depends on the type and color of the knit together with the tear size.
Garment owners who are planning to reweave damage in their fine wool fabrics that are as a result of insect bites are advised to clean the garments first. This is because most of the times, reweavers will only work on garments that are clean. In addition, the only way to see the full extent of the damaged area is when the garment is spotlessly clean.
The process of reweaving is a painstaking and labor intensive one that has to be done with magnifying glasses, top skills of the worker, and lamps with high intensity. Since this is the case, repair of a garment is likely to take up to about six weeks.
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