Creative Mending

Since I wanted to try making at least one garment this month I decided to tackle mending this black and white flannel sample shirt I got from Fabscrap. Sample garments are unfinished pieces that can have some issues, although from the front this one looked really nice.

The real issue was the big gap in the back, which was about 8" X 12".

I didn't have any kind of flannel scraps large enough to patch the gap, unfortunately. The shape of the hole reminded me of NYC skyscrapers, however, and in the white scrap pack I had a graphic knit piece I thought would work well as a patch.

I needed something to cover the raw edges of the gap, and tried a couple of bias scraps I had on hand (always save your bias scraps; you never know when you'll need them!)

Another possibility. I still don't know where I got this roll of bias. Someone must have given it to me.

In the end plain black seemed to be the way to go.

The next step was to baste the patch in place for sewing on the machine. I have a Singer heavy duty, so I wasn't worried about the bulk. Mixing knit with flannel can create some headaches, though, as one is stretchy and the other isn't. If you're ruthless with pinning you can make it work.

I then covered the raw edges with the black bias and sewed it in place on the machine. I went very slow so the knit wouldn't pucker or stretch out of place.

The end result, which I think looks quite good. Saving one sample garment isn't a big deal, especially when the fix was pretty simple, but it pushed me to step outside my comfort zone and really get creative. Lots of fun.

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