How to Repair a Split Seam the Right Way

Split seam or hole in the fabric?

Two kinds of damage that look alike, but call for completely different repairs. A clean seam split, also called an open seam, means the sewing thread has broken or unravelled while the two fabric edges – the seam allowance – are intact. Then you simply lay a new seam along the old line. A fabric blowout means the fabric itself has torn, frayed or worn thin right where the seam runs. Then resewing does not help: there is no sound fabric left for the stitches to bite into, and the seam gives way again at once. Telling the two apart is the whole key to a lasting repair.

How to tell the difference

Turn the garment inside out and lay the two edges against each other the way they should meet. You will quickly see which kind of damage you have:

• Clean seam split: the edges meet neatly, the seam allowance is full and the fabric is sound right up to the fold. Quick to sew.
• Fabric blowout: the edges are frayed, stretched, thin or torn into the body of the fabric. Must be reinforced before you sew.
• If in doubt, tug the fabric gently a couple of millimetres from the edge. If it gives or the fibres let go, the fabric is weakened – treat it as a blowout.

How to repair a clean split seam

If the fabric is sound and only the thread has given way, the repair is simple and lasting. The point is to tie the new seam firmly into the old one at each end, so it does not unravel further.

1. Turn the garment inside out and lay the two fabric edges together along the original seam line or fold.
2. Pin, well into the intact seam at both ends.
3. Sew a straight seam that starts a couple of centimetres inside the intact seam and ends a couple of centimetres past the split at the other end.
4. Use a backstitch by hand, or a sewing machine with locking stitches at each end, so the end does not come loose.
5. Use thread that matches the original in colour and thickness, and keep the same stitch length.
6. If the fabric is stretchy, such as jersey or knit, use a zigzag or a stretch stitch, or the straight stitches pop when the fabric is stretched.
7. Press the seam at the end so it lies flat.

When the fabric has torn at the seam

If the fabric has frayed or torn at the seam edge, you have to give it fresh material to hold onto before you close the seam. Without reinforcement, that same weak zone tears open again.

1. Trim away loose threads, but no more fabric than necessary.
2. Cut a patch of thin, woven fabric or a piece of fusible interfacing, slightly larger than the weakened area.
3. Place the patch on the wrong side, behind the damage, and iron it on or baste it in place.
4. Sew across the weak zone and well into sound fabric on both sides – ideally several rows or a dense zigzag, so the load is spread.
5. Then close the seam itself as a normal seam, anchored in the reinforced fabric.

Why the same seam keeps splitting

If the same seam splits again and again, it is rarely random. The most common causes are worth tackling, or the repair is short-lived:

• Too-tight fit: the crotch, seat, thighs and bust take the most strain. If the garment is too tight, it should be let out rather than just sewn.
• Curved seams and armholes: the strain here is high – reinforce rather than just sew.
• Old, brittle thread: if the thread has broken in one place, it will soon break in more. Resew the whole exposed seam.
• Stretch fabric sewn with a straight stitch: switch to a stretch stitch that moves with the fabric.

Send the garment to us

If the fabric is a demanding material, the seam is curved and heavily loaded, or a blowout needs proper reinforcement, you can send the garment to us. We sew split seams and reinforce weakened fabric according to the material and construction, with thread and a stitch that suit the garment – including on lined and structured pieces where the seam is hard to reach. If something should be let out because the fit is the cause, we look at it at the same time. We help customers across Norway, you order online, and you see the price before you order.

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