Seam and tear repairs in Tomball, TX

What this alteration involves

Repairs fall into a few kinds. A split seam is where the stitching has broken but the fabric is intact, common at the seat of pants, under the arms and at pocket corners. It can usually be restitched along the original line. A split lining, often at the back seam of a jacket or under the arm, is similar, though lining fabric frays easily. A tear is a break in the fabric itself, away from a seam. Tears can often be closed or reinforced from the inside, but some sign of them usually remains. What affects the result: whether the fabric is frayed or worn thin around the damage, how busy the pattern or weave is, how far the tear sits from a seam, and whether the fabric is a knit that can run.

How to get the best fit

• Point out every spot you want repaired. Small splits in linings and pocket corners are easy to miss.
• Bring the garment in before the damage grows. A seam that is starting to open keeps opening with wear and washing.
• Say how the garment is used. Work pants that get hard wear may need a sturdier repair than something worn now and then.
• If the tear came with a stain, such as from a fall, point that out too.

What can and cannot be done

Seam repairs are usually close to invisible. Tears in the middle of a panel are harder, and on smooth, plain or shiny fabrics the repair line often shows. Busy patterns and textured weaves hide repairs better. Fabric that is worn thin around the damage may tear again next to the repair. Holes from moths or burns are a different problem from a clean tear. At the counter we can look at the damage and say what is likely to work.