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I’m sharing a quick clothing tip with you today: how to fix loose threads on clothing with a felting needle
Two months ago I bought an LAMade french terry hoodie at TJMaxx (Instagram’d here). I was hemming and hawing about buying it because I knew the soft terry material would be prone to snags… actually a few of the same hoodies on the rack were already getting damaged!
I loved the design too much though, so I decided to buy it anyway and try to take care of it.
I wasn’t wrong in my assumptions… here’s the right shoulder after one day of wear:
The back of the hoodie also had a few snags too.
Instead of giving up and donating your damaged clothing to a thrift store, or cutting loose threads (which could damage the integrity of the material) first try using a felting needle instead.
A felting needle has tiny jagged edges cut into the needle. It is typically used to sculpt wool roving. All you need to do is push the needle through the material and the barbs tangle and matt the threads together.
Make sure you separate the top layer of clothing from the bottom layer… you don’t want to attach the two! Also, watch out for your fingers.
Make sure to be careful, as these needles are very SHARP.
Just push the loose thread in with the needle and it should go in without disturbing the rest of the material. Repeat a few times if the loose thread is stubborn.
And after using the needle, here is the completed shoulder:
I bought my needles at a local sewing shop, but you can find them online as well. Try this listing on Etsy for a single needle for $4.50. Or try doing an Etsy search for felting needles here. I wouldn’t pay for more than $5 total for one, and even though I have a pack of 3, all you really need is a single needle.
So that’s my quick clothing tip! Have fun and be careful!
♥ E&I
Does that mean the inside of the jacket will look kind of like the outside of the jacket, pre-felting needle? Will have to definitely buy one — usually I just try to find any instrument in the house that will work. *shakes head*
Yup the threads will get pushed in and show up on the inside
This is brilliant! Gah you’re so genius. I need to be more crafty like this. I’m going to go through my closet and look for these types of snags so I can repair them all and have *new* clothes!! Thanks
OMG this a life and money saver.
Great tip! Thanks so much!
OMG! This is a wardrobe lifesaver! I’m trying this out this weekend!
Oh perfect, I’ve been annoyed that some of my clothes have started catching on things and I had no way to save them. Would you only recommend doing this to thicker fabrics?
I think it would help fabrics that are opaque at the very least. Thin knits might show the puncture holes though so if you try this, test at an inconspicuous location first.