Re-weaving to repair moth holes

[Tobus]

My recently-acquired Seaforth military box-pleat kilt is in virtually perfect condition, considering it's 19 years old. There is no sweat staining or yellowing of the lining, no wrinkling or distortion of the pleats, no fading or wear of the cloth, or anything else commonly seen on older military kilts. It looks like it's been stored in ideal conditions... except for one thing.

There is some slight moth damage to the inner apron. As discussed previously, it's almost definitely the result of being worn regimental, as the moth holes seem to be centered right in the area where... well... you know. Here's a close-up of the extent of the damaged area.



All in all, these are pretty small holes that don't seem to be a major detriment to the integrity of the kilt. I'd like to try my hand at repairing them. Since it's on the inner apron (and therefore hidden), it won't be a huge deal if my workmanship isn't perfect. It'll be a fun challenge and a learning experience.

What I intend to do is attempt re-weaving the area. I haven't been able to find a tutorial or description of how this should be done, but I'm assuming I should just take a needle and thread and run it into the existing weave far enough to give it holding power (friction) on both sides of the hole. Working little by little in both directions, and leaving some slack in the new thread so that the over/under action won't pull it too tightly when it's done, I would think I could make this a nearly invisible repair. Does anyone have tips or tricks to doing this? Or advice on how far into the existing cloth I need to back-weave the thread to get a good hold?

figheadair's recent "tartan of the month" thread showed an interesting example of some old repairs to tartan cloth. I'm borrowing his image for illustrative purposes:



I can see several areas where the cloth seems to have distortions where repairs have been made. It looks like perhaps not enough slack was left in the thread to allow the finished repair to be as flexible as the parent cloth. Which is to say, the weave looks really really tight at the repairs. But in the end, even if my repairs end up looking like this, I won't be unhappy. As long as I know the holes have been mended and pose no further risk of opening up, I'll call it successful.

So... where can I get my hands on a couple of feet of wool thread that matches fairly closely? It looks like I only need black, blue, and green. Does anyone have a bit of thread they'd be willing to stick in an envelope and mail to me?

[The Wizard of BC]

Tobus,

Try opening up the apron facings. They are the turned over areas at your aprons outer edges. You should be able to scavenge enough yarns to do your job.

[Jock Scot]

Whilst having holes in your kilt is unfortunate to say the least, I should not loose too much sleep over them, if I were you, paticularly as they are out of sight. At the recent Moy show I saw two kilts, one a MacLeod and one a Macpherson, that had large(3 or 4 inches across) patches in their respective front aprons and their owners did not appear to bat an eye. I have seen bullet holes, rips, burn holes and yes moth holes in kilts and as long as the event is not too formal we just accept these things as "customising"!

[Tobus]

Tobus,

Try opening up the apron facings. They are the turned over areas at your aprons outer edges. You should be able to scavenge enough yarns to do your job.

Ah, good idea! I'll take a look at that area and see whether it's something I have the fortitude to do. I'm assuming I'll have to cut out an entire line of stitching and then hand-sew it back after I've harvested the yarns I need?

Whilst having holes in your kilt is unfortunate to say the least, I should not loose too much sleep over them, if I were you, paticularly as they are out of sight. At the recent Moy show I saw two kilts, one a MacLeod and one a Macpherson, that had large(3 or 4 inches across) patches in their respective front aprons and their owners did not appear to bat an eye. I have seen bullet holes, rips, burn holes and yes moth holes in kilts and as long as the event is not too formal we just accept these things as "customising"!

Heh, yes, there's something to be said for "character". I just worry that because of the placement of these holes, they will start to open up or unravel over time. That's right where my sporran will rest, and the fabric will have to resist the jostling and friction of my sporran moving on the outside (transferred through the outer apron), as well as the rubbing on the inside against my shirt. Do you think this will become an issue over time? I'd hate for it to get to the point where it's a 3" patch that I have to do over it!

[The Wizard of BC]

Tobus, You don't have to cut out a section. Simply unstitch the facings till you find the raw fabric edge. Then pull out the yarns you need. You don't need much and they don't need to be long. Use these yarns for your repair and then re-stitch your facing closed.

About the patch---This is the under apron. A patch would be unnoticable and I see patches all the time on the military kilts that come through the shop.

If the fabric itself is thin and you think may be weakened there is no reason you could not put a 6" or 8" square patch on both sides of the under apron. If you use a slippery fabric for your patch it would help with the chafe issue. The patch would strengthen the area and prevent further chafe.

[Tobus]

Tobus, You don't have to cut out a section. Simply unstitch the facings till you find the raw fabric edge. Then pull out the yarns you need. You don't need much and they don't need to be long. Use these yarns for your repair and then re-stitch your facing closed.

Right, I understand. When I said "cut out", I was talking about cutting the stitches to undo the apron facing, not actually cutting the cloth.

Thanks for the tips.

[MacSpadger]

Tobus, I actually have a few left over meters of unused MOD no.2 QOH tartan from the 90's (I think) in a box, (somewhere??). If you are not in too much of a hurry, I could cut you off a small patch and just post it to you. That would confuse the customs men!

[Father Bill]

Anything that confuses customs is good in my books. I love the look on their faces.

I know, nastiness is unbecoming a priest.

[Jock Scot]

........


Heh, yes, there's something to be said for "character". I just worry that because of the placement of these holes, they will start to open up or unravel over time. That's right where my sporran will rest, and the fabric will have to resist the jostling and friction of my sporran moving on the outside (transferred through the outer apron), as well as the rubbing on the inside against my shirt. Do you think this will become an issue over time? I'd hate for it to get to the point where it's a 3" patch that I have to do over it!

As you are probably going to be the only one to see the patch and the only one who is worrying about it, it matters not what size the patch is, or what is made of. But it would be a wise precaution -----a stitch in time-----and all that. As Steve suggests a patch either side(front and back) should solve the problem for the forseeable future, like the next 20 years at least.

[Chas]

The decision might already have been made, but I will add this, if I may. Tartan is, of course, a twill fabric. So it is not just an over under weave, but rather, over two, under two. As in -



Regards

Chas