Care study: Erasing moth damage from a vintage Chanel jumper

Maker: Lyudmilla A  | Item: Vintage Chanel jumper | Service: Knitwear repair

This multi-coloured jumper came to The Seam with decades of wear and more than 30 moth holes dotted across the colour-blocked surface. We connected its owner with Maker Lyudmilla A, one of our talented invisible knitwear repair specialists, based in Birmingham, UK. 

Our premium invisible knitwear repairs are done by taking yarn from the seams of a garment to replicate the knit structure and discreetly repair holes. When a jumper has a pattern, or is colour-blocked like this one, our Makers will source additional yarns, matching as closely as possible to the original garment. For this Chanel, the teal blue yarn that was used to repair most of the holes was harvested from the seams, and a near-match in green was sourced for the remaining damage. 

On each hole, Lyudmilla trims broken yarn ends and tucks them to the reverse of the garment. She then threads yarn onto a needs and replicates the structure of the knit nearby the hole, working her way towards the damage. Where moths have eaten away the material, Lyudmilla creates a new knit structure in place of the vacant space, looping yarns around a fine knitting needle, and connecting the loops back into the exciting knit structure. Once each hole is repaired, the yarn is knitted into the jumper’s reverse and it’s nearly impossible to tell where the damage was initially located. 

Now, this jumper is ready for another winter of wear, and returned to like-new again condition. Got moths in your wardrobe? Click here to begin your invisible knitwear repair booking and get a quote from our Makers in 48 hours. 

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