Give your jerseys some TLC...here's how to quickly, easily and discreetly mend a hole!

I have had lots of questions about mending and darning holes in jerseys. So, this week I've managed to locate a jersey with a couple of holes, and I'm going to show you how I fix it!

You need very little really. Something that is particularly handy is a darning mushroom. Alternatively, you could just use a cup or something with rounded sides because it is easier if you have something to put inside the item of clothing. That way you can really clearly see the hole and it holds it open, which is much easier to stitch. The darning mushroom is great because you can hold the handle of it inside for extra security as you stitch.

Then you need a needle (pick the length you feel most comfortable stitching with, I find a longer one easier for this) and some thread. As close a colour match as you can get the better because then it's more of an invisible stitch.

Some jerseys come with a little bit of wool, if it does, keep it to one side because it may come in handy. It is better if you can fix a hole in a woollen jumper with wool, but I don't have any navy wool to match. Thankfully it's a tiny hole, so a little bit of cotton is going to do the job perfectly well.

I use a double thread because I just find it stronger and easier, but you can use a single thread as well if you prefer. It's just really personal preference.

Thread your needle and pop a knot in the end. With wool you'll want a slightly bigger knot than you would use if you were sewing with cotton because you want the knot to hold. Trims the ends off.

Insert your darning mushroom/cup inside the garment, turned inside out, and just start to catch a few of the threads.

Stitch all the way around the edge of the hole, just roughly.

Once you've gone all the way around the edge of the hole, go straight across the middle, catching some wool on either side like that. Go back and forth.

Try to not pull it too tight, if you do it will really buckle on the other side.

Run a couple of threads through the other way. Effectively you're doing a noughts and crosses board, criss-crossing backwards and forwards across the hole. Pull your threads through, turn it round and check what it looks like from the other side.

Leave the needle attached because you might need to do a few more stitches. If you're happy with how it looks, turn the garment back around to the other side. You don't need to put the mushroom or cup back in, but just secure off with a knot.

Make a little loop and then pull the needle through to knot it off and to make it extra secure. Do this twice to create a double knot.

Snip off any excess, and there we have it!

So it's really, really easy. If you catch a hole early before it gets too big, it's less likely to grow, particularly with wool. Remember a stitch in time saves nine!

Have a fabulous weekend.

Love,