How to Repair a Hole in the Couch

After yesterday's update on how my life has progressed since starting the blog, I got to thinking about all the pins I've done, some useful, some not.  Most of the pins I've done aren't very useful in the real world unless you want to craft something.  Say for instance the ladder stitch, not very useful unless you want to sew a pillow closed or make some stuffed animals.  And really, how many stuffed animals is someone really going to make?  Butterfly would probably jump in here to say that she will make a lot.  She actually just bought a pattern for making cute little stuffed animals.  I expect to start seeing them taking over my sister's house at any moment.

This got me thinking, though, about how to utilize my skills in new ways.  The first thing that came to mind was the gaping hole in my sister's couch.  One day I came over to visit and found a large sign that said, "DO NOT SIT HERE" placed upon the couch in the exact spot in which I normally sit.  Apparently the seam in the middle of the chair back had come apart and ripped quite a bit, creating a large hole through which the stuffing could be seen.  Ever since, several weeks now, no one has been able to sit on that part of the couch for fear of ripping the seams even more and creating a bigger hole.

Today I thought, I can fix that.  So we headed to Jo Ann's and picked up some heavy duty upholstery thread and some special needles to aid in stitching that seam back up.  The idea was simple, use a ladder stitch, something I had done before although not in a blog post, to sew up the hole without showing the seam. 

Just to refresh my memory, I went back and looked at a pin for a ladder stitch (link).  The process is very simple, just takes time, a lot in the case of sewing on leather it seems.  Doing it on upholstery, however, does require some special tools.  You will need some super whooptydoo furniture thread (thicker and sturdier) and a curved needle.

Step 1:  Thread your needle and tie a knot in one end. 

Step 2:  Anchor and knot your thread by pushing the needle through a part of the seam and pulling the thread through, leaving a small portion at the back that you don't thread all the way through.  Then push the needle through again leaving a loop through which you will pull the thread through, making your knot.  If this doesn't make any sense you can find instructions with pictures for this here.

Step 3:  Once you have a starting place, thread the needle through the fabric on one edge within your seam line, then thread again through the other edge of the fabric also within the seam line.  Continue on in this fashion creating a ladder effect with the stitches, hence the name.  After you have a few stitches you can then pull them tight, thereby pulling the edges of the fabric together and enclosing the stitches inside the seam line. 

Note:  As my sister's couch was made out of leather, I found out real quick that leather holds up well to wear and tear for a reason.  It's thick!  Trying to thread the needle through was killing my fingers.  I finally used some needle nose pliers to help me push the needle through the leather and pull it out the other side.  Even doing so my hands and fingers were killing me after just a few stitches and I had to trade off and on with my sister to get the job done.  

The work was harder than I thought it would be, but well worth the effort as we did a great job stitching up the hole.  I look forward to more applications in the future.  Until next time, same bat time, same bat channel.  See you tomorrow, wish me luck.