Repair Methods for Vintage Chenille

Cleaning Chenille

• Cleaning vintage chenille helps determine the extent of damage created. Hand wash vintage chenille in the bathtub using a cup of mild detergent for every gallon of cool water. Since vintage chenille is not a true white color -- it's an eggshell color that has a very pale tan tint -- seamstresses avoid the use of bleach that could make the chenille look blotchy. They lay the fabric flat to air dry.

Sewing Materials

• A seamstress uses a cotton and polyester thread in repairing small holes. They may also use an all polyester thread. With the use of a sewing machine equipped with stretch needle that's 75/11 size, the seamstress creates a zigzag stitch spaced for the size of the hole or tear that is being sewn closed. A 2-inch length by 2-inch width zigzag stitch is used to repair hems for vintage chenille.

Patch Sewing

• When a hole is too large to be sewn together, a seamstress may decide to create a patch of chenille fabric to repair the hole. Chenille patches are made by combining several layers of fabric together in a patch that is 2-inches longer and wider than the hole to be fixed. The seamstress pin bastes the layers together, which means placing pins at intervals to prevent the fabric from bunching. The fabric is then stitched into rows -- either straight, diagonal or wavy -- and stitched a second time 1/4 inch on either side of the original stitch. The layers of fabric are cut between the stitches, except for the last fabric patch, and tossed into both the washer and dryer to fluff out the stitched rows.

Redesign Repair

• When vintage chenille looks too battered for proper repair, the seamstress will create other fabric projects using the chenille. The seamstress may repair an old robe or quilt by adding the vintage chenille, using a pattern to cut the vintage chenille into the right shape and size pieces. The fabric is placed on the sewing machine that can create a serge stitch, which cuts the fabric while creating an overlock stitch that hems the edges together.