Mistakes & fixes

A loop of thread pulled from a knit's surface, leaving a puckered dot, should never be cut. Use a small crochet hook or needle to work the slack back to the fabric's wrong side.

A seam that has come apart along its stitching line, usually at a stress point like the underarm, needs the old thread trimmed away and the seam restitched, often reinforced with a bar tack.

Reinforcing or covering a hole with an added piece of fabric, sewn behind the damage for invisible support or over the top as a visible feature. Match the patch fabric's weight and stretch to the garment.

A missing button needs a replacement sewn on with a thread shank matching the fabric's thickness, so it sits without pulling the buttonhole tight. Match hole spacing to the buttonhole and reinforce with extra thread passes.

Removing incorrect stitches without tearing the fabric means cutting only every third or fourth stitch on one side with a seam ripper, then pulling the intact thread free from the other side. Work slowly on delicate weaves.