Help repairing torn fabric around grommets.

[Anna Iram]

The grommets are tearing into the fabric at the front of my favorite gowns! It's unboned and unlined except for a strip of heavy fabric behind the grommets.  Most are just slightly beginning to fray, but one is more significant. I need suggestions as to how to repair this, please. I love this gown and don't want to toss it.  

Here's pics:

[gem]

If you stitch over them as you would with hand-bound eyelets, they should probably be fine (they tell me).

[Lady Rebecca]

The one that's really frayed might need a patch, and then to redo the eyelet. You probably won't see much of the patch fabric because of the eyelet, but from the picture, it looks frayed enough that even stitching around the eyelet won't hold.

[Anna Iram]

Thanks for your replies.

Gem, that was my first thought, but I too think the worst tear can't be saved like this. Though I think if I end up having to redo them all...and it's likely... it's the direction to go.

Rebecca, I know haw to patch a tent grommet or something that doesn't need to look pretty, but with no matching fabric I'm not sure how to patch one eyelette without it looking different from the others. Can you walk me through it?

My other thought was to run a band of some coordinating fabric completly down the line of both sides of eyelettes then making hand stiched eyelettes where the metal ones now are. Perhaps just leaving the grommets in place. Does that sound like something that might work well?

[Lady Rebecca]

I've never done patches without the matching fabric, so if you can't find any, I would say the last option you listed would probably be your best bet...

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

On Lady Renee Buchannan's Buchannan Bodice, she had me do some mending, add a layer of Duck, then have new grommets put in because of fraying.

It turns out now, I will be making her a whole new Buchannan Bodice from a Black linen and the tartan. This Bodice will be well underlined, bond and sturdy to hold grommets that will not cause fraying of the fabric.

[gem]

Anna, is the skirt of the same fabric?  You may be able to cannibalize some fabric from somewhere hidden in the gown--check the skirt hems, the waistband, etc.

[Anna Iram]

There's not an inch of extra fabric anywhere, but good idea.

I think I'm gonna try to mend it with needle and thread first, and reinforce all the eyelettes...that would be ideal...then try my second option. If nothing else this is a good lesson in how to make a stronger garment.

Thanks for your thoughts all.