When I get a horrible rip or tear, I fuse (use quality very thin fusible) some of the exact same fabric to the torn spot (remember to fuse the right side of your patch to the back side of the tear). You can then sew over the repair or wait until you are quilting to sew it. This gives the patch the the longevity it needs.
Once I used a decorative stitch from my machine with exact color match -less than an inch long. It's one of those "surprises" I tell my family I add on purpose just to see if they can find it. No one knew it was there but me.