Patching jeans?

[Hedy]

My best fitting pair of jeans have deveoped a hole (2"x2") in the inner thigh. In the interest of frugality, what the best way to patch them-ready made patch? Piece of denim from a different pair of jeans? What would you do?

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Yes, denim from another pair of jeans is probably best. Then your decision is whether to place the patch inside or outside.

[Hedy]

Yes, denim from another pair of jeans is probably best. Then your decision is whether to place the patch inside or outside.

Which it better? I've only done the funky patch to cover a knee hole form of patching before.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

As to which is better, inside or outside patch, I think it is a matter of taste and sewing skill.

If you put the patch on the inside, less patch shows, but you still need, ideally to sew down the edges of the hole so that it does not continue to enlarge and become a bigger problem as well as bigger eyesore.

If you put the patch on the outside, it might actually be more obvious if it is a small patch. If you make a large patches that covers the entire knee area, from side seam to side seam, it can actually be less obvious. It might just look like pants with double, reinforced knees, especially if you go ahead and put a matching patch on the other knee.

There may be a comfort factor, too, I would find smaller patches more annoying than big ones whose edges fell on the sides where the seams of the jeans are already. But you might find small patches less annoying. For me it is kind of like getting used to a bothersome tag in the neck of a shirt.

Back in my early days it was fashionable to have patched jeans. People often used embroidered patches or appliqués to "personalize" their jeans. You can buy decorative patches at fabric shops. An awful lot of them will be cutesy little kid stuff or floral. Some might be preppy looking, like a patch you might see on a blazer. Some might be interesting in an ersatz ethnic way. I imagine you could buy another pair of jeans at Goodwill for the price of a cool embroidered appliqué at the fabric store.

[Gruntina]

I seen somone sew on a design embroidery patches. I love the daisy ones. You could cover the hole with one and put two daisy ones on the back pocket to make it look like it was the style. You would probably have to search for really nice ones so it does not look like it was made for children.

[shelbylovesmelby]

Some good ideas already mentioned. Using scrap jean material or using a patch to make them more uniquely yours.

I usually just try to stitch them the best I can & save them for home use. As I usually get tears by the horizontal stitching to the left of the zipper pannel & just sewing it up gives it a few more months of life. I'd patch them but I don't need any more emphasis on my waistline as it is if you KWIM?

GL w/ your patch job.

[PrincessPerky]

whatever you do, do not use a giant needle on the sewing..and use small stiches, large ones tend to create a new line of tear...I gave a pair to a friend to sew (she needed money, I didn't like the job) I now have a pair of jeans with two patches...and tears along the top seam she made...not to helpful.

Next time I'll give her the loot and sew the jeans myself

[mom-from-missouri]

I just use iron on denim patches and iron them on the inside of the jeans. Living on a farm, I patch jeans weekly.

[LittleGopher]

For inner thigh holes, I'd do what mom-from-missouri suggests. If it's a round worn-away hole, I'd do two iron-ons - one inside and one outside (maybe cut down the outside one to be less noticeable.) I've also been known to do a little stitching to keep it all in place, and not fraying around the edges. There are special denim needles available for machine stitching, which really work well.

A good fitting pair of jeans IS worth the effort - good luck!

[jamai]

alternatively, you could leave the wholes, it will look like they were designed like that!

[mbhunter]

My wife has patched my jeans a few times, but there's only so much you can do when the split is front and center.

[Plassky]

my mother patches our jeans with pieces from other jeans, so we sorta look like we shop at abercrombie and other stores.

[Hedy]

I just use iron on denim patches and iron them on the inside of the jeans. Living on a farm, I patch jeans weekly.

I went with the iron on patch-thanks!

[razzxxx]

Does the iron ons really work? and how long do they last