How to Patch A Pair Of Jeans

While some do enjoy the worn look and the added ventilation offered by torn jeans, others do not. For those that do not, patching jeans is a great way to get a bit more wear out of them. Many apply patches that are decorative, adding to the overall look of their jeans with a splash of their own personal style, while others prefer a discreet patch in a closely matched color. The basic process of patching jeans is fairly simple and even those without any real sewing experience can make a patch and sew it on over a rip, tear or hole.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fabric
• Straight pins
• Old magazine or heavy piece of cardboard
• Needle
• Scissors
• Thread
• Iron and ironing board

1. Collect your supplies. You’ll need the jeans, the fabric you plan on using for the patch (a fairly durable cotton fabric is the best choice), a pair of scissors to cut the fabric to the right size and shape, some straight pins to pin it in place, an old magazine or piece of cardboard to help with the pinning process, a needle and thread. If the patch fabric is very wrinkled, ironing it can make the process easier.

2. Prepare the patch. Whether you decide on a simple square patch or choose to cut the fabric into a heart or some other shape, you’ll need to make sure to cut the patch large enough to cover the hole and overlap it by at least a half of an inch. Add an extra half of an inch if you want to hem the patch. If you prefer the look of patches with frayed edges, don’t hem it and after a few washes, the edges will fray.

3. Hem the patch if desired. Fold edges under one quarter of an inch and press in place. Repeat. Use a simple straight stitch if you want the stitching to show or a standard hemming stitch, catching just a few threads on the upper side that will visible while making regular-sized stitches on the bottom side.

4. Pin the prepared patch in place. If the patch needs to be placed in an awkward to reach spot, you can slide an old magazine or piece of cardboard in place to make sure you don’t pin together the front and back part of the leg or other parts that shouldn’t be sewn together.

5. Sew the patch in place. Thread the needle and tie a knot at the end of the thread. Start from the inside of the jeans, so that knot will be inside, not visible on your patch, and put the needle through. If you are working with a patch that is not hemmed, you’ll want to have your line of stitches about a half of an inch away from the edge of the patch. You’ll be doing your sewing from the top, pushing the needle in from the top and drawing it back up from the inside so you can watch your stitches and make sure they stay even. If you are working with a hemmed patch and want the stitching to show, place your line of stitches in the center of the edge that you folded and pressed when you did the hem. Sew from the top. If you don’t want the stitching to show, turn the jeans inside out and work that way. You’ll be carefully making your stitches so that they catch the first layer of the edge that you folded, pressed and sewed into place, rather than passing the needle through all of the layers and making the stitches visible on the outside. Remove the pins as you pass them with your line of stitching.

6. Make sure you’ve removed all pins from the jeans, and your jeans-patching task is done.

Tips & Warnings

• Sturdy cotton is a good choice for patches. Some people like to use decorative patches of a variety of other fabrics, such as velvet, and add some embroidery, bead work, or sequins. Make sure, however, that you use washable fabrics and notions so that your patch will look its best for as long as possible.