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Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
I'm also the author of DIY Wardrobe Makeovers!

Essential blue jean mending method--Tutorial!

I love my jeans.  I wear jeans all the time, and have favorite pairs for different moods.  The shape matters, and once you've worn a favorite pair out you can't duplicate the softness.  Anyway, I wear my jeans out, and for a long time have been expertly patching the knees and crotches of favorite pairs.  I got the idea for this method of patching holes from my roommate my first year of college, indirectly from Abercrombie and Fitch.  You know those "destroyed" jeans that the typical dad insults at family reunions, making snarky remarks about how they cost twice as much as the new ones but they're already worn out?  Lots of brands sell destroyed jeans with paint spots, worn holes, and patched holes.  Not the greatest purchase for everyday wear, but the look is acceptable and sometimes you really want to hang on to those favorite jeans, so it's nice to have the option of creating your own.

How to Mend Holes in Jeans!


Here's a photo tutorial of how to do this on a pair of jeans with a gaping hole:
  • Assess the damage.  Here's a pair of my fiance's jeans that wore a hole in the butt.
  • Collect your interfacing.  I recommend the nicer Pellon type, the polyester stuff, not the papery stuff.  I save small scraps of it (you buy it by the yard but this is one of the things it's worth it to save pieces of when you're done using it on a project!).
  • Turn the jeans inside out and check out the inside of the holes.
  • Cut a piece of interfacing approximately the size of the holes and lay it over them.
  • Set the iron on the correct setting for the fabric (cotton) and iron the interfacing down, trying to cover the whole area.
  • When I ironed the patch on, the interfacing sort of shrunk away from part of the hole, so I added a wedge to cover better.
  • Turn the jeans right side out and position them under your presserfoot.  This mending method requires no hand sewing, yay!  It is pretty awkward to get the pants in the right position, depending on the size.  These are big man jeans so it's not too hard.
  • Here's the fun part.  Sew forward/backward/forward/backward.... a million times, over the hole.  I usually make big triangular zigzags over the gap and then go back to the beginning and make denser lines.  See here we are, partially done:
  • As you sew, the feed dogs pull the thin interfacing toward the rest of the fabric, like stitches pull together an open wound.  So although the bottom hole has a big gap in it, it will be fixed when I stitch over it.  I pretty much keep my finger on the backstitch button this whole time.
  • Now flip them inside out and see what it looks like on the back.
  • In this case I didn't cover the whole area of the interfacing, and although it claims to be machine washable, it will peel up after a few wearings.  So I chose to sew around the edge even though the stitches will show a little through the fabric.
  • Now you're done!  Flip them right side out, and done!

I have some good and some bad examples of this technique on my absolute favorite pair of jeans.  It's pretty ridiculous how many times I've patched them.  I used blue thread on a lot of these patches so it's almost invisible, although it gets pretty thick when patches overlap.  See?

I know, you're thinking, "Suzannah, just get some new jeans!" But...Gap doesn't make this cut anymore!  Jean-patching is a very important skill to have, when sometimes it's one hole that makes the difference between the Goodwill pile and the favorite pile.  Yay for mending!

Update:

143 comments

  1. Anonymous12/16/2009

    What!? I can do this???/ Hooray hooray!! Thank you for this post!!!

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  2. Hehe, I give my jeans "a second life" just like you do! They always get worn out just on that exact spot and the rest is still ok.
    In Sweden the iron-on material is called "Vliseline" (pronounced with an F becaus it´s a german word). Thanks for a lovely inspiering blog!
    And happy hollidays from Swdeden!
    Anna

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  3. great tutorial - thanks!
    PS i came over from crafterhours!!

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  4. Oh my... I think I love you! I have a hard time finding jeans that fit, then when I do, I wear them into submission! I just discovered a hole starting in the crotch of one pair, and almost wept, because each pair costs almost $45!

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  5. What a great idea! I'm going to have to try it! Hey, do you have any ideas for making a pair of jeans a little longer? I have a pair that I adore, but they really need to be longer. I'm afraid they'll end up looking like little girl jeans if I try adding fabric to them. Stop by and visit me sometime!
    http://songberries.blogspot.com

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  6. Hi Carol! All I can say on making jeans longer is, several times I've taken the hem out, pressed the bottoms flat, and reinforced them with stiff iron-on interfacing. I should do a tutorial for this... thanks for the idea!

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  7. Hallelujah... I have about 8 pairs of my beloved's pants and jeans, all worn at the crotch (what does that say about him?! I just don't know). I've tried other methods of patching or those store-bought iron on patches, but duh, I really should've done this. Thanks for the tutorial. To the mending basket!!

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  8. one more reason to get a sewing machine

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  9. My grown sons wear out their favorite jeans too and I use a similar method but instead of interfacing, I use a patch of denim on the inside, right side facing the hole/outside of pants. I cut the patch bigger than the hole and pink the edges so it doesn't ravel. I think the thicker denim takes the continued stress better than thin interfacing, as long as it's "anchored" outside of where the actual hole and thinning fabric on the jeans starts, which means you won't need multiple patches over time. With jeans colored thread and a million back and forths of stitching, the denim patch thins out so it's not as bulky as you might think and it is nearly invisible. I have a bunch of old jeans in all shades from when they were little boys that I've kept to cut patches from. Just another idea for you ... :-)

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  10. thank you for this tute! i was coing to chuck my favorite pair because it tore at the crotch, but now i guess i can save it!

    i guess i will go woth debbie cooks method of agging denim inside... because in the whole crotch area, fabric is thinner than the rest of the jeans now.

    thanks for giving the tute!

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  11. Hello adventures, you are a star, thanks for great tutorial. I live in italy so I would like to translate your article and refer to your site for reference. May You agree my request? see site
    http://www.corsidicucito.commercialinelmondo.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=60
    please answer my request at
    info@commercialinelmondo.it

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  12. Love it! I can't wait to give it a try. Two questions: 1) Did you use a denim needle in your machine and 2) Did you just use regular blue or white thread?

    Thanks for the tutorial. I am off to give it a try. :)

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  13. Hi Natalie,
    1) I didn't use a denim needle--if you were mending very thick, heavy jeans this might be necessary but typically the part that needs the patch is worn thing and very easy to sew through.
    2) I used white thread in the tutorial above but in the past I've used blue, too, especially for the thread that will show on the outside. It's up to you--the white shows more if you're doing for the distressed, destroyed look!

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  14. Thanks, Suzannah! I linked a post to you. I hope that's ok. This was seriously so easy and I am super excited about it! Thank you!!
    http://imfrugal.blogspot.com/2010/03/mending-holes-in-blue-jeans.html

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  15. Thank you so much for this brilliant tutorial. I bookmarked it when I saw it on Totally Tutorials knowing that I would need it. Sure enough, today DH asked me to repair his favorite jeans. He was amazed at the way the repair came out and said I should thank you from him, too.

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  16. Oh wow, my hubby will be so impressed I finally found a good way to patch his work jeans! Thanks so much for the great tutorial!

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  17. Thanx, I was searching for something like this. You saved my Jeans. Here is a link to my website where I published the photos :)
    http://sewcraftdecor.tumblr.com/post/524254968/lo-que-hice-hoy

    Congratulations on your blog :)

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  18. This is great- heres another idea for you though. my jeans always wear thru on the butt and last time i just unpicked the pocket and moved it over the hole- it looked pretty funky in a kind of distressed way!!

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  19. I love this idea! One question- how do you sew at the knee? Looks like your stitches go up & down (parallel with the jeans leg) which is what I want to do with a favorite old pair of jeans. I'm dying to know! :)

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  20. Thanks, everyone!
    @Kay, I did make parallel seams on the knee--very carefully. I pull the removable part off the machine so I have a thin arm, and just twist the jeans so they're as close to parallel as possible, and sew slowly!

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    Replies
    1. reyesfam7/14/2012

      I use this same method for mending also but I use a machine quilting/darning foot...the kind that bounces up and down...so I can move the fabric in any direction. It's very helpful in tight spots and on the knees of kids jeans :)

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  21. wow this is great. before i knew what interfacing was (how could that be!) I did something similar to a pair of jeans, I used a piece of scrap fabric, in that case it was light jean material, and i used fabric glue, put it on the inside of the jeans and when it was dry i tacked it in place. interfacing would be better so its not another layer of jean! i feel so silly now. but i guess i just used what i had. thanks for sharing!

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  22. hey cat thats a great idea too! I have a pair that ripped right next to the pocket (ok ok my expanding rear had a fight with the jeans and won) but they still are my favorite! i might try that (since i still dont have any interfacing!)

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  23. Great idea! I never would have thought to apply this to jeans. Something so simple that eludes our over complicated minds. My Brother machine has a darning plate and foot, you can drop your feed dogs to enable free motion sewing, a technique also used by some quilters. This would save the trouble of backstitching or trying to focus on two settings.

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  24. so awesome! I always wear out my fav jean just there so glad the next pair will be mendable!

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  25. Anonymous7/24/2011

    Great !!:)

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  26. I just linked here from your most recent post. Thank you for saving my most favorite jeans from the rag pile. Seriously. THANK YOU!

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  27. I linked to your tutorial on my blog. Thanks for sharing!

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  28. Anonymous1/11/2012

    Awesome tutorial! Many of the new jeans these days have that distressed look already! =] Thank you for sharing!

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  29. I use this same technique only instead of interfacing I use leftover scraps of fabric or denim. My favorite pair I used some scraps of striped seersucker and it looks sooo cute peeking through the hole. :)

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  30. Excellent tutorial! Thanks!
    Kisses from Venezuela.

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  31. Mom used to do this to our jeans and afterwards we wouldn't wear them outside of the house! How times have changed. When I repair my sons jeans I use scraps from old tshirts. They are stronger then iron on interfacing so I don't have to do as much stitching and because they stretch a little they are less likely to tear under stress.

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    Replies
    1. Ooh, old t-shirts, great idea! The little stretch they have would keep the denim from pulling more!

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  32. Krystle P.3/22/2012

    So I found you from Pinterest. Love it. My 4yr old blows out the knees of her jeans so I'm actually going to use the interfacing as a back to strengthen and then add a patch on front because she also picks at them leaving nothing to catch with the interfacing. Thanks for that great idea. Just got me some interfacing tonight hope to work on this the coming weekend. Thank you so much. Great idea.

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    Replies
    1. So glad you found me! It's definitely a useful skill, especially if you have kids, I bet!

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  33. This is a great idea, but what about pockets that get holes? Is there is secret to mending this without having to do so by hand. My hubby manages to wear out the pocket he puts his wallet in. :(

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  34. What about back pockets? My husband seems to always wear out the pocket he keeps his wallet in. I haven't discovered a way to mend this without doing so by hand.

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    1. I have definitely used this method when the pocket separates from the butt of the jeans, by machine. But I see the problem about the surface of the pocket. I would recommend still using the interfacing and very carefully putting it in, sticking to the underside of the pocket itself. Then you can handsew around the edges, I guess? I would recommend doing that BEFORE the holes actually appear, just to reinforce!

      Or, if you had a very tiny machine, you could do it after removing the removable arm.

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  35. I was wondering exactly what kind of Pellon interfacing you used that is shown in the picture above. I went to my local fabric store, turns out they keep all the interfacing behind the cutting counter and I think I didn't select the right kind. What should I ask for? Thanks for the help, I can't wait to try this!

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    Replies
    1. Oh, gosh, I don't know... I don't think it's Pellon, actually, if that's possible? It's the fabric-kind, sort of like fuzzy lightweight fabric with woven lines through it. The more paper-ey stuff wouldn't work as well for this (but will be great next time you make a facing or waistband!).

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    2. Oops--just read my post. I guess maybe it is Pellon!

      Delete
  36. Hi, im german, what is the white fabric you use?

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    Replies
    1. I don't know any word for it besides iron-on "interfacing." The rows of sticky glue on the back melt when you iron it and it sticks to the fabric.

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  37. Thank you so much for this tutorial... I've just successful mended my hubby favorite jeans. Yippee!!! :-D

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  38. Anonymous7/02/2012

    I have the same machine as you do, now I know the trick to making the patches stay. From a guy who can't sew that well but sure tries hard

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  39. Anonymous7/02/2012

    You MIGHT be able to get this cut of Gap jeans on Ebay if you know what style to search for.

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  40. Anonymous7/02/2012

    I have always fixed mine using a patch and Speed-sew(no sewing)but Iam going to try this to

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  41. Thank you so much for this tutorial. When I found the "perfect" pair of jean for me, I bought 4 with the exact same cut. They are my favorites and are starting to show their age. This will help lengthen their life. Yay!

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  42. Anonymous7/02/2012

    Wow this is so great. I have to mend my husbands jeans all the time but I will have to try this method. Thanks for posting.

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  43. Rachel7/03/2012

    This is great! Thank you so much, I can finally repair all my pairs beloved, albeit holey jeans. Great tutorial (and helpful hints in the comments too!) Thanks everyone

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  44. Suggestion: use iron patch material, available in your notions section of JoAnn's or other fabric store. It is a lot stronger. You can iron on either front or back. Also, your machine should have a "honeycomb" stitch or other mending/darning stitch that will be faster than a straight stitch. At very least if you use an iron on patch fabric, you should zig zag around the edge of the patch so it does not peel up when it is washed. It is kind of fun too, to use some contrasting fabric scraps to show through the holes..get creative and make it look like you meant for the holes to be there :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the suggestions! Those patches might be great for some jeans or pants, like really heavy work pants, but on my jeans they would have put added weight and strain onto the already thinning fabric and probably caused them to tear around them. Those patches are cute, but it might be best to make my own out of fusible interfacing and whatever fabric--good idea! I will have to check out the stitches on my machine, too, I never explore them much! Thanks!

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  45. Thanks for this! I'd been using bulky patches.
    This is a much better method.

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  46. For skinny jeans or kids' jeans, use a seam ripper to open up a seam to make sewing easier, then just repair the seam afterward!

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  47. Wow I found this at the perfect time! I was just bemoaning the fact my fav jeans were ripping out and the iron on patch method hadn't worked. I was thinking about the scrap pile but now I will be mending them this way and wearing them today. THANK YOU!!!! (it takes a long time to get jeans into that perfectly fitted/worn shape - hate starting over with a new pair and breaking them in!)

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  48. Wow I found this at the perfect time! I was just bemoaning the fact my fav jeans were ripping out and the iron on patch method hadn't worked. I was thinking about the scrap pile but now I will be mending them this way and wearing them today. THANK YOU!!!! (it takes a long time to get jeans into that perfectly fitted/worn shape - hate starting over with a new pair and breaking them in!)

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  49. I have thrown out so many pairs of my FAVORITE jeans because i've never known how to sew these holes shut- and i sew, girl, lemme tell ya!- Thank you SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO much (If i could write that bigger to express my utmost gratitude i would) Can't wait to try it!

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  50. I just want to say thank you! I've tried and failed many times to fix torn jeans over the years, never quite knowing what to do. (bulky patches, ugly stitches...ect)
    I rubbed a hole in my favorite jeans while gardening last week and was hating the idea of buying a new pair. With my local store closed, I kept putting it off. But I saw this on pinterest grabbed some spare interfacing and fixed them right up! Saved $90 and a trip! Not to mention I can finally fix my husbands favorite jeans without adding extra bulk!
    Thank you for making this tutorial!

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  51. You have saved my wardrobe! I get a lot of my clothes from thrift stores, and about five years ago I found the perfect pair of jeans. It was creepy! It was like they'd been made just for me, they fit me that well! And I'm pretty short so it's double-exciting to find jeans that fit in both the waist AND the leg AND look good on me. When I noticed last year that there was a hole wearing in the crotch-thigh area, I was devastated. I couldn't bear to throw out my amazing perfect jeans, so I've been hanging onto them in the hopes of fixing what I'd always assumed was unfixable, since I didn't have any idea what store they came from originally or if I'd be able to buy a replacement pair today. Before I found this I was thinking about sending them to Denim Therapy -- I'd be willing to pay somebody whatever I can afford to fix these five-dollar jeans, if I thought it would save them! I'd hate to do it haha, but I'd do it. And now with your amazing tutorial, I don't have to! I would seriously hug you right now if I could. I'll just send you a Jedi-hug instead. *hugging you with my miiiiiiind*

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  52. Anonymous8/12/2012

    Thank you Suzannah for posting this tutoria. I too have those favorite Gap Jeans that are not produced anymore UGH!!!, and I just can't seem to get rid of them. In fact they are hanging in my craft/sewing room just waiting and calling to be fixed. Yeah!!! Now I can do it.
    Simply wonderful, Thanks again. Theresa

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  53. I just did two pair of jeans that I have worn through on the thighs and they look awesome now! I wear them so fast through the thighs and go through about 5-7 pair a year but now no longer.
    I started following your blog cause I also live in Portland and love to sew. I think it was a great choice in following you :)

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  54. I'm so happy I found this post! I've been trying to find a great way to mend my jeans. I have a question. I have always hand sewn anything that I needed to sew because they were small tasks. I was wondering if a relatively cheap sewing machine would do the job for this. Like one that just has a few basics stitch patterns built-in or would I need to invest in a high quality sewing machine to do this kind of job? Thanks so much!!

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    Replies
    1. Great question! In my personal opinion, a cheap or thrifted sewing machine will probably serve you just fine for this kind of thing, provided that you learn how to thread it and use the right size needle (medium... 10 or 11 or denim, depending on the weight of your fabric).

      And, for something that bears strain like jeans, you definnitely want to use a machine instead of sewing by hand!! Unless you have teeny tiny perfect stitches... yikes, way harder to be really durable if done by hand. I say get a cheap machine and play around and learn!

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  55. Thank you, Suzannah!!!!
    No one of us wants to ' just get some new jeans'. We want ours, until we can stay inside of them!!! :)

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  56. i've cut out the inside of the back pockets, stitched the pocket closed, and used that as patch backing.

    no new jeans ever fit as well as the old ones!

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  57. Thank you so much for posting this - a neat alternative to trying to patch old jeans - your generosity is much appreciated!

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  58. Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for linking to this in yesterday's post. I've never seen this tutorial before. I am so going to use this tutorial on a few pairs of jeans. AWESOME!

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  59. How does the interfacing feel on the inside of the jeans?
    I do this all the time, but I've mostly used a scrap of denim fabric instead of interfacing. The denim is a little thick, but you get used to it. I'm totally going to try your method here- I bet it's even better. The denim slips sometimes when I sew with it, creating even more bunches. Yay!
    Thank you!
    Chrissy

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    Replies
    1. The interfacing is super soft and feels just like the inside of the jeans. If you put too many rows of stitching or if your thread is wiry/scratchy, you might feel the stitches, but you don't feel the interfacing! I know, it's frustrating when denim or another fabric moves around as you sew... hence the iron-on!

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  60. genius. I patch my own jeans and my Fisherman's (he can really go through the Levi's out there, let me tell ya). the commercial patches, even hand sewn just don't work for some areas- especially the ones that tend to wear the most. thank you for this great new way to make them last!

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  61. I'M SO GLAD I FOUND THIS. Thank you so much for linking to this tutorial in your most recent post - I've been hanging on to 2 of my favorite pairs of jeans that have holes in them and now I can mend them and keep on wearing them!

    Thanks :)

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  62. Anonymous10/25/2012

    I do this too. But did you know that Crafsy offers a class by Kenneth King called Jeanious that teaches you how to copy your favorite pair of jeans without taking them apart? So you could keep your favorite jeans and make some new ones that are the same cut as your favorites. The best of both worlds!

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  63. Think you may have just saved my favourite Gap jeans from relegation from my wardrobe - Thanks xxx

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  64. Anonymous11/11/2012

    I found this pin while browsing pinterest one night. Shortly before, my beloved boyfriend, sitting right beside me while I browsed the DYI boards, criticized the usefulness of Pinterest. "A website of useless ideas," he says.
    Not 10 minutes later I find your pin ], proving to him pinterest and it's users save the day!!
    Earlier this week his favorite pair of "work" jeans kicked the bucket, he had ripped them in almost the same spot as your fiance's jeans. He sat quietly as I showed him the before and after pictures. Oh how bitter sweet! :)

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  65. Anonymous11/16/2012

    Hi! I love your tute and I just want to make sure I'm making the correct assumption...will the holes essentially just be filled in with thread? Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! basically, the thread and the interfacing let you sort of re-weave the fabric, essentially... so it's not THE strongest, and if you have really heavy jeans you may want to use fabric in addition to the interfacing.

      Delete
  66. Randi Kemble11/24/2012

    This is a wonderful tutorial! Thanks so much for sharing. Fixed two pairs of my jeans so far and now on to fixing my boyfriend's and my brother's favorite pairs!

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  67. Thank you!! I finally sat down at my machine and fixed a pair of my jeans, and got halfway through fixing pair #2 of my husband's jeans before whining babies made sewing impossible. I am so, so excited to find this, my husband's wardrobe is going to gain a few favorite items back!

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  68. Michelle12/10/2012

    Life saver!! Thank you soo much! I just got a sweet pair of jeans from Goodwill that I fell in love with, and they just ripped in the bootie. Time to bust out the sewing machine and bring new life to these fab. jeans.

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  69. I am quite happy to have found this tutorial!

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  70. Anonymous12/17/2012

    Just saw this on Pinterest and will have to try your method. In the past I always saved remnants from old jeans to use so that if it showed through, you'd see denim but it looks like your method is easier at those booty or crotch seams. Thanks!

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  71. I've taken my jeans to seamstresses who did this on the inside thigh. Very effective, especially in places that are really seen by other people.

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  72. Thank you from an untalented person, I'm encouraged to try now.

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  73. Jennifer1/28/2013

    Yay finally something to fix my favorite jeans, wish I would of found this earlier. All the jeans I couldve saved..

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  74. Brilliant! My husband wears out nearly a pair a week from work! So excited to try this

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  75. THANK YOU so much for this tutorial! My FAVORITE pair of jeans just ripped this week--and I cried. Embarrassingly hard. I threw them away but I'm hoping I can possibly selvage them with this tutorial!

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  76. Anonymous2/02/2013

    good idea. But how can I fix the back pockets that have pulled away from the fabric leaving a hole.

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  77. Anonymous2/09/2013

    This is fantastic! It works perfectly well! Thank you.

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  78. Anonymous2/10/2013

    You know, I've used iron-on interfacing & patches on the inside, but never occurred to me to stitch over them that way to keep them from peeling off quickly! Now I can save so many of my damaged jeans! Thanks!

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  79. Anonymous2/12/2013

    Love this idea, I just got a sewing machine and suddenly inherited about a million 'repair jobs' from my boyfriend. I'm going to try this out on his ripped work jeans and build up to my favourite black skinnys that got ' redesigned' by our puppy.... !! Thankyou. :)

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  80. Anonymous2/15/2013

    this will help and they look great thanks so sharing

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  81. Anonymous2/17/2013

    That is genius. I will be trying it on my husbands jeans. He has wore his pants out in the butt like that for years. I didn't know how to repair them! Now I do! Thanks

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  82. :) I repair my jeans in *exactly* the same way. And you're right, the interfacing doesn't wash well w/o the 'patch perimeter' stitching! I am also guilty of multiple thread events--LOL. I honestly thought I was the only one extending jeans into as long a life as I can. BTW--I had so much fun reading through your tutorials, and this one made me laugh. Keep doing what you're doing--it's great! :D Yay!

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  83. Anonymous2/26/2013

    Thank for the tip, I lost a lot of pant cuz the same problem

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  84. Anonymous2/28/2013

    You are amazing! Thank you!!

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  85. Oh thank you so much! This is a fantastic tutorial! I was very sad bc my husband is 6'9" and finding jeans is impossible for us. This way I can mend the existing jeans until a miracle happens lol

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  86. Oh my gosh!!! I have a pair of "Sunday" jeans that i can't part from. They are the only piece of clothing that survived my house fire a few years ago, so I'm sure they feel the same about me :) i always wear boxers under them cause I've never seen a mending method I've liked til now!! Can't wait to bring them back to life!!!! Thank you soooo much!!!!

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  87. Oh my gosh!!! I have a pair of "Sunday" jeans that i can't part from. They are the only piece of clothing that survived my house fire a few years ago, so I'm sure they feel the same about me :) i always wear boxers under them cause I've never seen a mending method I've liked til now!! Can't wait to bring them back to life!!!! Thank you soooo much!!!!

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  88. Anonymous3/01/2013

    Finally! Thanks for sharing! Now my hubby's jeans will last just a little longer!

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  89. This is awesome and just what I needed to save my fave pair! Thanks!

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  90. wow, you just saved me hundreds of dollars!

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  91. Although I'm a grandma, and old enough to love the idea of patching, I once read that the definition of poor was patching your patches. I think the person was a snob. Lol good job!

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  92. So glad you posted this! Now there is hope for my favourite pair of jeans...and several others!

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  93. www.thisblogisnotforyou.com3/17/2013

    Tried this tutorial yesterday and it worked! Had a pile of jeans lying in my cupboard for ages and didn't know whether to throw them away or cut them apart. :) http://thisblogisnotforyou.com/jeans-mending-day/

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  94. Sabrina3/18/2013

    Saw this on Pinterest and at the best time too! My husband has a pile of jeans with the holes near the crotch (ahem) and normal iron ons clearly don't work. Finally a method that does work!

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  95. Chrissy Jordan3/18/2013

    Yeeey! You're a genius! Thank your for sharing this, now I can repair my husband's favorite 10+ year old jeans(honestly, he won't tell me how old they are) that he insists on wearing out in public!! :)

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  96. I just saw this on Pinterest, and I'm so excited! My mom used to sew up my jeans for me, but now I'm 5 hours away! I'm very pregnant right now and I only have 1 pair of maternity jeans that fit! They are getting so thin in the inner thigh and I don't think they'll make it another 2 months! So glad there's a tutorial that can help me! THANK YOU!!

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  97. You just saved my favorite pair of Lucky jeans! Thank you!!!

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  98. I was hoping to learn a new technique. lol I have been patching my family's jeans with a similar method for over 25 years. I do use a softer denim instead of interfacing and also stitch around it and use the machine darning instructions that came with my machine. I am sitting here with 2 pairs of jeans to patch and 2 more this weekend when daughter brings home laundry this weekend and I will be patching patches as well. I also patch my husband's khaki shorts. I keep several shades of blue/denim and khaki thread on hand, so I always have a close match.

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  99. Many thanks. this was really helpful, now I CAN make do and mend. thank you for sharing

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  100. thanks for sharing, I was searching for a tutorial like this actually, since I also don´t want to loose my oldest and most beloved pair of jeans :)

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  101. I don't think this will work with my black not-so-skinny jeans.

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  102. If you are lucky, your machine will have a darning stitch on it. the stitch pattern looks like thsi http://www.craftster.org/member_projects/sweets4ever/MasterCraftsters/2012bernina/408173/206052_05May12_005.JPG (number 16). and it saves you having to adjust your needle position etc, as it just does it for you.

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  103. oh and the stuff you are using is called "french fuse".

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  104. Halelujah! My favorite skinnies have ripped in the oddest of places and a traditional patch simply won't do. Found this on pinterest... thank you so much, you have saved me so much money!

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  105. I also use a piece of softer denim salvaged from another lost pair of jeans instead of interfacing. I trim any white or lighter strands of frayed fabric away from the hole, and arrange the edges as close together as I can. (close the "wound" ) Then I use a fabric glue (Walmart-Hobby Lobby) designed to be washed and "glue" the patch to the jeans on the inside, lock all layers in between a vise or clamp of some kind, and let dry completely. (The glue will gum up your needle if it's not completely dry and the clamps literally fuse the patch in place) Then after it's dry, I use thread as close to the color of the jeans as I can find, and criss cross sew across the tear/hole area over and over. I also trim the edges of the patch inside the jeans after wards so it's as small as possible. Six kids....these work really well.

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  106. I found this thanks to Pinterest. I've been sewing for more years than I care to admit, but you can still learn new tricks. I'd like to add a suggestion for mending BIGGER holes. Iron on interfacing may not be strong enough or show through and so not work as well for those, so I'd suggest a technique I've used for mending other things... a patch of fabric... either matching [or nearly] or contrast. The technique is similar to your method, but looks a little nicer than interfacing. If using denim, I suggest a soft remnant of well washed jeans.


    Prepare the hole by snipping the frayed threads. Turn the jeans inside out. Cut your mending patch with edges to overlap the hole by about an inch all around. In other words, if your hole is 3 inches across after trimming, cut the mending fabric 5 inches across [for an inch overlap all around] and in the general shape of the hole. Then you have a choice... either apply fusible webbing around the edges of the patch where it will be underneath the hole or use spray on fabric adhesive. Apply the adhesive to the right side of the patch edges, and then to the wrong side of the pants under the hole ... so that on the right side of the jeans, you see the right side of the patch too.


    Then, proceed back and forth stitching the same way you use in your instructions or as some have suggested, using your machine's darning stitch. Depending on the mending fabric, you can use matching or contrast thread. You can also get artistic with several contrasting threads. For a large hole, you may not want to stitch all the way across the patch, instead concentrating on back and forth around the edges. It's your choice.

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  107. I love it! Reduce, reuse, recycle!

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  108. This is how I've done it for years, too, using old jean fabric for patch. But I want to congratulate you on finding a technique that works and for USING it! Too many of us throw something away rather than mend it, or wear the current style of hole-y jeans. Looking good!

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  109. Amazing tutorial; never get rid of a great pair of jeans until it's absolutely necessary! Way to be thrifty; we are loving this over here :)

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  110. What about when the hole is bigger? I mean HUGE.
    Like this but... bigger.

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  111. Totally fixable! Just add a piece of fabric behind the interfacing, like I show on one large knee hole in this tutorial... http://www.adventuresindressmaking.com/2012/09/tutorial-update-how-to-mend-jeans-when.html#.UipHXTakq4Z

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  112. Wish i;d seen this a week ago before I binned my favorite jeans :(

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  113. I did it on some black jeans with black interfacing and black thread. Worked great!

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  114. I've been repairing jeans since I was in high school, and I'm a grandmother now... And you've added refinement to the variety of techniques I've used for the past forty years -- I never thought of using interfacing!! That's great!! And there's nothing like a favorite pair of jeans... anyone who doesn't know that is really missing the pleasure of a great garment!!

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  115. Thanks! My 14 year old just brought me a pair of her jeans to mend. I'll try this tomorrow!

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  116. thank you so much! i've tried using denim patches but they just don't hold well. once i find a pair of jeans that i truly love i inevitably wear them out before having a proper substitute on standby. i'll be sure to try this as soon as i can.

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  117. This is brilliant. I've sewn my son's jeans in the same area.....only to have them rip out....nextlwi time ( and there will be a next time) i will try your method. thanks for posting!

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  118. We have a friend who has his favorite old pair of Levis and calls them his "lucky jeans"...he won't part with them. At this point, they are more patches than the original denim.

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  119. That's amazing thanks for sharing !!

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  120. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! I saw this on pinterest during school last year when my favorite pair of "Silver" brand jeans ripped, but I didn't have access to my sewing machine at the time so I improvised with dryer sheets and hand-stitching. I finally got around to trying this with my machine, and it works perfectly!

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  121. Thanks for a fab tutorial, it really helped with my mending dilemma! I have blogged about my efforts with a link back to you :) http://buttonsandpaint.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/mending-jeans.html

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  122. Awesome, thanks for sharing! Those turned out great!

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  123. Wow, that's very creative!! Glad it worked for you! =)

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  124. Thank you so very much for this tutorial, my husband's jeans really needed this!

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  125. Thanks so much! I saw this a couple of weeks ago and had a favorite pair of jeans with a hole pretty much like the ones in your instructions. I finally went to WalMart on Friday, paid 26 cents for 1/8 yd of Pellon interfacing, and fixed my jeans!

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  126. Thank you! You saved my favourite jeans!

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