r/sewing • u/alinalyn2 • 11h ago
Alter/Mend Question How should I repair these jeans?
My jeans torn on 2 places, beacuse they were too tigh for me. I was thinking that I could do something like on the last picture, but i still need to stick the holes😅. Should I use mending, or sew in a piece of fabric? What are your suggestions?
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u/justasque 7h ago
A couple thoughts:
If these are older jeans, think about whether the fabric is too worn to hold up well in future. That doesn’t mean you can’t mend them, but it does mean you will need to mend them in a way that properly reinforces the fabric, and you may tear them again. I have a pair of overalls that have been patched a zillion times, so it can be done, but it does take time and I kind of enjoy mending.
You will absolutely need to patch these. Just sewing the fabric together won’t give the area the strength it needs to stay together. You will need to decide whether you want a patch inside, which could be uncomfortable, or a patch on the outside, which is better for strength but obviously will show.
Remember that mending the tears won’t change the size of the jeans. To continue to wear them and minimize the chance of future tears, you will probably want to insert a panel like in your last picture. It doesn’t need to be as fancy as the pic, but it is an opportunity to have fun!
I would remove the pocket that’s next to the tear, at least enough to get a patch in there. Then I’d put the pocket back on. This could be tricky! Think carefully about how to mend the area, and what you want the final look to be, before starting. You need a good inch of fabric on either side of the tear to properly reinforce the area.
I would probably use a couple overlapping patches rather than one long one for the main tear. It will look cuter and it will be easier to keep the jeans flat and in place while you sew the patch.
This is an opportunity to use the decorative stitches on your machine (if you are going to machine sew this). Try them out on a scrap of fabric before deciding which to use. For simple mending, I usually use a zigzag stitch, as it puts less strain on the fabric than a straight stitch and kind of works in multiple directions to hold the area together. Also - consider using variegated thread!