Easy Jeans Repair

I have 5 boys. Their jeans look like this because they are boys. And I don't expect any different or any less. But I do have trouble scrubbing grass stains and gravel out of bare skinned knees, so we try to keep them covered.

This is the easiest method for patching jeans that I know of, and some of the patches have lasted through several brothers. 

A friend of mine, with boys, introduced to me: 

Tear Mender.

No hole too small. No rip too wide.

Tear Mender is the bomb.

Simple to do and quick: 

Start by turning jeans inside out and trimming away any unwanted "fringe". My boys like fringe.

Cut a piece (inside patch) of denim that either accentuates the hole or hides it according to your preference.

Apply a thin line of Tear Mender around the edge of the hole, and very well around the edge of the patch. Add a few dashes across the middle, too.

Work quickly, this stuff dries fast and doesn't rip back off very well at all.

Smooth the patch on by rubbing from the center of the patch outwards. Take a bit of Tear Mender to tack down the corners. This is probably the weakest point of the patch.  

This photo is of an old patch, probably where I didn't reinforce the corners as well.

I then repaired the old patch and placed another on on top to cover the new rip. 

Tip: When you are patching knees don't just cover the ripped area. make the patch well up the thigh and down the shin. I have learned the hard way that right above the patch it will wear out quickly. This old patch wasn't big enough or reinforced enough to take the whole summer.

After gluing, let it dry for a few minutes and turn them right side out. I've done this plenty of times, with little fellas waiting in their skivvies.

See, it doesn't look too bad. The boys like them, also, because the knees are more padded. A nice job done on a small hole wouldn't even be noticeable, so get to it quickly before further washings make it fray.

 I've tried hand sewing, machine sewing, broke needles, spent hours brainstorming, even took the inseams out to try and salvage a otherwise perfectly good pair of jeans. And Tear Mender lasts almost as long as all that work and takes just a few seconds to do. I have a drawer in my sewing room just for fixing jeans, so I am always prepared.  

So, when zippers break? Then I cut the jeans up for patching material.

If they are a favorite pair of jeans patching can't go to far, either.

Several layers of patching the patch.

Ain't that just the bee's knees?

Linking up with Frugally Sustainable 

And The Natural Mothers Network!