Patching jeans can extend the life of a favorite pair.
Sewing patches on children's jeans is one way of extending a clothing budget. Many active children wear holes in pants at an alarming rate. The life of a good pair of denim jeans can be extended through several children as hand-me-downs by the judicious use of patches to cover holes, or to prevent them in the first place. A decorative patch also gives new life and style to a well-worn pair of jeans.
Instructions
1. Cut away any frayed threads from the hole, if you are patching a hole. You may also wish to even the edges of the hole a bit.
2. Cut a square or an oval from material similar in weight and color as the jeans. This is usually denim, but you can use similar fabric, such as a heavy twill, to patch denim jeans. Cut the patch about an inch larger than the widest part of the hole.
3. Finish the edges of the patch, if you wish. Turn under a quarter of an inch for a hem, if the material is light enough. With very heavy denim, this might create too much bulk. Zig-zag around the edge of a heavy denim patch if your machine has that ability.
4. Pin the patch in place over the hole. Set the sewing machine for a medium-straight stitch.
5. Bunch the leg of the jeans together until the patch is in the center of the bunched material when the hole to be patched is on the knee. Ease the bunched pant leg under the sewing machine needle and position the needle at the upper right corner of the patch. As you sew, keep the leg fabric bunched around the patch and constantly adjust it so the back leg fabric does not catch in the needle.
6. Sew a straight seam close to the edge of the patch. Make a neat corner on a square patch by leaving the needle piercing the fabric at the corner, lifting the presser foot and pivoting the fabric one-quarter turn. Lower the presser foot and resume sewing. Gently pull the fabric around to sew an oval patch. Overlap the stitching at the end to secure it.
Tags: patch, jeans, sewing, machine, denim jeans, heavy denim, presser foot
