What do you do with jeans that are not worn out and still fit, but have holes in them? Is it time to toss them or could you repair them? Here is my simple way to patch jeans that does not require any sewing! 

An Easy, No-Sew Way to Patch Jeans

As a Mama of three young boys, I have several pairs of jeans with holes in the knees. I needed an easy, no-sew way to patch jeans!

I’ve been trying to figure out what to do about this problem. Apparently, the “right” way to patch them is to rip open the side seam, sew on a patch, then sew the side seam back up. However, that is not only more work than I want, it also requires the ability to sew a straight line, which I do not have. I tried the iron-on patches and they hardly last through the first wearing & wash!

What’s a Mama to do? All these jeans need to be mended, rather than replaced.

I figured out a solution that is easy, no-sew, and inexpensive!

Easy, no-sew way to patch jeans:

1. Turn your holey jeans inside out. Spread fabric glue around the edges of the hole (to stop it from growing).

2. Cut a patch out of a spare pair of pants (I used bottoms from boys’ pants I made into cut-offs and old, trashed pairs of my husband’s jeans) that covers the hole generously.

3. Squeeze the fabric glue around the hole. Fit the patch over and press it down firmly.

4. Then reach into the leg and unstick the right sides that may have gotten a tad of glue through the hole.

5. Press your hands together, sandwiching the hole and patch between your hands, and press and hold.

6. Turn up the edges of the patch and run a line of glue along the edges of the patch.

7. Press firmly to secure. Let it dry for a couple of hours or overnight, after double-checking that the rights sides are not going to end up glued together.

8. Turn it right side out, and you have a ready-to-wear pair of patched jeans!

The best thing about this method is that I did a batch of six jeans in under ten minutes!

My trial-run pair has so far made it through at least 6 washes, 3 days at the park, tree-climbing, car-racing, bike-riding, hole-digging, and all manner of running and falling. My second son is hard on his pants.

Plus, I think they even look cool. My favorite ones are where I used camouflage scraps under a large hole. Despite my relief at how well these turned out and how easy it was to do, I pulled out one non-holey pair of pants from both boys’ drawers and put them on a high shelf, to be dispensed when a non-holey and non-repaired pair of jeans are required. 🙂

How about you? What do you do with those holey jeans?

Feeling crafty? How about upcycling a sweater? Here are 5 easy crafts to make with an old sweater!

 

–Guest post from Mystie Winckler