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Sewing a Patch on a Pair of Jeans

The distressed, torn and worn look may be hot for denim, but a good old-fashioned patch still serves effectively to cover up a rip or hole. When you want to mend a tear, sewing a patch on a pair of jeans does not require extensive time or sewing skills. Choose a scrap of fabric that suits the denim -- bold and colorful or muted and subdued -- and fix your jeans.

Things You'll Need

Tape measure
Prewashed cotton fabric (of similar weight to the denim)
Scissors
Pins
Hand sewing needle
Cotton thread (matching the patch or a contrasting color)

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the rip or tear with the tape measure to determine how large to cut the fabric for the patch. Measure at least 1 to 2 inches longer and wider than the rip to ensure the patch is big enough.
- 2
  Cut a piece of fabric for the patch using the dimensions you measured. Choose fabric that is roughly the same weight as the denim to make a suitable patch. Using denim fabric for the patch is one option, but you could also use cotton or flannel.
- 3
  Pin the patch over the rip in the jeans. Try the jeans on with the pinned patch to ensure the patch will feel comfortable on the jeans. Remove the jeans again.
- 4
  Cut an 18-inch length of thread and thread the needle. Pull the end of the thread through until the ends are even and tie a knot.
- 5
  Insert the needle up through the patch from the wrong side at one edge and pull it through until the knot stops on the back side of the patch. This will hide the knot.
- 6
  Sew small stitches along the edge of the patch -- you can sew running stitches along the edge or take tiny stitches perpendicular to the edge of the patch through the patch and the jeans. Space the stitches about 1/4 inch apart and continue stitching along the entire edge of the patch until you come back around to the starting point.
- 7
  Insert the needle back down through the patch fabric but not through the jeans. Tie a small knot and insert the needle down through the denim to the inside of the jeans. Cut off the thread flush with the backside of the denim to finish patching the jeans.

Sewing