tips & tricks: mending blue jeans
I have a confession to make.
I buy blue jeans.
I know, I’m sorry - I should feel ashamed :-)
I do mend them, because no matter how careful I am, I still seem to end up with thin patches & tears popping out in odd places. I’ve figured out a method of repairing blue jeans that is almost invisible from the outside (of course, if it’s a big hole over your knee, you’re still going to see it!)
You’ll need:
- A piece of denim, about an inch larger all the way around than the tear.
- A spool of denim thread (it’s worthwhile buying - it’s slightly variegated & camouflages better) Coats & Clarks threads make it.
- A piece of fusible webbing.
Iron the fusible webbing to the right side of the denim patch, according to package directions. Pay close attention to the heat & time when you do this because some brands of fusible webbing can be ruined by over ironing!
Place the blue jeans on an ironing board and slip the denim/fusible webbing inside them, centering it underneath the tear. If the hole is stretched out of shape, use heat-safe pins to pull the edges of the tear back together. Iron the patch on, making sure that the blue jeans are covering the fusible webbing - you don’t want that to stick to your iron!
Let the jeans cool off briefly - I don’t like scorched hands :-)
Set your sewing machine to a wide zig-zag stitch and stitch around the outside of the patch. I go back and forth across the whole patch, making sure the edges of the patch are stitched. You don’t need a heavy layer of stitching, just make sure the patch is evenly covered.
One final tip….
Make sure you don’t stitch the legs together - don’t laugh, I’ve done it!
Tags: blue-jeans, How To, machine-sewing, mending, sewing, tips-&-tricks, tutorialsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Fabric, How To, sewing, techniques, tutorials
5 opinions for tips & tricks: mending blue jeans
Stronghold Crusader Extreme
Mar 24, 2008 at 6:23 am
I see, its quite useful.
Ceece
Aug 24, 2008 at 1:59 pm
So I have a question! I need to sew a knee patch but I’m having a hard time getting the fabric up to the needle. I have a Janome Sew Mini.
Chloe
Aug 25, 2008 at 2:38 pm
HI Ceece,
I just took a look at photos of your machine online and it looks like it’s got a pretty small harp (the part of the machine that curves over top and holds the needle). I’d recommend rolling the jeans as tightly as possible to minimize the bulk. You might also want to try using safety pins to hold the rolled areas in place - just make sure not to sew over them :-)
Chloe
tip of the day - problems mending blue jeans or pants on your small sewing machine?
Aug 26, 2008 at 5:00 am
[...] recently got an email from a reader, asking for help because she couldn’t mend blue jeans on her small sewing [...]
Arnold
Nov 15, 2008 at 7:43 pm
My jeans tend to rip at the crotch - I’ve got a dozen pairs in the loft and would love to mend them using your technique, but I’m wondering whether the sewing machine and patch would navigate around those areas effectvely?
Great article, it’s a start {;o)
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