How to Patch Jeans

There’s nothing quite like an old pair of jeans that fit just right. When you spend all day in jeans, they become the uniform of your life. When they finally rip, instead of parting with your beloved denim, learn how to patch jeans so you can keep wearing them!

Patching jeans increases the lifespan of your denim and adds stylish personal flair. You’ll save time and money, and you can rest easy knowing you can swing your legs into your favorite jeans again tomorrow.

Type of Tear

Jeans often rip in areas where the material experiences high friction and wear. Typical places include the thighs and knees for both women’s and men’s jeans. Patches will vary in size and shape in each of these areas, and bear in mind that some patches may have to be replaced over time to be sure you stay fully covered. Knee patches for jeans will be a bit easier to put in place than patches where there is already a lot of stitching.

To Sew or Not to Sew?

Learning how to patch a hole in jeans is easy! There are many creative ways to patch jeans. The two most common methods include sew-on patches and iron-on jean patches. Deciding which to use may depend on the durability you’re looking for in your day-to-day wear, and on the type of material your jeans are made from.

Thick, non-stretch denim made of cotton tends to hold either an iron-on patch or a sew-on patch well, while thinner jeans made from blended fabrics with a lot of stretch, like women’s jeans or fashion jeans, are best with sew-on patches.

Sewing on a Patch

If your jeans work as hard as you do, you will likely want to sew-on a patch to repair ripped jeans. Sewing on a patch tends to have a more durable hold than ironing on and is less likely to weaken over time.

Patch denim jeans and breathe new life into a pre-loved pair by following the easy steps outlined below.

Difficulty Level: Easy

What You’ll Need: Ripped denim, old shirts or desired fabric, pins, scissors, needle, thread

How To:

1. Figure out what kind of patches you want to apply to your jeans. Select old shirts or fabric that’s colorful and fun, or use another retired pair of jeans so your patches are more discrete.
    
2. Cut patch fabric into desired shapes. The size of your patch should be large enough to completely cover the width of the rip or tear with a buffer of extra space on the edges. Shapes can be classic squares, or switch it up with hearts, stars, or other shapes for a unique look.
    
3. When cutting fabric out of old shirts for patches, be sure to trim carefully so the fabric shapes have clean edges (this is less important if patching from the inside.)
    
4. If patching from the outside, fold in the edges of your fabric to avoid the pieces fraying.
    
5. Place your cut fabric pieces either under or over the rips on the inside or outside of the denim, depending on the look you prefer.
    
6. Pin the fabric pieces in place and stitch around the edges. Repeat until the holes are covered with patches.

We hope you like your patched pair of jeans! You can try out your new skill in another creative way by sewing patches on jeans. Be sure to tag us with pictures of your finished pair using #myAriat.