I did a little bit of utility sewing today. It is not my favorite thing, and I put it off for as long as possible. I still have a few more little things in my pile, but I’m definitely not in a hurry to work through the whole pile today.
Forgive me for sharing too much information here. I am a curvy woman. Really curvy. I freely admit that I have what my Dad called “thunder thighs.” I have a hard time finding comfortable jeans, being not only round, but also quite short. With my generous lower proportions, my thighs rub together when I walk. With my short legs, I try to walk fast to keep up with standard sized people, and the faster I go, the more my jeans rub together. Eventually, my jeans wear out in the inner thigh area. Usually that means the jeans go into my denim bin and get turned into quilts.
Lately I have been contemplating patching my jeans to possibly extend their life span. When I find a pair that I like, I want them to last more than six months. Clothing isn’t cheap.
I patched my most recently destroyed pair today, and I have to say, I’m happy with the results. I can feel the patches, but they aren’t uncomfortable. I wore the patched pair all day, and they seem to be holding up. I don’t know how long they will last, but every day I don’t need to go clothing shopping is a good one.
Here are the steps I took.
Cut a piece of denim from another pair of destroyed jeans large enough to cover the hole, and a decent margin around it. Turn jeans inside out.
Pin patch in place on the inside of the jeans.
Chose a thread color that matches your jeans and put it into the bobbin. I used a dark blue Gutermann from my cabinet. I used my darning foot, which I also use for free motion quilting. If you aren’t comfortable with or don’t have a darning foot, I’m sure straight lines back and forth would work as well.
Stitch randomly over the patch. I went for fairly dense stitching, and I made sure to cover up the edges very well. I don’t want pieces folding over and chafing.
Turn jeans right side out. The hole is still visible, but now my thigh won’t be peeking out, too. The stitches are fairly visible, too, but I rarely find people with their faces close enough to my inner thighs to notice the repairs.
I wore the jeans for an evening, and they are comfortable. I can definitely feel the thicker fabric, but it is not bothersome. I will chalk this up as a victory, and dig through my denim bin to see if there are other pairs I can rescue.
I don’t always do frugal, but when I do, you can bet it is to avoid leaving the house.
Denim Jean Repair
I LOVE that you used “fancy” stitches; I have never done that before. Thanks for sharing; this may just make mending jeans (and wearing mended jeans) a bit more fun!
Thanks!
I have done that very repair several times before, but never thought of using free motion stitches – they are much less dense, so would be more comfortable – great thinking. I also relate to your “not leaving the house” comment. It really is much nicer at home.
Strange how jeans never wear out in the fashionable spots! Mine always wear out on the but never on the knees. I don’t know what that says about my lifestyle habits – not good things i’m sure! that’s probably why I can’t fit into them anymore. Love your method of fixing them – I’m a big fan of mending things although not so much actually doing the mending!
I also don’t enjoy the mending. This task has been on my list for months and months. It is nice to know that it can work, though.