I know it’s been the style for a while but every time I see the stylish ripped jeans I think of my grandmother’s reaction to spending good money on intentionally torn clothing and have to smile. So what happens once you put your foot through that stylish gash? Keep on wearing them, I suppose, until they become too unseemly even for the wearer. But you love them; they are your favorite jeans.
During my childhood, once your pants tore, mom would use an iron-on patch of red, blue or green, usually to cover holes in the knees. The pants were then play clothes you wore after school. That would not fly now. So recently, my daughter brought me her favorite shorts that were more holes than stable fabric. She was ready to make the sacrifice and throw them away. I’ve patched many a pair of jeans. Usually I have to beg to reduce the fashionable tears and bring the jeans back to presentable status. So with these shorts ready for the ragbag, I was granted the opportunity to make them wearable once again. So here are the steps for renewing those favorites.
First, locate old denim. Sacrifice an old pair of jeans. [I have saved my husband’s old denim jeans for years (a future project and article, I’m sure). They are the source of old denim needed for patching.] Areas of high stress need to be reinforced with extra fabric, not just quickly stitched to close a tear.
Second, measure and cut a patch at least a half-inch on all sides larger than the tear/gap. Pin the patch to the inside of the garment.
Third, set your machine with a heavy duty denim needle and denim blue thread. Then, sew around the tear first, then continue to stitch around and through to secure.
– Use either a straight stitch or small zigzag. 
– Have fun and stitch around some patches twice or make designs.
– Try using fancy stitches like a flower chain or leaves.
– Add other textures… I made a crochet patch of hairpin lace using denim cotton yarn (Lily’s Cotton Sugar’n Cream Denim in indigo)
– Add other color thread. Try other shades of blue, white or your favorite colors.
– Add other color patches. Use other favorite fabric patches.
Final step, trim all the patches close to stitching on the inside. This will make the patch more comfortable on the inside and reduce bulk. I’m happy to say, the results were approved and the shorts are once again being worn in public without fear. My fear.
Carolyn Hanson is a local knitting and crochet designer, teacher and fiber artist. She can be contacted at
cchanson3@gmail.com.