Can I repair these jeans?

October 22, 2022 8:15 AM

The same thing happens to all my jeans so I buy a lot of jeans. I'd rather repair them...

I don't know if I walk weird or have super huge thighs or what but my jeans all wear it relatively quickly by developing holes in the very upper, inner thigh, right by where they join. Maybe someone else has this problem?

Can I used, like...an iron on patch to extend their life a bit? Do they still even make those? Can I sew them in some way that won't immediately come out? Or should I just keep buying $10 thrift store jeans over and over forever?

posted by less-of-course to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (27 answers total)

That happens to me all the time too...I've gotten some iron-on patches to fix the holes next time this happens. I haven't found any other solution, but I asked this same question myself and no solution has been perfect (although upgrading the quality of the jeans did help a bit).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:20 AM on October 22, 2022 [2 favorites]

Do you mean a linear wear-through that looks almost like a tear directly alongside the seam, or an area a bit further down that’s more of a hole? Linear wear-through directly alongside the seam can usually be patched/reinforced with additional denim quite effectively. Holes are more difficult.
posted by slkinsey at 8:22 AM on October 22, 2022

Do you have a sewing machine? I use a darning stitch and go over and over the area with some interfacing behind it (that's what my tailors always used instead of patching, before I learned to sew and take it on myself). Closet Core is a sewing company and I followed their tutorial as I was getting started.
posted by icaicaer at 8:24 AM on October 22, 2022 [12 favorites]

I had this happen to almost every pair of jeans I purchased. When I switched to Duluth Trading, it went away - I assume because they design the crotch of their pants differently to increase flexibility, and the damage to my other pairs was the result of stress on the fabric more than friction.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 8:41 AM on October 22, 2022 [5 favorites]

One thing to consider would be to reinforce that area before wearing. I'm not sure the best way to do it but perhaps others would have ideas?
posted by mcduff at 8:53 AM on October 22, 2022 [2 favorites]

Are you buying jeans with a lot of stretch in them? They wear out faster in general.
posted by chocotaco at 9:08 AM on October 22, 2022 [2 favorites]

I don't know if I walk weird or have super huge thighs or what
I dont have any advice (I toss them when this occurs to be honest, which is why I just don't spend $$$ on bottoms), but I want to say you neither walk weird or have "super huge thighs".
You have a body. And it's awesome. And jeans/pants suck sometimes.
Blame the fabric, not your body.
posted by atomicstone at 9:22 AM on October 22, 2022 [6 favorites]

Response by poster: To some extent lately it's stretchy fabric because it seems like all the *$#% jeans are made of it but I've had this problem for ages.

And no, I'm fine with my super huge thighs. I should note that I'm male (and a bear) because I think the language maybe reads as less self-critical. Men don't get as much societal shade for having super huge thighs. It just sometimes feels like I fit into jeans funny.
posted by less-of-course at 9:27 AM on October 22, 2022 [3 favorites]

Yeah, it happens to a lot of people with muscular or padded thighs. I took some favourite pairs to a tailor and she stuck on patches from the inside, then sewed them over many many many times in two directions, kind of a crisscross pattern. I tried the same technique on stretchy Uniqlo jeggings that developed the same issue and learned that you really have to make the patches much bigger than the distressed area to avoid the tears reocurring. And match the stretchiness of the patches to the original jeans - if you still have the old pairs around, cannibalising one of them is probably best.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 9:35 AM on October 22, 2022 [2 favorites]

I claim a sanctuary has it. I've used this technique myself, even without sewing a patch first. If you can sew or you know someone who does, here's a video demonstrating the technique: Complex How to: Repair your jeans with Self Edge NYC He uses a special machine, but I've done it with a regular sewing machine.
posted by I_carried_a_watermelon at 9:47 AM on October 22, 2022 [2 favorites]

I hear you. But I don't care who you are or how much you love your body. It's still the fabric's fault.
posted by atomicstone at 9:52 AM on October 22, 2022 [2 favorites]

all the *$#% jeans are made of it
Yes. Goddamn it, at least all the ones cut for women.
However, my boyfriend has found traditional heavy, no-stretch denim men's jeans at Rural King. A brand called "Rustler."
posted by Don Pepino at 9:58 AM on October 22, 2022

FWIW, I am also a male with large thighs, and I have found Wrangler jeans to give me the best fit in the crotch and upper thigh. They're cut in more of a U-shape than a V-shape, and there just seems to be a little more breathing room, a little more give, and less abrasion than Levis or Lee or anything else I've tried.

Yes, they do still make iron-on patches; check your friendly local fabric store. (I also try to buy clothing second-hand as much as possible, but when I can't find what fits and I have to buy new, it's always Wrangler for jeans.)
posted by xedrik at 9:59 AM on October 22, 2022 [1 favorite]

/r/VisibleMending has a lot of jeans thigh repairs, in varying levels of visibility (it's hard to make it really invisible anyway) but will give you some ideas on repair techniques you might use.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:14 AM on October 22, 2022 [1 favorite]

A variation happens on all my jeans, because I bike around town. I always just take them to the tailor and love my very used, mended jeans.
posted by kensington314 at 10:50 AM on October 22, 2022 [1 favorite]

When I switched to Duluth Trading, it went away.

Duluth Trading jeans have a gusset (they brand this Ballroom, which is not my favorite, but that's beside the point). So do ones from Patagonia, Prana, Diamond Gusset, etc.--it's a pretty common feature in both workwear- and outdoorsy-focused jeans, and might be worth seeking out.
posted by box at 10:58 AM on October 22, 2022 [3 favorites]

The problem with iron on patches on the inside is sometimes the edges rub and start to curl so sewing around the edges of the patch is necessary as well. There's a Japanese guy on YouTube who takes 6-strand embroidery floss (essentially) in a half dozen colors that match the surrounding fabric. He separates the strands and combines them in different ways so it's not a solid color. Then he cuts lengths to cover the hole, layers them thickly over the gap and top stitches over them back and forth. When he's done, it really is invisible.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 10:58 AM on October 22, 2022 [3 favorites]

This doesn't help with mending or wear, but in case you're interested in a better fit, you can buy jeans that fit very large thighs at hockey equipment stores and online. Just search for "hockey jeans."
posted by Frenchy67 at 11:54 AM on October 22, 2022 [1 favorite]

This video from Repair What You Wear is pretty good for a hand-sewing method of patching them fairly invisibly from the inside. The key thing is to patch using a piece cut from an old pair of jeans - I’ve bought cheap 2nd hand ones specifically for the job - and the patch must be made of stretchy material (even if the fabric of your jeans is stiff) so it can move when you move and the threads don’t just snap or come lose.

I’ve used it a few times over and it’s worked well, but it’s always a law of diminishing returns - they get holes in other places with increasing rapidity.
posted by penguin pie at 1:35 PM on October 22, 2022 [2 favorites]

I tend to cannibalise previous jeans to make patches which I sew over the holes on the outside. They would be visible for sure if anyone was looking at my crotch but if that happens it's either someone I love so I don't mind or I have other problems. Also patching on the inside would be really good at irritating my very sensitive inner thighs.

I don't have a sewing machine so I just sew round the edges of the patch and the hole and kind of randomly sew across the whole thing as much as I can be bothered. It doesn't work super well but helps extend them a bit. When I had a friend with a sewing machine, she would zigzag stitch across the whole patch in a couple of directions as mentioned above.
posted by Athanassiel at 1:40 PM on October 22, 2022

Same thing happens to me.

What you need are those "gusseted crotch jeans". Instead of a crotch seam, they join at a diamond-shaped cloth called a gusset.
posted by kschang at 4:25 PM on October 22, 2022 [1 favorite]

I also asked this question a while ago. I didn’t try any of the sewing solutions that were suggested, but I found that some (men’s) jeans from Old Navy wore much better. IIRC (I’m not home at the moment) they had like 1% spandex, or maybe none. Definitely less stretchy then most jeans I’d found previously. Some of the men’s jeans also had more spandex and I’m pretty sure they would have worn out quicker - you have to look for the least stretchy kind. Presumably true for any other non-stretchy jeans too.
(My issue was at the inner thighs, not right at the seam. If yours is right at the seam, that might be a different problem and solution.)
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 3:05 AM on October 23, 2022

I used to get holes in the fork/crotch of my jeans as well. It turns out the solution was actually simple, though it seemed silly at first: I just had to zip my jeans closed and button them before putting them in the washer, then when I was taking them out of the washer I needed to disentangle them from the others and pull them out gently by the waistband rather than grabbing a leg and yanking.

(Thanks to my grandma for this tip. I was skeptical, but I haven't had holes in the crotch of my jeans for 15+ years now. Now they last a bit longer, and when they get old they start to fray at the cuff.)
posted by johnofjack at 4:33 AM on October 23, 2022 [2 favorites]

I'm curious about this laundry yanking thing , but I recommend sewing a patch on. I don't love iron on patches, but you can for sure buy them at any craft or sewing store. I have pants that I patched in the crotch and wear regularly and I tend to forget that they're patched. The patch is basically the same weight and color, but it's definitely visible if you look at my crotch up close. If I stand normally I can't see the patch in a mirror, front or back. No one is actually looking at that part of your crotch, though, so don't overthink making the patch invisible. As soon as you start to notice wear, before it gets bad, patch it.

Or get jeans with gussets. The Levi's commute series also has a gusseted crotch.
posted by amandabee at 4:59 PM on October 23, 2022

Yes, gussets are your friend! The Levi’s commuter line is awesome. Some stretch but they last forever.
posted by sixswitch at 7:24 PM on October 23, 2022

Of course they can be mended. The real question is: are mended clothing considered socially acceptable in the places you tend to go while wearing them? And that is something only you can answer, and an answer to a different question.
posted by epanalepsis at 6:28 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]

I sewed patches on the inside of my jeans thighs so that when the outer fabric wore through there'd be another layer there to take the stress. I've tried iron-on patches before, but the adhesive didn't survive friction and washing very well, so hand-sewing it was.

I also have Denim Therapy bookmarked as they offer re-weaving services and, when I work out how I can survive without my jeans for a time I'll send them off to get fixed, but I haven't tried them yet so can't comment on the business.
posted by telophase at 12:42 PM on October 24, 2022