How to Tailor or Repair Jeans

Whether it’s a hole in the back pocket, stains you can’t remove, a wrong size, or a broken zipper — none of them are good reasons to throw away a pair of jeans. 5-Minute Crafts prepped this article for you to help you bring your old denim clothing back to life.

1. Sew holes in different patterns

Leaf

1. Take a needle with a long green or multi-colored thread.
2. Put it through the hole and out again on the lower left, about 0.5 inches away from the hole.
3. Make the next stitch on the right, 1 inch away from the previous one. Don’t tie the thread as you need to have enough for another stitch; you’re about 1.5 inches long.
4. Put the needle above the hole so that all 3 holes make a triangle.
5. Make an arch with the thread.

6. Fix the lower thread with a stitch and pull the needle through the lower-left hole. Then move it to the top of the triangle and make a stitch next to it on the right side.

7. Pull the needle out from the lower right hole and move it to the top of the triangle. Make a stitch on the left side.

8. Keep making new stitches from the lower left side of the triangle to the right side and vice versa.

9. Make the final stitch at the base.

10. Enjoy your cute leaf on your back pocket.

Heart

1. Get a needle and thread in different colors.
2. Use tailor’s chalk to draw a heart around the hole.
3. Pull the needle from the inside to the outside in the middle of the heart and move it to the edge.
4. Pull the needle back again from the middle of the heart and move it beside the previous stitch.
5. Repeat the stitches from the middle to the sides until the entire picture is visible.
6. Change the color of the thread from time to time.

2. Shorten long legs

1. Take your long jeans and mark the spot where you’re going to cut them.
2. Draw a diagonal line and 4 half-circles above it.
3. Cut the pant legs around the half-circles.
4. Make small cuts around the edge, about 0.03 inches away from each other.
5. Take each pant leg with your hands and rub the edges with the cuts against each other.
6. Remove any threads that are sticking out.

3. Cover bright spots with painted lace

1. Use your jeans that have a spot/spots on them.
2. Cover them with half-transparent lace.
3. Pick out a can of spray paint.
4. Spray the fabric paint on the jeans through the layer of lace.
5. Remove the lace.
6. Leave the jeans to dry for 2-3 hours.

4. Narrow the waist

1. Grab your jeans that are too wide at the waist.
2. You’ll need a needle and bright-colored thread. Pull it through from the inside to the outside in the middle of the waist on the right side.
3. Take a bead and put the needle through it.
4. String the thread through the bead and place the bead against the fabric.
5. Make a stitch to the left, about 0.3 inches away. Pull the needle to the outside and add another bead.

6. Repeat with 3 more beads.

7. Pull the needle to the inside and pull the thread lightly to narrow the waist.

8. Fix the thread inside and cut it.

9. Repeat the entire thing on the other side of the jeans.

5. Widen the waist

1. Lay down your pair of jeans that are too tight.
2. Turn them inside out.
3. Cut the jeans on the sides from the waist to the base of the pockets.
4. Take 2 pieces of thick black fabric.
5. Fix them above the cuts with pins.
6. Sew the fabric on the inside with black thread. Cut the leftover fabric.

6. Cover stains with cuts

1. Get your stained jeans.
2. Make horizontal cuts along the stain, about 1 inch apart from each other.
3. Take the fabric with both hands and pull it to the sides.
4. Rub the cuts on each other.
5. Separate the vertical thread from the horizontal thread.
6. Remove the vertical thread and keep the horizontal pieces.

7. Make an invisible dart

1. Take the jeans that are too big at the waist. Fold them on the left. The distance should be measured by whatever makes them comfortable to wear.
2. Take a needle and some bright double-thread. Pull it from the inside, not far from the start of the side pocket. Make several looping stitches upward.
3. Pull the needle back through the last loop.
4. Untie the last loop.
5. Do the same with the other loops.
6. Fix the thread from the inside on the edges of the seam.

8. Fix a broken zipper

1. Get your jeans with a loose or broken zipper.
2. Find a small metal loop.
3. Sew it next to the start of the zipper.
4. Attach the zipper on the loop.

Bonus: Sew holes with a needle and thread

If your jeans have holes, you can mend them using different methods and extend their life. We’ll introduce the ’’without a patch’’ method here, based only on some stitching that will look as invisible as possible.

• For starters, be sure to examine the hole and the area around it closely in the light to figure out if it can be repaired or not. It would help fortify the area around the hole or torn part. If you ignore that area, you may have new tears there, too.
• Next, using scissors, clip off its edges. Then decide if you need to sew into a seam. If so, prepare a sturdy denim needle. If not, a regular needle will suffice. You should choose thread according to the color of your jeans.
• Always add a backing piece that is a bit bigger than the size of the tear to strengthen the area around the tear. Then, use a regular iron on it, making sure to not pinch the tear. As per the sewing machine, pick your stitch, for example, darning foot to sew in any direction you prefer. Test it on a small patch first — move back and forward or sideways, making sure you are as precise as possible.
• With more significant tears, add 2 or 3 layers of stitching. You’re basically reweaving the fabric. So first, sew either the horizontal or the vertical thread along the weft or the warp thread. The vertical or the warp thread is known to be more visible.
• As per the last layer, sew in a diagonal direction along the twill weave. Remember not to make the layers too heavy, but to keep the stitches small and consistent. Also remember to not change the order in one layer.

Check the video for easy repair hacks for your clothes