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Unless you walk like an Old West cowboy, you can't do much to stop your thighs from rubbing together with every step -- and the constant rubbing can do serious damage to your jeans. Fortunately, you know what do to about a pair of jeans that's ripping in the thighs, so you can handle this fashion emergency on your own without splurging on new denim every time you see a rip. Just relax, take a breath and fire up the old sewing machine -- your jeans will be all stitched up and looking great again in no time.
1.
Eyeball the hole in your jeans and cut out a patch to size. It doesn't matter what the patch's material is, as long as it's durable -- denim is a natural fit. Fashion and DIY expert Becky Sterns recommends a t-shirt or even an old jersey for holes in the inner thigh, as the material is less abrasive when rubbing on your skin. "A reverse-applique technique with knit jersey is probably the best approach," she writes on Craftzine. Make sure the patch is an inch or two bigger than the hole on every side.
2.
Turn your jeans inside out and pin the patch in place over the hole. You won't be able to see the patch, so don't worry about how the fabric grains match up or anything. Stitch around the patch with a single row of stitching, then again with a zigzag. Don't skip the second round of stitching, or else your patch won't last, and you'll end up baring all that thigh you're trying to hide.
3.
Turn your pants right-side out. Sew the hole shut by passing over it with a zigzag stitch a few times. With that patch underneath the denim, your thread has something to hold onto, making sure you won't have any more unexpected tears anytime soon. Do not make more than two or three passes with the thread, or else it will create an uncomfortable buildup (See References 3).
If you want to give you jeans a visible patch, cut out a rectangular area around the hole on the thigh. Flip your pants inside out and sew a patch in place just like normal -- the difference is that you'll be able to see the patch.
