Last week, boyfriend discovered a rip near the pocket of his practically brand new jeans. He asked about sewing the hole but the fabric had frayed just enough that sewing would not have repaired the problem. But patching…now that was the ticket. If you’ve never patched anything before, it is tremendously easy. When a fabric problem is bigger than a needle and thread can handle, try patching.
Here is the item that needed repair. You can see the fray at the pocket.
Here’s a quick how to:
You’ll need an iron, a pack of patches in the color of the item you’re repairing and a towel or ironing board. The pack of patches will have full instructions. I bought Bondex patches and the pack was maybe $1.50 and contained two 5×7 patches.
Turn item inside out. Set iron on cotton setting. Iron patch area until warm (I’ve found about 30 seconds works well).
Place the patch SHINY SIDE DOWN on the warmed area. Place iron on patch and press down firmly for 30 seconds while sliding iron across patch area.
Wait ten minutes and let the patch cool. You can still see the fray at the pocket but there is no longer a hole there! Since I discovered this little trick, I’ve patched shirts, jeans and jackets. Works great and it saves the item from being discarded or further damaged.
See www.wrights.com for more info on patching things up.
the frugal musician 
Hey, this patching info is really useful. It made me remember that I used to do it with jeans back in college. Also when I was really young in the early 70s, patches were used as decoration, along with embroidery. My favorite pair when I was ten had a patch on each back pocket, the patch on the left read “Have a nice day” and the one on the right “Have a nice night.” But I have to tell you- I can’t see the hole in the jeans in your photo!
I found your blog through the Non-Consumer Advocate, which is my favorite. I like yours and I’ll come back.
HI Angela! I am a child of the 70s and remember my best pair of patched jeans. I even embroidered flowers on them. AND MY MOM threw them AWAY when i was at school one day!! HAHAHAHAHAHA- funny now, not funny then!
Thanks so much for reading. I agree about the photo. The tear was very slight but in a couple more wears there was going to be a severe, irrepairable hole! So i patched it right up. I LOVE Katy’s site and am visiting yours right NOW!