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There are lots of different ways that jeans might need mending, but need to mend jeans with a hole by the pocket is probably something that will come up in your mending career.
The fix is similar to other mending jeans projects you might do, but it’s important to take the time to reinforce the area to hopefully keep it from tearing more.
Materials
For this kind of fix I like to reinforce the hole with a bit of old T-shirt and some Stitch Witchery (you might have seen this technique before in my post on mending a small hole in jeans).
You’ll also need some strong thread in a coordinating color — mine is a really old cotton wrapped polyester, but cotton yarn is a great choice for this one — and a sewing needle strong enough to make it through all the layers of your fabric.
A thimble of some kind would also be helpful, though I couldn’t find mine when I was doing this project. And scissors for cutting your shirt and the thread.
Getting Started
Here I have a pair of my husband’s jeans that ripped near the pocket. It’s not a big tear but of course it is always best to mend jeans (and anything else!) before the damage is too big. It not only makes the repair work faster and easier, but it’s better for the garment in the long run if its original integrity is maintained as much as possible.
Cut a rough piece of old T-shirt material that’s bigger than the hole.
Cut a piece of Stitch Witchery long enough to cover the hole. If it’s a bigger hole you might need several pieces, or you can cut out a piece from a sheet of fusible web if you have that handy.
Use the hottest setting on your iron to fuse the T-shirt to the inside of the jeans. This usually takes about 15 seconds of heat but you can keep going if yours isn’t totally stuck that fast.
How to Mend Jeans with a Hole Near the Pocket
Thread a needle with the thread double thickness (so you’re tying both ends together when you tie your knot) for extra strength. Start with the needle on the inside and just beyond where the hole starts. Bring the needle through the fabric from the inside to the outside.
Working from the outside, sew little stitches to close and cover the hole. This is basically a whip stitch, where you’re coming in and out of the fabric on the front side and the thread is covering the hole.
I worked from the bottom up and stitched just along the edge of the pocket, so the stitches are inside the stitching of the pocket and not disrupting its use.
You can go back and forth from bottom to top and top to bottom to add more stitching and make sure everything is well covered.
When you’re done or need to start a new thread, take the needle back through the jeans from front to back, tie a knot and trim the excess thread.
You can also trim the excess T-shirt material from the inside when you’re done with this mending project.
Knowing how to mend jeans with a hole near the pocket is essential if you’re mending for someone who uses their back pockets, because they’re sure to tear one eventually. With just a few minutes and a couple of tools you’ll have them in good wearing order again.
