How to Fix the Crotch Hole in Your Jeans

Mend a Small Hole or a Clean Tear by Hand

Cut loose threads away from the damaged area. You can fix some small holes without using a patch, simply by sewing the sides of the small hole or tear back together. Before you do this, you should use some scissors to clean up the edges of hole so there aren’t any protruding loose threads. These will only get in the way as you work. Be careful not to make the hole any bigger as you do this. Just cut frayed threads, not the actual fabric of the jeans.

Thread the needle and tie the knot properly. Placing a knot at the far end of the thread will anchor it in the fabric once you start sewing. It can be frustrating to have to keep re-threading the needle, so be sure to get the thread tightly fixed.

Sew over the edges of the hole to prevent further fraying. Seal the edges of the damaged area by looping thread around them and “tying” them shut. Be sure not to stitch so close to the edge that the thread simply pulls more jean fabric loose. This step is optional, but it can help stop fraying around the hole and increase the strength of your fix. A blanket stitch or buttonhole stitch are good options for this.

Sew the gap in the clothing shut. Press or hold the fabric so that the hole or tear in your jeans is nearly or completely shut. Then sew vertically across the hole to close it. (Note that you may have to stitch over this more than once to make it tight.) Start your stitches around a ½ inch to one side of the hole. Continue them to around ½ inch past the other side of the hole. As you past the far-side of the hole, make the stitches gradually smaller. Pull the thread tight, tie it off, and trim it so there are no loose ends. Start these stitches at least ½ inch further back than the stitches you just used to seal the edges of the gap. You could also do this with a sewing machine, but if it is a very small hole, it could be just as easy to fix it by hand.

Mend a Small Hole or Tear with a Sewing Machine

Cut away the loose threads. As with the method for sewing by hand, the first thing to do is to clean up the hole or rip by trimming away any loose or dangling threads. Take care as you do this and try to be as precise as possible.

Wind the bobbin on the sewing machine. Threading the needle on a sewing machine can be a bit tricky as they use two sources of thread, one from the bobbin and one from the spool. The first thing to do is wind the bobbin so that it is wrapped with thread. Once the spool and bobbin are in place on the top of your machine, unravel a few inches of thread towards the far left side of the spool and wrap it around the nubbin on the left hand side of your machine. Then pull this thread to the bobbin, thread it through the small hole, and wrap it around the bobbin a few times to secure it. Fix the bobbin in place by pushing it to the right and then gentle press down on your peddle to wind the thread from the spool to the bobbin until you have as much thread as you need on the bobbin. Cut the thread to separate the spool and bobbin, then remove the bobbin and switch off your machine.

Thread the spool. Take the end of the thread from the spool and pull it out to the left as before. This time you are taking it down to the needle itself. You will have to take the thread through a hook on the top of the machine and down along a channel on the right hand side of the needle, before bringing it back up to the top of the machine through another channel on the left, round the hook on the top and back down the left channel. Thread the needle through the hooks on the front and side of the needle itself before finally threading it through the needle itself. They will most likely be arrows or directions marked on your machine to make this easier. Most machine follow the same basic pattern for threading.

Thread the bobbin. You have threaded the needle from the spool above, and now it's time to thread it from the bobbin below. Open up your machine to reveal the bobbin holder beneath the needle, and remove the small metal bobbin holder. Place your threaded bobbin in the holder and pull a few inches of thread out through the slit in the side, before returning the holder to the machine and closing it. To get the thread from the bobbin up to the sewing surface, gently lower the needle with the hand wheel while holding the spool thread in your other hand. Bring the needle back up, carefully pull on the spool thread and the bobbin thread should appear.

Seal the edges of the rip with a zig-zag stitch. Centre a zig-zag stitch over the edge of the fabric (so that half of each stitch goes through the fabric the other half goes on the outside to tie it shut). Sew along each side of the hole to seal the edges and stop further fraying. Some sewing machines have a “buttonhole” setting or pedal that will work well for this purpose.

Sew across the hole or tear to close it. Push together the two sides of the hole with your hands to close it. Once it is securely in position, hold it there and position it beneath the needle on your sewing machine. Then, sew vertically across the hole to bind it and close it. As with the sewing by hand method, be sure to start and finish your stitches ½ inch on either side of the hole. If you sealed the edges of the tear first, make sure you start these new stitches ½ inch further back to avoid pulling out the earlier stitches. If the hole is in an especially tight or inconvenient spot, moving your jeans through the machine may present a challenge and sewing by hand could be easier.

Gluing on a Patch

Tidy up threads around the hole. Gluing on a patch is ideal for those who are not comfortable with a needle and thread, or just want a quick-fix. This might be a good option for work jeans that are more important to you for their utility than their appearance. As with the other techniques, the first thing to do is to cut away any loose threads to clean up the tear or hole.

Cut a patch to size. Turn your jeans inside out and measure out a piece of excess denim from an old pair of jeans, or whatever you want to patch the hole with. Make sure there is plenty of space on the patch around the torn area so you can apply the glue to the patch. You can buy fabric patches to use instead of a scrap piece.

Apply the fabric mending glue to the patch. You should follow the specific instructions on given on the bottle, but generally you will have to apply glue to the edges of the patch. You will need to take care to ensure that you don’t put glue on a part of the patch that is going to be showing through on the outside of your jeans. Press the patch down over the hole and secure it there. Different glues take different amounts of time to dry properly, but it shouldn't take more than a few hours.

Ironing on a Patch

Prepare the hole you are going to patch. Another easy alternative to sewing in a patch is to get an iron-on patch and use that instead. As always, begin by cutting away excess threads so the hole is clear, before turning your jeans inside out and preparing the patch you are going to iron on to your jeans. Measure the hole with a tape measure and cut the patch to size ensuring that there is a clearance of at least ½ inch around the hole. You can measure this by eye, but by using a tape measure, you are less likely to get it wrong and end up wasting a patch by cutting it too small. Cutting rounded corners on the patch will help prevent it peeling up.

Place a piece of scrap denim on the other side of the hole. Whether you are adding the patch to the outside or the inside of the jeans, using a scrap of denim on the opposite side to the patch will prevent the patch sticking to the other side of the jeans and potentially sticking the two sides together. This could seal your jeans shut and you might damage them if you then have to tear the leg open again.

Iron the patch. With a pre-heated iron you should now place the patch over the hole and iron it down. How long you should do this for could depend on the particular iron-on patches you have, so be sure to read the instructions carefully and follow those. Typically it won’t be for more than 30-60 seconds. Once it is set, remove the scrap piece from the opposite side and you are good to go.

Sewing in a Patch to Fix a Larger Hole

Find a patch or suitable patching material. Sewing in a patch is the most comprehensive, but also labour-intensive, way to fix a larger hole in the crotch of your jeans. This requires some basic command of a needle and thread or sewing machine, but when done well it could be neater and more reliable than gluing or ironing on a patch. Begin by finding a patch for the hole in your jeans. If placing the patch on the interior, choose a colour that closely matches the colour of your jeans to make it look more natural. You can be creative with your patches if you want to make a statement or have some fun. Make sure the patch material isn’t thicker than the material of your jeans. If it doesn’t give when you move, it will force the jeans to tear around it instead.

Cut out a patch at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) larger on all sides than the hole. If you’re cutting the patch from a weave material (like denim), cut diagonally against the weave; if you cut straight along the criss or the cross of the weave, the edges will be more likely to fray.

Place the patch over the hole, lay your jeans flat, and pin the patch to the jeans. Make sure there is no bunching or pulling or the patch will end up bulky and stressed. Unless you’d like to place a colourful or conspicuous patch over the damaged area, slide the patch into the interior of the jeans, which should be kept right-side out. Another option is to use an iron on patch. Instead of pinning it, you can iron it on and then sew it in for more durability.

Sew in the patch with a sewing machine. Sew around the perimeter of the hole, removing pins as you go. Don’t sew too near the edges or the torn material will fray and the stitches will fall out. Use the machine's zig-zag stitch. You can also use a straight stitch, but use a back and forth motion which will itself lend a zig-zag shape to the stitching..

Or sew it in by hand. If you sew it in by hand use an overcast stitch. Poke the needle up through the patch near the edge. Plunge the needle and thread back down through the denim just outside the edge of the patch and somewhat forward from where your needle emerged, creating a single diagonal stitch. Once again poke the needle up through the underside of the patch (near the edge and slightly forward) to create another diagonal stitch on the underside of the material. Repeat until you’ve covered the entire perimeter of the patch in diagonal stitches. When you’re done, do the entire process over again only this time, move in the opposite direction to create diagonal stitches that cross the first set you made. The resulting effect will look like a string of Xs. Be careful and make sure you are not sewing two sides of your jeans together, or sewing the material from the inside of the pocket to the jean leg or crotch.

Re-sew around the perimeter of the hole if necessary. Now that the patch is firmly in place, you can also sew closer to the edges of the tear to hold it down for a cleaner look. Re-sewing will reinforce the strength of the patch. But be aware that adding layer upon layer of stitches can lead to your jeans becoming stiff and uncomfortable.

Trim any loose edges. Once you have sewn in the patch, take some pinking shears or scissors and trim away any excess material from patch. This could flap around, itch, or catch on things that might loosen the stitches around your patch. Press the stitches down with an iron to help smooth out the stitches and your patching job is complete.