I Can Mend a Hole in a Back Pocket Three Different Ways. This is My Second Favorite.

I originally published this tutorial over at Crafting a Green World.

Mend that hole in your back pocket with an easy patch stitched to the outside.

Solve this debate for me!

If you want to fix a hole in the back pocket of a pair of pants, and you DON’T want to take the entire pocket off to do it, there are two main methods: patch the outside of the pocket, or patch the inside of the pocket.

Both are easy enough to do start to finish within an hour (or one episode of The Pitt, if that’s how you’re measuring time, ahem). Both require the same hand-sewing skills–which is hardly any, lol! The outside patch requires folding down its raw edges, which is fiddly, but the inside patch requires placing the patch while it’s inside a pocket, which is fiddly. The outside patch has a more visible patch, but the inside patch has more visible stitching.

I never can work out which I like better, and whenever I do this mend for someone else, I feel like they’re generally pretty evenly split, as well–some people really like the outside patch, and some people really like the inside one.

So I’m going to show them both to you, and YOU’RE going to decide which one is better!

First up: here’s how to patch the outside of a back pocket.

Materials

You will need:

• patch. For this project, the patch consists of a piece of similar material and weight, a couple of inches longer in both dimensions than the hole.
• matching thread. Use regular sewing thread that matches the patch and/or the pants.
• iron. This will help you crease the edges of the patch that you fold in.
• sewing supplies. Scissors, pins, etc.

Step 1: Prep the patch.

I didn’t end up using the patch, above, because I came to my senses and realized that it’s the correct weight but it doesn’t match AT ALL, but it at least gives you an idea about what size the patch should be in relation to the hole.

Fold all sides of the patch to the wrong side, then iron to crease. This will hide the raw edges of the patch.

Optional, but you can take a few minutes at this point to tack the folds down on the patch. It’s not necessary and I didn’t do it, but it will keep the folds in place while you stitch the patch over the hole, and that can be very helpful.

Step 2: Hand-sew the patch over the hole.

You barely have to know how to sew to do this mend!

Start by placing the patch, folds down, over the hole. Center the hole under the patch so it’s well-covered. You can pin it in place, but it’s not super necessary.

Baste the patch to the pocket just to keep it in place, and to tack the folds in place if you didn’t do that in the previous step. A running stitch is fine for this.

After the patch is basted, your entire job is simply to stitch the snot out of that patch. The more stitches, no matter how sloppy and amateur, the better! A running stitch is fine, and so is a back stitch. Heck, you could just do a bunch of French knots if you wanted! The idea is simply to reinforce the fabric around that hidden hole and to keep the patch in place, and every stitch, no matter how messy, is a stitch that will do just that.

You do have to be VERY careful that you sew through ONLY that back pocket and patch, and not also through the back of the pants. This requires keeping a hand inside the pocket as you sew, and, at least based on my personal experiences, also requires pricking yourself at least four times. Fun fact: hydrogen peroxide is a champ for getting blood out of clothing!

You also want to make sure that you’re stitching enough around the edges that the patch won’t come loose or the creases unfolded, but if you’re laying down as many stitches as I’m telling you to, that won’t be an issue. I’m serious: sew for a WHOLE ENTIRE episode of The Pitt!

Even though you’re not repairing the actual hole, as such, this mend works because you’re stabilizing the hole, reinforcing the fabric around it, and strengthening the entire area. Every stitch you put in is one more bit of strength you’re adding.

If you love to hand-stitch and/or you’re very good at it, check out sashiko mending for this project. You can make some beautiful patterns with your stitches, as visible or invisible as you’d prefer.

For even more visible mending fun, play with thread color and fabric color and shape. I don’t recommend double-sided fusible interfacing for this project, unless it’s little scraps that you’re using instead of basting, but that shouldn’t stop you from cutting your patch into a cute shape, because you’ll be stitching it down with lots and lots of stitches.

When that episode of The Pitt is finished, you’ll have a sturdy patch on the outside of your back pocket. Stay tuned for next week, when I show you how to sew a sturdy patch on the INSIDE of your back pocket, and then you can see which one you like better!

P.S. Want to follow along with my craft projects, books I'm reading, dog-walking mishaps, road trips, and other various adventures on the daily? Find me on my Craft Knife Facebook page!