Do I Patch Holey Jeans?

Goodwill and Once upon a Child.

I rarely buy new for my kids when they are very little. They wear them out, grow out of them or ruin them, and they don't care if they are in style or not. Once Upon a Child has very nice clothes for good prices, but if you are willing to search some, Goodwill can provide lots of good play clothes. I got three pairs of jeans and one skirt for my DD and two pairs of brand new jeans for me for $16 at Goodwill this week. Right after Xmas is a great time to go people donate stuff people gave them that doesn't fit, or because they upgraded.

BTW, there are iron on patches too, no sewing required, and remember kids do not really care how they are dressed until they are a little older.

When my son was younger I did use cute sports patches when there were holes. Look for great sales if you want new jeans. Perhaps, for next year, look for jeans with reinforced knees...more expensive up front, but then you won't have this dilemma. My son plays a lot of outdoor sports at recess, etc., and his jeans this year (all Arizona/JCPenney brand, as we found he is too big for a lot of other brands) have held up really well.

I would not patch unless you can do the patch from the inside and it just looks torn but is still warm. I guess the distressed look is in!

Funny that people suggested Children's Place jeans. I think they are so thin and terrible. My older son has not ONE pair of children's Place jeans to pass down to my younger because they ALL ripped at the knees! I go to Marshall's and get Levi's for 9.99 (5 bucks cheaper than Children's Place) and I also love Dickie's, which you can find at Marshall's. They are THICK, but still look somewhat "cool."

Hope this helps!

Hi K.,
I'm not sure where you live, but I was out doing some post holiday shopping at the outlets in Lancaster. There were some wonderful deals on clothing. I'm sure that wherever you live there are outlets near by, and they usually have quite a few children's stores. I sometimes think it is just one of those places you overlook. I sure did until I went and got some amazing deals! Good luck.
D.

Years ago when my daughter was in kindergarden everything came home with the knees worn. I found out that it had to do with how the kids sat on the floor during cicle time. I tried all brands of pants and all had the same result. Better to have pants that look a little goofy then pull out a credit card and pay intrest on a pair of pants.

What I used to do was replace them one at a time. Sears had jeans on sale for $8 a pair. Maybe by one pair a paycheck. I also bought them cheap at walmart. hope that helps....he will grow out of it.

Hi K.!

You can get very inexpensive patches from a sewing store like Joanne's.

I also have bought really cute fabric from the discount bin - usually the leftovers at the end of the roll - or they have "quarters" which are used by quilters. Then I get iron on Stitch Witchery and make my own patches. My son loves his "Cars Mater Pants" and his "Buzz Lightyear Jeans".

Also, check out Goodwill or Salvation Army. My kids got a bunch of NEW DESIGNER clothes - for $3 and $4 each at back to school time. Really. It was crazy. All I cared about was having clothes that fit and my hubby came home and asked how our 8 year old got CK jeans? lol.

Good luck, it is sooo hard with kids clothes!
-C.

I was told that Sears has a program where any jeans you buy there, you keep the receipt, and if they tear or get a hole in them, or anything, you can exchange them for a brand new pair. I am not sure if it is just with jeans or if it is with all clothing. You could inquire about it.

A.

Go Gap - they hold up and have adjustable waists. What size are you looking for?

My 10yo's favorite jeans are the ones I sewed a dophin patch on to cover the hole in the knees...

Heck, yeah! At this age, anyway...wouldn't do it now that my son is 10.

The iron on ones never held up for me; they peel off after washing/drying. I kept ironing them back on, tho, cuz I don't have a machine.

Hard to hand-sew, but I did that, too... took the oldest, softest pair of holey jeans, and cut patches from them, sewed by hand.

Gap, believe it or not, don't hold up as well, either, tho I do like the adjustable waist feature hidden inside the waistband. They were/continue to be hand-me-downs from my SIL.

Good luck!!

I ALWAYS patched pants for the kids...I got the 'pre made' iron on ones...and hand stiched around them...everything from dinosaurs to flowers...to butterflies...to the american flag! The kids did enjoy picking out the patches.

I know that they did NOT mind...as the eldest three (now in college) bring home their mending on breaks!!

take care
Michele/cat

I don't know how fashion conscious kindergarten boys are now, but I think patches can be cute. If you don't think he would like it, you can just stalk out the thrift store for a couple weeks for new pants--usually the prices on kid's pants at thrift stores are only like 3-5 dollars each, and the sale racks at Old Navy are probably about the same by this point in the season. And, that's about how much you'll spend on patches--I was surprised that they were that expensive.
About patching, you don't have to sew. Go to Michael's and get iron-on patches. I just did this for my toddler girl's pants that were all worn out from her crawling days. It takes only a minute. The patches were at least a few dollars each if you get cute picture ones, or you can get a few big squares in denim or twill for around 5 dollars that would cover several pairs of holy knee pants if you cut them to fit. Most of the cute patches seemed to be more for decoration than repair.

You can go to Walmart in their craft section and buy iron on patches. They're large enough to cover the entire knee area and then some. You can cut them down to fit the small hole area. Do it from the inside so turn them inside out, iron on the patch, and then sew them on as well. If the jeans are cheap the iron on and sewing will help keep them there longer and kids do wear the knees quickly. Toughskins jeans from Sears have built in knee patches, big ones, so it's not unusual for patching. You can sew around the outside of the patch plus criss cross over the entire patch. Well worth it and when you do it from the inside it won't show as much.

K. B
mom of 5 including triplets

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat
events and chat within 2 hour radius

Hi K.,
I patch all of my girls' jeans that I possibly can. It's not just Old Navy jeans that do this. It's also Arizona's and Silvertab, Faded Glory, Osh Gosh--EVERYTHING. You CAN'T avoid it. Don't waste the money on buying specific brands. It's just not worth it. Kindergarten age kids are on their knees CONSTANTLY and thus have holes wear thru almost immediately.

Walmart used to carry a standard denim patch, but all of our area stores have since stopped dealing w/ crafts (a huge mistake on their part for this area for sure!) but I've also found them at Jo-Ann Fabrics. I will take one of the denim patches and cut into little hearts for my girls and then just iron it on. Then I will secure it by handstitching around the outside. I've allowed some patches to go free, but then you need to keep ironing over the patch after so many washings. However, if your son isn't comfortable w/ wearing an iron on patch of some sort, do it on the inside. You must be careful though, and refer to your school's handbook on dress code. Our school district will NOT allow ANY frayed or holey clothes AT ALL. All holes MUST be covered somehow.

A word of advice for you though--don't just assume that because he's never been thru a growth spurt before, that he won't start. We never went through big ones here until about first grade w/ our older one. She's currently in 3rd grade and is in her 2nd entire wardrobe since August, soon to be her 3rd because she's gaining so much height. She's done this to us the last 3 school years. All I can say is that I'm glad I have her clothes to hand down to her twin sisters. I couldn't afford to have all 3 doing that at the same time :)

Best of luck to you and Happy New Year!
E.

I personally don't patch jeans/pants. I don't believe I have seen patched pants in many years. My oldest has been in school now for six years and in that time I have never seen any patched pants.

I also don't go out and buy "brand new" pants. I go to second-hand shops that specialize in children's clothes. The clothing is used, but still has plenty of use in it. I have even found clothing that still has retail store tags on it. I can easily get $100 worth of clothing for about $30. I don't believe I have bought "brand new" clothing for my kids in quite a long time. I just don't see the need to buy retail when I can get perfectly good clothing for less.

Go to Wal-mart, their sewing section. For less about $2 you can buy a pack of two iron-on patches. You cut the patches to the size you need. I hate spending money on work clothes and I wear jeans to work. So, I just use the patches and iron them on the inside so you can't really see them! They are 'blue-jean' in color, but the shades don't match my jeans. It has kept my two current pairs of jeans on-going now for about two months and counting!!!

Not sure patching the knees for a boy will do- a girl may be able to get away with it. I buy a lot of my kids' jeans at resale so they're cheap and I can often find more sturdy name brands. I think Childrens Place is a good price and well made also.

Hi, K.:

Take your son to Michaels and ask him what kind of patch he would like to cover the holes in his pants.

They have cloth you can make a patch or they have cartoon appliques.

Talk to your son about your concerns and see how he responds.

Just an idea. Good luck. D.

Dear K.,

I still patch & adjust my children's clothes BUT if you are not sure or uncomfortable with your skills in that area and are hesitant to spend money on new jeans, why not consider the alternative? "New to your son" jeans & pants from a thrift or resale store. Goodwill pants for children are $3 a pair and often you can find a coupon or discount online for Goodwill stores and then there are consignment shops which will sell pants for less than the $8-$15 range of commercial stores.

I bought my first grader 5 pairs of jeans for the cost of one pair from a department store. I will not be buying jeans from a department or retail store for many years to come. I even got myself designer jeans for $3.50 that I never would have afforded from the original store.

Good luck in whatever choice you make.

Fondly,
ann m

K.-
My 11 year old only wears the ones with the holes. I call them his "church" pants--holey ;-) Anyway, I wouldn't patch, I would make sure that when you get new pants that they are designated whether they are school, nice or play pants. My son has one pair of "good" jeans and one pair of "good" khakis. All the rest are play/school. If your son is active he will always have holes in his knees. You will be buying patches by the caseload and when he's older he won't wear his pants with patches anyway. Look for deals at garage sales, craig's list, and thrift stores.
S.

You got a lot of responses, so I'll just add that I think Sears has a program where if the clothes wear out before the kid grows out of them, they will replace them. I haven't used it personally as I get a lot of hand me downs and at this point my kids outgrow their clothes before they wear out, but it's worth looking into I think. I don't know what brands Sears carries.

I think patching is fine if your son is fine with it and I also agree that thrift stores are awesome. Good luck!

i have actually patched the inside of my own pants, now that the style is for them to be worn out before you even buy them! haha! Like someone else said, you buy the iron on patch at Walmart or wherever, and just iron it on inside! works like a charm!

also, check out the consignment shop or thrift store or craigslist... you can get barely worn clothes there for just a few dollars.

Hi K.,
I guess it's a matter of personal preference whether to patch or not.
I have always liked jeans and pants from The Children's Place for my son. They have held up pretty well.
I agree about scoping out thrift shops for pants.
O. thing I have heard of moms doing is pre-patching the INSIDE of the knees when the pants are new. That may help.
Financial aside: If you do not have the cash to pay for new jeans--wait. I hate credit card debt!

I think patches are SO cute, and pretty easy to sew or iron on. Of course it depends on how much your son cares about "fashion" or coolness at school. I would definitely think twice if that would be a factor. As for jeans the hold up...I really like the Genuine Kids from Oshkosh at Target. They are thicker than many jeans, just still just $12 (sometimes cheaper on sale). I also really like Crazy8 for just about anything! I'm not sure where you are, but they are at South Hills mall in Pittsburgh and many other places and online. They are Gymboree's cheaper brand. Not quite as cheap as Old Navy, but the quality is much better. Sale items seem to be $5-18, a little more for full price. Cool stuff for boys, not so "cutsey" as regular Gymboree. Pants still have hidden adjustable waist and slim & husky as well as regular fit--great for my super skinny little boy :) Good luck!!

Patches are TOTALLY cute. Some jeans come with pre sewn patches on them just for fashion. You go! Just read the instructions, most of them are iron on now, but you can sew them on with a slip stitch all around in contrast thread for a true designer touch. There are tons of sewing websites with ow to videos. It's awesome not to buy new stuff all the time. And I agree, second hand stores can have cute stuff too-and durable if it lasted long enough to be handed down!

My son is 4 and rips hols in his knees as well. Some pants have double fabric at the knees... espcially corduoroys I have noticed. For jeans and khakis, I make sure to patch them with iron on patches pretty much the moment I notice a small hole and apply the patch on the inside. That way it is not noticeable.

I buy him (or am gifted) a few nice outfits that are new each season. Everything else comes from E-bay. It doesn't matter if it gets ruined if you only paid $2-3 for it. I buy small lots or things rather than sets or outfits and look for brands that you know are higher end.