HomeCrazzyHome

My boys are tough. Really tough on their jeans. They all have what is called kissing thighs, which means that the insides of their jeans rub bare and get holes in them. Mind you, I realise that holes are a fashion statement when it comes to jeans, but not when you can see underwear. It does not take them long to do it either. Jeans have about a life expectancy of three months.

Now I know that we could get replacement jeans for less than ten pounds each at Asda or even cheaper at a charity shop and we do have to do that eventually. But I try to extend their lives for as long as possible. Used to we would send them down the road to the dry cleaners to be patched, but the last time we did that it cost more than a new pair of jeans…fifteen pounds.

So while I was in the US visiting my son this spring, I went into Wal-Mart and stocked up on iron-on patches. They were less than one dollar fifty for four large squares. Now I admit they are not as easy or as cheap to find here, but I did find them in the fabric store the other week. So I won’t have to wait until my next trip to the US to replenish my supply.

Of course, the iron on patches are just the beginning of the mending process. Once I cut them to fit the hole and iron them into place, I must still secure them by sewing them in place. Thankfully, my older daughter bought me a lovely sewing machine last Christmas. So I go back and forth over the edges as well as the centre of patches until there is no possibility it will come lose.

Because of where their holes are neatness really is not much of an issue. If your holes are somewhere that can be seen…and would not be fashionable to have a hole there, then you can cut a design from a piece of colourful material (a heart, diamond, etc.) and sew it over the area to cover the patch. You may even start a new trend.

Even once these jeans and their patches wear out and I must purchase ‘new’ ones, there are still things you can do with the material…but that’s another blog.