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Fix Those Dreaded Denim Blowouts With This Easy Trick

by BUST Magazine

We all have that favorite pair of perfectly broken-in jeans we couldn’t imagine living without. And we have all probably experienced the heartbreak when a hole appears in the worst of all places—the crotch! Thankfully, with a patch and a sewing machine, the dreaded crotch blowout is a pretty easy fix (especially if you catch the hole in the early stage). And since the jeans aren’t really wearable without a mend, it makes a perfect project for practicing your sewing skills! 

Materials 

Jeans to be repaired, scrap denim (or as similar a material as you can find), sewing machine, pins, thread (in a color as close to the shade of the area needing repair as possible), and scissors.

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Instructions

1) Turn your jeans inside out and, using the scrap denim, cut a fabric patch that’s at least an inch larger on every side than the actual hole. Secure the patch by pinning the edges in place on the inside of the jeans, centered on the hole. Once secured, turn the jeans right side out again.

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2) Thread the needle and bobbin of your machine with thread closely matching the area being repaired (since the denim in the area has been broken down, it’s likely a different shade than other parts of the jeans).

3) Feed the jeans into the machine. Begin at one side of the hole and use a straight-stitch to stitch a line the length of the hole along the grain of the denim. Once you’ve reached the other side, put your machine in reverse and sew a line alongside the first, ending next to the point where you started. Continue zig-zagging straight lines back and forth, making your lines longer where the blowout area widens. If the opening of your blowout hole is larger than an inch in diameter, stitch your lines around the perimeter of the hole where the fabrics overlap (no need to sew in the middle of the patch). Be careful not to sew over any of the pins—your machine’s needle can break and send sharp pieces flying! 

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4) Once you’ve sewn lines back and forth across the entire blowout area, lock the final stitch by running a few stitches back and forth. Remove the jeans, and trim any loose threads where they meet the fabric. Turn the jeans inside out again to trim off excess patch fabric around the hole and voila! Your favorite jeans are back and ready for action.

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By Kristina Angelozzi
Photographed by Samuel Dixon
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2020 edition of BUST’s print magazine. Subscribe today!

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Founded in 1993, BUST is the inclusive feminist lifestyle trailblazer offering a unique mix of humor, female-focused entertainment, uncensored personal stories, and candid reporting that tells the truth about women’s lives.

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