• Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

The Ruffled Purse®

Discover the Joy of Sewing

  • Learn to Sew
  • Blog
    • Sewing Projects
    • Sewing Knowledge and Skills
    • Sewing Clothes
  • Shop
  • About

How to Fix a Hole in the Back Pocket of Jeans

February 16, 2021 By Nicki Leave a Comment

This post may contain some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission which helps keep my blog up and running but it won't cost you a penny more)! Click here to read my full Disclosure and Privacy Policy..

9shares
  • Share It

The corner of a pocket is often the first place you’ll notice your jeans are starting to wear.

A hole in the corner of a jeans pocket

It’s important to fix a hole in the back pocket of your jeans before it becomes too big.

Thank goodness it’s not hard to do.

With the right supplies and some hand sewing, you can get the hole repaired.

Table Of Contents
  • Supplies to Fix Hole
  • Thread Color
  • Steps to Repair Pocket Hole
    • 1. Prepare the Area
    • 2. Cut the Patch
    • 3. Attach the Patch
    • 4. Sew the Patch
      • The Stitch
      • The Sewing Design
      • Using the Backstitch to Attach the Patch
    • 5. Finish Up
  • Books on Mending, Needles, and Thread
  • Other Mending Posts on The Ruffled Purse

Supplies to Fix Hole

  • fusible interfacing or scrap fabric for the patch
  • needles for hand sewing
  • thread
  • marking pen that’s removable (like FriXion pen)
  • iron and board
  • scissors or embroidery snips

Thread Color

The color of thread you choose depends on how visible you want the repair to be.

For blue jeans, shades of gray and blue are good choices.

Different colors of thread to mend denim
Dark and light gray thread is less noticeable on blue jeans than dark blue thread.

Steps to Repair Pocket Hole

There are 5 steps to fix a hole in the corner of a pocket:

1. Prepare the Area

If there are any loose threads or frayed edges around the hole, you want to clip those off.

2. Cut the Patch

Use one-sided fusible interfacing or a scrap of lightweight fabric as a patch.

The patch needs to be large enough to cover the hole and the surrounding area.

It should extend approximately 1/2″ over the hole and any thinning areas.

3. Attach the Patch

If you use a fabric scrap, it can be basted or pinned in place.

With one-sided fusible interfacing, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to iron it over the hole on the inside of the jeans.

Fusible web is applied over the hole on the inside of the jeans
A fusible interfacing was used to cover this hole and surrounding area.

4. Sew the Patch

The Stitch

A backstitch or running stitch can be used to attach the patch.

A backstitch was used in the repair shown in this tutorial.

The Sewing Design

Denim is made with a twill weave that results in a diagonal ribbing.

When sewing you can:

  • follow the lengthwise (warp) threads of the denim
  • follow the crosswise (weft) threads of the denim
  • follow the diagonal ribbing of the weave
  • do one or more of the above options to form the design

You can also get really creative and create your own design.

Using the Backstitch to Attach the Patch

First, I used the diagonal ribbing as a guide for the backstitches. The thread color I decided on was dark blue.

One set of backstitches is sewn along the diagonal ribbing of the denim

Next, I used a red FriXion pen to mark lines to do the second set of backstitches. This type of pen erases quickly and easily when heat is applied to it.

A FriXion pen is used to mark lines for a second set of stitches

Watch how easy the FriXion pen is to erase with an iron then write on the fabric to make new lines.

Make sure to test the FriXion pen on a scrap piece prior to using it on your final project.

The final set of stitches is sewn perpendicular to the second set. Marking lines makes it easier to keep the backstitch straight.

A third set of lines is drawn as a guide for stitches

5. Finish Up

Use the iron to erase the lines made by the Frixion pen.

The visible mending is done!

The finished repair over the corner of a jean's pocket
Before and after shots of the pocket repair

Books on Mending, Needles, and Thread

Looking for some print resources to add to your sewing library to help with mending? Check out the following books:

Two books that have been extremely helpful in adding to my knowledge and understanding of mending techniques are:

Mending books
  • Mend & Patch: A Handbook to Repairing Clothes and Textiles by Kerstin Neumuller
  • Make + Mend: Sashiko-Inspired Embroidery Projects to Customize and Repair Textiles and Decorate Your Home by Jessica Marquez

Do all the needle and thread choices leave you confused? The following 2 books are excellent resources to help you pick the best needle and thread for your projects.

The book Know Your Needles by Liz Kettle
Book - The Ultimate Thread Guide by Becky Goldsmith

Know Your Needles by Liz Kettle is a pocket-sized resource that provides easy-to-consume information about both machine and hand sewing needles.

The Ultimate Thread Guide by Becky Goldsmith lives up to its subtitle Everything You Need to Know to Choose the Perfect Thread for Every Project.

Other Mending Posts on The Ruffled Purse

My first experience with mending was to fix a rip in the thigh of a pair of corduroy pants.

How to Fix a Rip in Pants

I’ve also experimented with patching a hole in the crotch of jeans.

How to Fix Crotch Holes in Jeans

Let’s Connect

My main goals are to support, empower, and inspire you to discover the joy of sewing.

Need help or have questions on this project, pattern, or tutorial? Send me an email at nicki@theruffledpurse.com and we can work together to get it figured out!

Make sure you sign up for Snappy Scissors, my FREE newsletter sent directly to your inbox for ongoing sewing inspiration and education.

Also, like or follow The Ruffled Purse® on Facebook. This is another way to stay up-to-date on the fun things going on at The Ruffled Purse.

You can even follow me on Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube! 😊

Nicki’s work has been seen in:

Check out Nicki’s Summit classes at The Makery and in The Ruffled Purse Shop.

Looking for more sewing education? Here are a few other posts you may like:

selvage and raw edge

How to Square Up Fabric

Read More
care and cleaning of sewing machine

Sewing Machine Care and Cleaning

Read More

How to Make Square Corners

Read More
Pinterest image for how to fix a hole in the back pocket of jeans
9shares
  • Share It

About Nicki

Nicki Hibbits is the writer behind The Ruffled Purse blog. She has spent almost all of her adult life either sewing or thinking about sewing. After 28 years as an elementary school teacher, she has combined her love of sewing with her teaching expertise to support, empower, and inspire others to discover (or rediscover) the joy of sewing.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hello, I’m Nicki!

Welcome to The Ruffled Purse® where you can discover (or rediscover) the joy of sewing! I want to inspire you to use sewing to bring to life creative ideas as well as a way to solve everyday problems. With sewing, you can create wonderful things for yourself, your home, and others. About me...

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Recent Posts

  • Easy Cardigan Sewing Pattern
  • How to Fix a Hole in the Back Pocket of Jeans
  • How to Backstitch by Hand
  • Better Than a Sewing Planner
  • How to Fix Crotch Holes in Jeans

Safety Disclaimer

Use caution when working with sharp tools and objects including, but not limited to, scissors, needles, pins, and rotary cutters.

Read and follow safety instructions in the sewing machine instruction manual.

Do not use the sewing machine as a toy. Close attention is necessary when the sewing machine is used by or near children.

© 2017-Present Nicki Hibbits. All rights reserved. Legal Disclosures.