Last Updated on 4 years ago by Susan Mayrich
There are three main things to learn how to fix a hole in pants at home. You’ll know the techniques for using a patch, sewing by hand, and repairing holes in pants with a sewing machine.
We’ll even discuss the best stitch techniques, embroidery, and other tips to repair big and small holes in any pair of pants, cotton or jean. Finally, we’ll help you repair the tear, rip, or hole in the garment’s pocket, crotch, knee, and inner thigh.
All The Techniques You Must Know On How To Fix A Hole In Pants
Method 1: How to fix a hole in pants using a patch
The easiest and no-sew way to fix holes in pants is by using patches. There are different patch types in the market, so it’s easy to find what wouldn’t be noticeable when using one to repair your clothing.
Since you can buy either a heat-activated patch or a patch that doesn’t have a heat-activated formula, the ways in using a patch to repair a hole or tear in pants can differ:
How to fix a hole in pants with non-heat-activated patches:
- Pick a patch that matches the fabric color and type of your pants so it wouldn’t be obvious
- Measure the hole or tear on the clothes and cut out the patch at a slightly bigger size
- Position the patch over the hole, then glue the corners
- Allow the patch to dry on the area completely
How to fix a hole in pants with heat-activated patches:
- Pick a patch that matches your pants (e.g., if it’s jeans, then you’ll need denim patches)
- Cut the patch into a slightly bigger piece than the torn area of the pants
- Position the patch over the hole and iron over it for around 45 seconds to activate the adhesive
- Allow the clothing to cool completely
Method 2. How to fix a hole in pants with a sewing machine
A more secure way for clothing alterations is by using a sewing machine. It’s also time-efficient since it will do the stitching for you, and you can ensure even and consistent stitches around the area you’re mending.
Here are the instructions on sewing holes in pants using a sewing machine. You’ll be using a zigzag stitch to repair small holes and straight tears on jeans or any other clothes as it’s easy, especially for those who are not used to stitching with a sewing machine:
- Prepare the correct color of thread for the machine, as it should match your jeans or pants
- Set up the ideal needle for the material of your clothing (e.g., denim pants will need a heavy-duty sewing machine needle)
- Turn the sewing machine on and set it to zig-zag stitch
- Line the piece of clothing under the sewing machine needle (i.e., the hole or tear should align with the needle facing you so the stitches will run down the length of the damaged area and seal the edge
- Begin sewing and once done, cut the threads but leave a long tail
- Insert the thread tail into a hand-sewing needle and pull it inside the pants or jeans
- Tie it off to finish the repair
Method 3. How to fix a hole in pants by hand
What if you don’t have a sewing machine and need to repair holes in your garment quickly? You can also hand-sew the hole or rip in your pants by hand with a needle and thread.
The easiest way to do so is with a straight stitch and mending with the appropriate needle and thread for the fabric of your garment, like denim. However, hand-sewing a tear on clothing is only practical with small holes, as a larger rip or tear will require a patch since the edge has likely frayed.
- Cut the hanging threads at the edge of the tear or hole; use smaller scissors to easily target the threads and not cut the damaged area accidentally
- For easier hand-stitching, measure the hole in the pants and cut a piece of fusible interfacing that’s half an inch wider and longer than it
- Iron the interfacing behind the tear inside the pants
- Cut a thread length the same color as the pants or jeans and thread it into a needle
- Tie the long end of the thread with a knot and insert the threaded needle from the back of the area you’re mending
- Start at ¼ of an inch from the edge of the tear and pull the thread through
- Make a blanket stitch to seal the edges of the tear and seal the hole
- Put the needle down in the garment edge across the damaged area and pike the thread back up from underneath on the side of the tear close to the right from the first stitch to form a loop
- Continue stitching with each thread close to the previous stitch
- Once you’re at the end of the hole, push the needle through the inside of the pants and tie it into a knot
How To Sew A Big Hole In Pants
Did you know that the average size of a hole in pants is one and a half inches in diameter? So if you’re mending a big hole in pants, you will need a similar clothing fabric to patch it first than directly sew the edges of the tear.
Supplies:
- Sewing machine
- Appropriate needle type for the fabric of the pants you’re repairing
- Appropriate color thread to match the pants
- Fabric similar to the clothing for patching the big hole
- Scissors
- Pins
- Iron-on adhesive
Method:
- Cut off the threads of the frayed edge in and around the hole or tear in the pants
- Once the edge of the hole is clean, measure the area you’ll patch and cut a piece from the fabric similar to the material pants but make sure the size is slightly bigger
- Cut a piece of iron-on adhesive the same size and shape as the material patch
- Iron the adhesive to the back of the patch, and after cooling, score the protective layer of the iron-on adhesive with pin
- Remove the backing layer that you scored and place a piece of scrap fabric into the area with the hole so the adhesive won’t fuse to the back of that part of the pants
- Smoothen the area you’re patching, then iron the patch in place; make sure the grain of the patch is placed in the same direction as the grain of the pants material, so your DIY hole solution won’t become obvious
- Take off the scrap fabric insider the pants
- Set up your sewing machine with the right thread and needle, especially if you’ll fix denim jeans
- Place the leg of the pants through the arm hole of the sewing machine
- Push the excess fabric towards the machine, so you’ll position the patched hole under the needle
- Sew the patch with short zigzag stitches; half of the stitch will go over the pants material, while the other will be over the patch
- Continue sewing around one side of the patch, then move the pant leg to sew the other side in the opposite direction to finish
How To Sew A Small Hole In Pants
If you’re sewing a small hole in pants, the easiest way is by hand-sewing. And because the tear is small, you can do a ladder stitch.
Supplies:
- Needle appropriate for the pants fabric
- Thread appropriate for the pants fabric and the same color as the clothing material
- Scissors
Method:
- Trim the frayed threads around the small hole
- Thread the needle and tie the thread to make a knot
- Insert the needle from the back at about half-inch from the side of the hole or tear
- Sew with a ladder stitch to finish mending
How To Fix A Hole In Pants Pocket
Supplies:
- Needle
- Thread
- Pins
- Market
- Scissors
Method:
- Flip the pockets of the jeans or pants inside out
- Align the tear together and mark the end of the hole with a pin
- Thread the needle and insert it on the mark you made
- Sew along the length of the tear to close the hole
- Tie several knots on both ends of the repaired pocket hole to secure the stitches and cut the remaining thread
How To Fix A Hole In Pants Crotch?
Supplies:
- Sewing machine or hand-sewing thread and needle
- Denim patch
Method:
- Sew the hole in the crotch of the pants either with the sewing machine or by hand method, as discussed previously
- Reinforce the repair with fusible interfacing inside the pants
You can also refer to how to fix a ripped seam without sewing if you have no time to stitch the crotch hole and it’s close to the seam of the garment.
How To Fix A Hole In Pants Knee?
Supplies:
- Patch or fabric piece to cover the hole on the knee of the pant
- Sashiko embroidery materials
- Hand-sewing needle and thread or a sewing machine for a smaller hole at the knee of the jeans or pants
Method:
- Patch the big hole at the knee using the instructions discussed above for using patches as a method to repair pants holes
- Reinforce the patch with Sashiko embroidery to prevent the repair from being damaged again since the knee gets very stressed when the jeans or pants are worn
- If the knee hole is small, you can make darning stitches by hand or with a sewing machine
How To Fix A Hole In Pants Inner Thigh?
Supplies:
- Patches
- Needle and thread for sewing by hand or with a sewing machine
Method:
- You can use a sewing machine and fix the hole in the pants’ inner thigh with a zigzag stitch
- If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can sew the hole in the inner thigh with a blanket stitch
- To avoid having the tear re-open, reinforce the inner thigh hole with a patch
What Type Of Stitch Is Best For Repairing A Hole In Pants?
Zigzag stitch if you have a sewing machine
The zigzag stitch is the best stitch for repairing a hole in your pants if you’re using a sewing machine. After fixing the hole with a patch, you can also use this stitch on the sides.
Simply set the sewing machine to zigzag stitch and remember to use the appropriate thread color and needle type for the pants’ fabric. This stitch is also fantastic if you’re repairing a very straight tear.
Straight stitch by hand
If you don’t have a sewing machine, the easiest way to repair holes in jeans or pants is by sewing straight stitches by hand. You’ll stitch around the hole’s edge, but remember to cut the frayed threads before mending the area.
The straight stitch is also an ideal hand-sewing method if you secure the pants’ hole with a patch. You can also use any length for the stitches, depending on what’s more efficient for the fabric hole.
What Is The Most Common Way To Fix A Hole In Pants?
How to fix a hole in pants with darning stitch
The most common way to fix a hole in pants is with a darning stitch because it’s strong and won’t require another mending for a long time. People often only get small holes and tears on pants, for which the darning stitch is perfect, especially if the area that needs repair is close to the seam of the clothing.
Here are the instructions for using the darning stitch method when repairing small holes and tears on the garment:
- Thread the needle with the appropriate thread for the pants
- Pull the threaded needle from the inside of the clothing all the way threw
- Make rows of vertical stitches over the hole by bringing the needle down from the top of the garment on the opposite side of the tear
- After pulling the needle through, return to the next point and bring it back to the original side of the hole
- After covering the hole in the garment with stitches, bring the needle up on the side of the tear and weave it through the vertical threads in and out
- Slide the thread all the way through when you reach the other side of the hole and make a stitch on that side
- Return to the next point and continue weaving the threaded needle through the vertical stitches
How To Sew A Hole In Pants Without It Showing?
How to fix a hole in pants with embroidery
If you don’t want your repair for the hole in your pants noticeable, you can fix it with embroidery. You will need a fabric market, embroidery tools, and the pattern that you think will be stylish when placed on your pants or jeans.
Here is the quickest solution for a hole or tear in pants using embroidery:
- Sew the edges of the hole together
- Cover the hole with alternating satin stitches, but you can also set the blocks of satin stitches in one direction, depending on the effect you want for the pants
- If you don’t have a pattern, you can also draw a heart around the edges of the hole in the clothes
- Fill the heart with satin stitches or freehand embroidery flowers over the hole
What Is The Easiest Way To Fix A Hole In Pants?
Did you know that the average time to patch a hole in your pants is about 15 minutes? And the most common fabric used to patch a hole in pants is denim.
That being said, you want denim patches readily available in your home. But if you want the easiest solution for holes and tears in pants, it would be with hemming or garment tape.
Hemming tape
People with no time and who need a quick fix for a hole or tear and their pants don’t need to sew the edges stitches. You only need the right color of heat-activated hemming tape based on the clothing you’ll repair.
- Measure the hole in the garment and cut a piece of hemming type based on it
- Overlap the tape and fabric, and iron for 20 seconds, careful not to overheat the tape
- Let the repaired pants cool
Garment tape
Another no-sew fix for holes and tears in pants and other clothes is the garment tape, but only if the area with the hole does not stretch. And, of course, you need the appropriate colors for the cloth you’re repairing so the fix won’t be noticeable.
- Place the tape on one corner of the hole
- Stretch the damaged area flat and remove the tape covering
- Stick the gap close to fixing the hole
What Is The Cheapest Way To Fix A Hole In Pants?
The average cost you’ll spend on supplies to patch a hole in your pants is around $5, and getting it repaired by a tailor is at least $15. So for people with no budget, the cheapest way to repair a tear or hole in a garment is with a patch made from old clothes.
How to fix a hole in pants without buying anything
- Find old clothes that match the type of fabrics in the pants you’re repairing
- Cut a patch slightly bigger than the hole or tear
- Sew around the patch and edges of the hole with short zigzag stitches
How Can I Fix A Hole In My Pants Without A Patch?
If the hole in the pants is small, you can just cover the area with zigzag stitches or embroidery. But for a more creative look, use other materials as a patch option, or you can read how to fix a hole in jeans without a patch for more ideas.
How to fix a hole in pants with lace
You likely have excess lace from other clothing products. So instead of a patch, you can cover the hole with an appropriate piece of lace.
Sew the edges of the lace patch to the inside of the pants with a sewing machine or by hand. Refer to our stitching methods discussed above.
How to fix a hole in pants with fun socks
You can also use a novelty sock to add personality to the pants you’re mending. This is a creative method, especially for large holes or tears.
Cut a section and stitch it to the other side of the pants. However, there are more sturdy solutions for areas in the jeans or pants that are often worn out.
How Can I Fix A Hole In My Pants Without Sewing?
Fabric tapes and iron-on patches are the no-sew solutions for holes in pants. However, you can also use some fabric glue if the area you’ll repair is not stretched out.
It’s a quick fix if you’re also out of time for sewing. You can even use the fabric glue around the inside edge of the hole and cover it with a patch.
And speaking of no-sew mending, here’s how to fix a hole in shirt without sewing.
Conclusion
And that’s it! You’ve just learned how to fix a hole in pants in three easy ways. Those who hate sewing can use patches, but sewing by hand or sewing machine would be a sturdier solution.
Doing zigzag stitches with a sewing machine is more time-efficient, but you can also hand-sew the hole or tear in pants with a ladder stitch.
Let us know below if you have questions.