Make a Cute Monster Patch for Kids' Jeans

Kids get holes and rips in their jeans all the time, but there’s no need to get rid of them! Instead, with a little creativity, you can make a cute patch to cover them up rather than throw them out. Holly Willis shows you step by step how to make these fun patches from start to finish in this sewing tutorial.

Jean Prep

There isn’t a whole lot of prep that goes into patching a hole in a pair of jeans, except for something you might not expect. To begin, Holly makes the holes in the jeans larger by simply cutting around the hole that was already there and trimming up the edges. This will give you a nice, clean edge to work with and also make the hole large enough to accommodate a monster face design.

Jeans Patch

The monster face jeans patch that Holly constructs in this video is made from two separate patches—one that goes on the inside of the jeans and one that goes on the outside. Holly explains the different types of fabric that can be used to make the patches and why she chooses different fabrics depending on where the patch goes. She then demonstrates how to begin making the pattern piece for the patch by tracing the hole in the jeans. From there she begins creating the first patch, which goes on the inside and consists of the monster’s mouth and teeth. After tracing a design on paper, she then cuts it out and traces it onto fabric that has a fusible adhesive on it to keep all of the design elements secure. Holly then creates the outer jeans patch by making a fun face and eyeballs. She explains how you can include your children in this step by letting them decide what the overall monster should look like.

Finishing

Once both of the jeans patches have been ironed in place, the pants can be finished. The fusible adhesive Holly uses is permanent and should stand up well to both wear and tear as well as laundering. If you find that some of the edges are curling up or peeling away, a permanent fabric glue can be used. You can also finish your jeans patch by stitching around the perimeter, though similar to hemming pants that have very small legs, it can be difficult to maneuver the pants around on your machine.