I have always wondered why it is so hard to find used boys clothes...especially pants. Now that I have a very active toddler I totally get it. It's because boys ruin everything. Since January we have gone through 19 pairs of pants, all succumbing to the same fate. Hole-in-left-knee-itis. I can drop B off at school in a brand new (to him) pair of pants and when I pick him up there is a huge hole in the left knee. The right knee? Always perfect.
The irony of the environmental impact of this is not lost on me. New clothing has a large environmental footprint when you consider the harvesting of materials, manufacture of the end product including using dyes and then the final transport to a local store. In the last several years we have seen the sad reality of the fashion industry first hand with the tragedies in Bangladesh. Thankfully I don't buy him brand new clothes, instead opting to buy them 2nd hand or getting them for free from a local Mom to Mom Facebook Page.
For months now I have been trying everything possible to stop the madness. Stickers! Not a big enough incentive apparently. High 5's! Not even close to working. And at a low point one day I even threatened to make him start using his piggy bank money to pay for new pants. That obviously went over real well.
The last option is to look at repairing the pants so he can ruin wear them again. It is not a permanent fix, especially considering he has put holes in patches before but hopefully it can get me through until it is shorts weather. Personally I have only used one method to patch pants and that is buying the iron on jean squares. They are fast, easy and allow me to cut to size so I don't waste the patch. But they don't work for cords or jogging pants. So I took to Pinterest to put together a collection of what others are doing to repair pants. These are my favourites.
- Make a MONSTER - Read more OMG or a NINJA
- Sew scraps of jeans on the inside of the hole - Read more
- Make your own patch on the outside of the pants - Read more
- Use interfacing and a sewing machine - Read more
- Get rid of the knees all together and replace them with other material - Read more
- Completely cover the entire knee - Read more
How do you patch pants? Or better yet, how do you prevent holes in the first place?
Related Posts - Check them Out
Upcycling Old Clothes Into A Pencil Case
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Eco-Friendly Clothing
Top photo credit: jamelah via photopin cc
Why do you think you don't get as many hand me downs from Zak these days:-)
ReplyDeleteI suggest sending him out in knee pads everyday...hehe
I was thisclose to doing just that last month.
DeleteWe did the patch idea for the longest time but my boys didn't go through that many pants.
ReplyDeleteMy son loves to play with cars on the floor and puts holes in ALL of his pants at the knees on both sides. I tried ironing on patches once. Total fail. If I decide to repair again, I'll sew on patches for sure.
ReplyDeleteI have had good luck with the iron on patches but they are $$$ and don't always match the colour of the pants so I am going to try something else.
DeleteTHese are great ideas!!! My son rips through his pants SO fast. I'm learning which brands hold up better really quick!
ReplyDeleteWhich brands are you finding are better?
DeleteCut the bottom back side (behind the knee and down) of the worst pair (smallest). This is usually the least worn fabric. Place it in side of the leg, mid thigh to mid shin and sew in place. Sew around any rips with zig zag pattern to keep from ripping more.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip!
DeleteLove the idea of turning the holes into monsters!
ReplyDeleteHave you thought about reinforcing the knees when you get new pants (sort of like those adorable jackets with the elbow patches)? That way hopefully it would take a lot longer to get holes.
I have thought about that but normally when I get him a new (to him) pair of pants it is an urgent need because all the others have holes so I don't have time to put anything on to them. Perhaps I should use the summer to prepare for fall/winter ;)
DeleteThanks - I'm with ya too, my boy goes through pants sooo fast!
ReplyDeleteI only have a daughter, and she was such a girly, girl - I had a hard time getting her into jeans! Now... she drives a jeep on big tires, and loves to 4x... how did that happen? Thanks for the tips - I like to garden, and might need a monster patch for me! ;-)
ReplyDelete