Patch job
So due to my being a bit heavier than I had been, I've been relying on a few pairs of jeans again and again. I don't wear jeans as often as I used to because of the need for professional dress, and if things go my way my new exercise schedule will have me slim down a bit, so I am really loath to just replace them, but it means those three or so pairs are getting a lot of wear. And the reason they fit now is because they're already a little stretched out from years of use. So recently one of my currently fitting pairs got a rather embarrassing hole in the seat that rendered them unwearable.
I wanted not to lose a pair that fits until I lose a bit of weight, so I decided I would attempt to salvage them. That meant they'd need a patch. I've never mended anything beyond a raveling seam or lost button before, but I didn't think it would be hard. I just had to figure out what to go for with them. In my sewing box I had a couple of denim patches, so I could just attempt to make the hole as invisible as possible, but as if often the case, none of the denim quite matches the color of the pants. The other way I could go is totally the opposite and make the patches very obvious; as is often my way when trying to make my low-budget theater look good, by making the choice seem deliberate, they seem like a design element. I figure I only need to wear them in casual situations anyway, so I wouldn't need to worry about making them déclassé. Hell, they're already years-old ripped jeans. So I decided to give the deliberately-contrasting-patch a try.
In my fabric basket I had some scraps left over from my plaid preppy skirt project. I really like this beige and burdungy color scheme, the linen-like woven cotton seemed appropriately sturdy. So I doubled over the material to give it strength and made a couple of patches. The rip in the butt was of course the important one to fix, and I was able to sufficiently scrunch up the material to sew it on with my machine. Here's how it looks on me, in an oh-so-classy shot of my ass.
What do we think? Does it look okay, or does it look like I put a big stupid thing on my butt? I'm not sure if I like it or think it looks silly-- or possibly both, I might like it but ALSO think it looks too silly to wear. Opinions?
There was also a rip in the knee, so in order to up the "deliberateness" factor I put another patch over it. That one had to go on by hand, as I couldn't get the pant leg to fit over the arm of my sewing machine. What do you think-- does it help, or does it just look like another dumb applique? I'm also considering putting on one more patch even though there are no more rips, like on the opposite thigh or something, to make it look more like they're supposed to be there. Is that a dumb idea?
So I'm not sure these jeans are still wearable anywhere besides around the house. But I guess it was a low-risk proposition, as it's not like they could have been ruined much more than they already were. Also, here's a random picture taken by accident when I was trying to adjust the automatic camera on my phone that turned out kind of cool.
I wanted not to lose a pair that fits until I lose a bit of weight, so I decided I would attempt to salvage them. That meant they'd need a patch. I've never mended anything beyond a raveling seam or lost button before, but I didn't think it would be hard. I just had to figure out what to go for with them. In my sewing box I had a couple of denim patches, so I could just attempt to make the hole as invisible as possible, but as if often the case, none of the denim quite matches the color of the pants. The other way I could go is totally the opposite and make the patches very obvious; as is often my way when trying to make my low-budget theater look good, by making the choice seem deliberate, they seem like a design element. I figure I only need to wear them in casual situations anyway, so I wouldn't need to worry about making them déclassé. Hell, they're already years-old ripped jeans. So I decided to give the deliberately-contrasting-patch a try.
In my fabric basket I had some scraps left over from my plaid preppy skirt project. I really like this beige and burdungy color scheme, the linen-like woven cotton seemed appropriately sturdy. So I doubled over the material to give it strength and made a couple of patches. The rip in the butt was of course the important one to fix, and I was able to sufficiently scrunch up the material to sew it on with my machine. Here's how it looks on me, in an oh-so-classy shot of my ass.
What do we think? Does it look okay, or does it look like I put a big stupid thing on my butt? I'm not sure if I like it or think it looks silly-- or possibly both, I might like it but ALSO think it looks too silly to wear. Opinions?
There was also a rip in the knee, so in order to up the "deliberateness" factor I put another patch over it. That one had to go on by hand, as I couldn't get the pant leg to fit over the arm of my sewing machine. What do you think-- does it help, or does it just look like another dumb applique? I'm also considering putting on one more patch even though there are no more rips, like on the opposite thigh or something, to make it look more like they're supposed to be there. Is that a dumb idea?
So I'm not sure these jeans are still wearable anywhere besides around the house. But I guess it was a low-risk proposition, as it's not like they could have been ruined much more than they already were. Also, here's a random picture taken by accident when I was trying to adjust the automatic camera on my phone that turned out kind of cool.