Holes in pants: Question for sewers

[Inkedup]

Hi Everyone,

So I have a problem with excessive wear/holes in the crotch area of jeans, pants, etc. From what I can find online, this seems to be a common complaint. The obvious solution is to lose weight to reduce the amount of "friction" (and yes, I'm working on it, but in the meantime I need to have something to wear).

I'm unwilling to pitch all these pairs of pants that are now otherwise "unusable." This looks like a great idea for a fix: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-fix-your-favorite-jeans/ but I wanted to ask if any sewers out there have any other useful suggestions or tips before I forge ahead. Thoughts on this?

Thanks! 

[MsSindy]

The cleaner way would be to reinforce the seams / stress points just as they begin to (or before) show wear - use a mend or zigzag stitch.

The article is certainly one way to fix them.....but please tell me you don't plan to wear these for anything but working around the house....not sure you want to draw attention to your crotch with a patch!

For me, by the time my pants have holes in the crotch, I have usually had about 8 years+ wear from them and feel I got my money's worth and just pitch them and start with a fresh pair.  Although I have been known to wear pants with holes for house/yard work....but never out in public.

[merula]

I'd only do that fix if you're going to be wearing them around the house, like MsSindy said, or if the jeans are a "distressed" style anyway. (Or if you just really don't care about how they look.)

Is the issue that the seams are bursting, or that the fabric wears thin and then forms holes? Burst seams are an easy fix, wearing thin is a lot tougher. I don't really have any ideas for fixing that after-the-fact that would look better than the link suggests.

One preventative measure for all kinds of holes is to use one of those iron-on patches from the INSIDE where you typically get holes. Kids always blow out their knees? Iron on internal knee patches when you first buy the pants. Front pockets show wear from wallet/keys/phone? Same idea. You could do the same for the legs of your pants.

[Inkedup]

I'd only do that fix if you're going to be wearing them around the house, like MsSindy said, or if the jeans are a "distressed" style anyway. (Or if you just really don't care about how they look.)

My pants are mostly black or dark-gray, so part of me is admittedly tempted to patch that area! (Cutting the patches down to size might help? Maybe this is wishful thinking on my part.)

No problems with the seams. My issue is that the fabric is wearing thin from constant friction. I might try a patch on the inside.

One pair of pants that is too far gone to wear anywhere except in the house has been set aside to experiment on.

MsSindy, I wish the pants in question had lasted 8 years! It drives me crazy that nothing I have seems to last very long.   

[Frankies Girl]

http://fatshionista.livejournal.com/4648359.html

Mending with a patch on the inside of the jeans/pants, with outside thread matched reinforcement.

[Inkedup]

http://fatshionista.livejournal.com/4648359.html

Mending with a patch on the inside of the jeans/pants, with outside thread matched reinforcement.

That is just the sort of fix I am looking for. Thank you! 

[MayDay]

If the picture worked, that's a live shot of my crotch.

I first did an iron-on adhesive to stick the fabric patch on the inside of the pants. The friction of my thighs rubbed it off in 2 days so I zigzag stitched it in place.

Unless someone is looking at my crotch while I'm sitting with legs spread, it isn't visible.

[3okirb]

BTW, a little off topic, but I was wearing holes in my crotch when I was 165 pounds (6'2").  Now granted, I'm a lot heavier than that and am STILL rubbing holes, but it's not necessarily a fat thing :)

[intirb]

So I have a problem with excessive wear/holes in the crotch area of jeans, pants, etc. From what I can find online, this seems to be a common complaint. The obvious solution is to lose weight to reduce the amount of "friction" (and yes, I'm working on it, but in the meantime I need to have something to wear).

I weigh 120 lbs and still have this problem.  It's not (just) a weight thing - a lot of women have to deal with this.  Outside the sewing advice, I suggest trying different materials.  Pants made from technical fabrics (e.g. nylon) are much more resistant to abrasion.  Anecdotally, heavy cotton fabrics don't hold up nearly as well as nylon pants in the thigh areas.  Synthetic fabrics do have other downsides (breathability, odor-resistance) so you'll need to see what works for you.  These days, you can get causal and professional styles of pants (i.e. not too nerdy) in all sorts of fabrics.

Aside from that, the thrift store is always a good option.  If you're going to wear through pants quickly, you might as well pay as little as possible for them.  I have one pretty expensive pair of pants in a technical fabric, and I realized that even if they last me 10 years, it will probably still end up being cheaper to just by jeans at the thrift store.

Edit:  also, if they fit, I believe Tilley has a pair of lifetime guarantee pants in nylon.  Their smallest size didn't fit me - so disappointing!

[deborah]

It's actually because the trousers have been cut wrongly (or you could say that your shape is not the same as the designer used), or you have bought a size smaller than you actually need. They really need a longer crutch (the measurement from the waist, between the legs and back to the waist again) or extra at the side seams.