Save the Jeans!

I'm not sure exactly what my son does, but somehow every pair of jeans we own has a hole in the right knee. 

Every.

Single.

Pair.

Holes are cool and everything, but I like him to look like he hasn't been dragging himself around on the ground like an animal.

Plus, the kid is getting TALL!  He is still thin enough to fit in his size 7 jeans, but they are starting to look a bit like pedal pushers or capris.  He got a few new pairs of 8's at Christmas, but we can never have enough jeans for this kid.  He's a pants only kind of boy.  His own personal preference.

I decided to take a pair of the 7's and see if I could lengthen them and patch the hole in a way that still is cool enough to wear to school without ridicule.

First, I cut the jeans at the knees where the hole was, but on both legs.

Then I took a pair of old jeans from my stash (save ALL denim and take ANY and ALL donations -hint, hint).  The bottoms I used were an old pair of his size 6 jeans, I think.  You can use any pair of jeans, though.  They don't need to be the same size.  It was a little easier to do with existing jeans, because I could use one existing seam, if not both.  If you use an adult size pair of jeans, you just have to create your own seams on each side.  I'll explain more in more detail.

You want to keep all the pieces of the original pair of jeans you began working with in tack.  You are going to use the extra jean pieces to extend the length of the jeans at the knee.  I cut the top fraying part and bottom hem off the extra pieces of jeans.

Then I measured the circumference of the original pair of jeans at both cut ends.

I used the existing seam from the extra pair of jeans for this refashion.  

I sewed a seam down the other end of the extra pair of jeans to match the circumference of the original jeans, so I can piece them together.  The extra piece is going to go in at the knee.

Then you want to pin the extra piece (right sides together) to the original jeans at the knee.

Sew all the way around.

Repeat on the other side.

Pull the extra piece down (unfold), so you see the entire right side of the leg. 

Repeat the same steps, but this time adding the bottom piece of the original jean to the end of the extra piece you just sewed on.

Sew all the way around.

Repeat on other side.

Unfold.

Turn inside out and press.

I ended up loving the look so much I did it to all his jeans.  Even his size 8's that currently fit him.  

For the dark blue inserts you see, I used an adult size jean.  I didn't salvage any of the side seams.  

I just measured the circumference of the ends of the existing jeans, added a seam allowance, and created my own side seams without the fancy french seam.  

The boy loves them!! 

I think they look kinda funky fresh ;)

These were his size 8's, so now he has plenty of room to grow in them.

This is the pair I used in the demonstration.  

With more similar shades of blue denim and existing seams.

These were size 7's.

These were size 7's, too.

Bayne ended up with 3 "new" pairs of jeans.

I even was able to salvage a pair of Aubrey's jeans.  She's getting to the age where I can no longer find elastic waist jeans.  These are the last pair we have and I love them.  They are so comfy looking.  She had a big hole in her right knee, too, and they were getting a little short. 

I like it way better than the big right side knee hole look.

What are these kids doing at school, anyway???

Any guesses on how long until one of them comes home with a hole in their right knee?