How to Fix a Hole in Pants or Shorts

This post covers how to fix a hole in pants with an iron-on patch and how to sew a cargo pocket back on after it rips.

Hole in Shorts image by Laure Justice

Fix a Hole in Pants or Shorts With a  Cargo Pocket

If the fabric is frayed and weakened, it's best to put some kind of stabilizing support on the fabric.

I used an iron-on patch for this tutorial, though with some types of fabric you have to just stitch the patch in place to strengthen the fabric.

Iron-on patches are great for some types of repairs, and if you're in a hurry, you can apply an iron-on patch and go where you need to go, but you'll want to sew it in place later because they don't always stay put.

Be sure to check the care tag on the garment you're fixing to make sure it can withstand the wool setting on your iron - synthetics can melt if you try to put iron-on patches on them.

Iron-on patches image by Laure Justice

Turn the garment inside-out and apply the patch on the back of the fabric for the best result if there's any color variation between the patch and the garment.

Video Showing How to Apply an Iron-On Patch

Iron-on Patches are one of my favorite sewing hacks when I need to mend clothing, but like I mentioned, they won't work in every situation. 

In addition to not working on synthetic fibers, they aren't very effective on stretchy fabrics because the patches aren't stretchy. 

Video Showing How to Stitch the Pocket Back On

This video has some sound problems and cuts out - so I want to mention that the closed captioning can be turned on by clicking the (CC) icon so you can follow along with the text until I figure out how to do a voiceover or re-record this episode (with a  different pair of pants.)



With the patch in place to strengthen the fabric, turn the garment right-side-out, then follow the original stitch lines wherever possible.

If you need to sew off the original seams, try to sew parallel to the original lines to make it look like the stitching belongs there.

Thanks for visiting Stitching it Right. Comments are always welcome, and it would be great if you visit us on Facebook and Subscribe to the Sewing Lessons from Stitching it Right YouTube channel. 

Laure