Don't pull your jeggings/skinny jeans on by the belt loop!
Ask me how I know.
I couldn't even have told you that I do this. I mean, I thought I was pulling them on by tugging at the waist.
But the unfortunate ripping sound told me otherwise. Ugh.
I fixed them, but the repair is fresh off the sewing machine, so I can't vouch for the long-term effectiveness.
Time will tell, but I have great faith that it will hold.
At least, as long as I remember to pull my jeans up in the manner of a responsible person.
Luckily, I keep an old denim shirt in my scrap bag for denim repairs such as these.
I cut up a square, pinned it on the inside of the pants, and then did a whole bunch of zig-zag stitching to hold it in place.
(You can see the lighter denim peeking through there.)
So, I had a repaired surface now, but the belt loop was still hanging free.
The loop was WAY too thick for my sewing machine to get through, so I opted to hand-sew the loop back into place.
I didn't even try to get the needle all the way through the loop; I just made sure to catch part of the underside of the loop with each stitch.
It was still a little tough to push the needle through, and I was glad I had a thimble on hand to help me!
If you look closely at the jeans, you can see that the bottom of the loop has stitching that shouldn't be there. But the rest of the repair is covered up very nicely by the belt loop.
The good news is that I never tuck in my shirts, and they're always long enough to cover the waistband of my jeans.
So this repair is probably never going to even see the light of day, which means that those little stitches will go completely unnoticed.
I'm embarrassed to say that I did this to my black pair of Stitch Fix jeans too. I'm a slow learner!
(jeans from this October 2017 fix)
But since the Stitch Fix jeans are much better fabric than these, all that happened was the the belt loop popped loose; the fabric underneath was just fine.
So, all I had to do was reattach the belt loop, and I was good to go.
Happily, the design of these belt loops was way less lumpy than the cheap jeans, so I was actually able to top-stitch these with my machine after hand-sewing the loop on.
Moral of the story: Don't be like me! Pull your jeans up by the waistband, not the loops, because even expensive belt loops are not meant to withstand that kind of force.
Oh yeah. I've done that. Luckily, my husband has these enormous, strong needles he uses when he's making hats or mittens or whatever from furs, so I can use his fur needles for things like this.
Yep, I've done that too, glad I'm not the only one! Fortunately that's a part of jeans that can be repaired!
Oh no I'm sorry to hear about the incident! Sounds like such an ordeal to get it fixed.
I now wear my maternity jeggings since they are so comfortable. No need to be pregnant to enjoy the comfort hehe. I ditched all of my old jeans!
I pull my jeans up by the waist and my Stitch Fix jeans tore along the fabric!! They are stretchy elastic. Stitch Fix gave me a refund.
Wearing a belt might help too. I always think if a pair of jean fits well enough I shouldn’t need a belt. But ultimately wearing one renders that weird booty shake hoppy motion to pull them back up unnecessary. I wear a cloth belt I bought a Goodwill years ago—it feels less formal than a thick leather jobber.
I've never done this, so I assume I never use the loops to pull up my jeans. I've never paid attention to how I pull them up. What I do, and hate, is I get the metal shank-type button on my jeans hung in my underwear leg opening when I pull my jeans up. I've nearly ripped underwear doing that. I may be alone in this, I'll admit! You'd think I'd learn...
Find a friend with a vintage, black Singer-they are real workhorses and can go thru repairs such as those! Good for you to mend the pants
Nearly relevant, mildly amusing, tiny story about mending. My husband chose a shirt at the farm supply store (you know you're a farmer when ...). The cashier noticed the top button was coming free and asked the manager to authorize a 10 percent discount. Four stitches and two knots later, the button is juuuuuuuuussssstttt fine.
Aww, sorry this happened! All of the jeggings I've ever owned got holes on the thigh before anything - that's what'cha get for buying the cheap, thin fabric. I need to get back into jeggings, actually, they're really comfy!
Happens all the time! To me, my teenage daughter & her friends. It does not happen to those who wear looser jeans (or so I'm told).
You did a very nice patch and repair! Don't you feel great that you made a repair rather than stuffing the jeggings in the back of your closet or, worse yet, just tossing them? I had to laugh, though, when you said this is the second time you've done this.:-)
Yes! That's the main reason I repaired them...I didn't want to throw them away, and they wouldn't be any good to anyone else if I donated them.
There's no place in your area where you can donate jeans with just a popped belt loop? That seems odd. Many charities can find places to recycle textiles if they aren't fit to resale. However, jeans with that minor of a hole or just a popped loop could be sold in many places. Google donate or recycle jeans and you'll see lots of options. Although repairing yourself, like you did, is the best option!
(Raising hand to indicate this has happened to me to)...ummm....yeah. This as well as many other unfortunate incidents. Heels snapping off, ripping out knees, brazier straps busting (no, no, that was a accident, no pun intended), and don't get me started on panty hose.
It aint easy being a girl 🙂
Nice sewing fix there Kristen!
Everyone have a good day
OK... I had to go look up the word "jeggings" - who knew? Perhaps this is how all of those hip people find jeans that seem to fit skin tight without cutting off their circulation?
I don't know if these are exactly jeggings or skinny jeans...they're denim fabric, but they're stretchy and very slim fitting.
I have thought of this article literally every time (many upon many) I've pulled up my cheap jeans today. Thanks for the tip!
LOL - I feel your pain! My son rips off his jeans belt loops all the time, and I keep telling him not to pull them up that way. Oh well. it's a beautiful repair job!
I have three of those in my mending basket. Now I feel motivated to get it done!
Too late, btdt! But enjoyed your tutorial. 🙂
Haha I've had that happen but not only with jeans but also coats too!
Actually, I've taken all the belt loops off of my jeans. I don't wear a belt, never tuck in shirts, and hate the little bulges that show under my t-shirts from the belt loops.
Do you ever wear a belt? I don't, and I wear my shirts untucked as well, so I cut the loops off because they were causing me to look lumpy.
Ummmm I have a friend who sprained her thumb doing this. Another reason not to do this...haha.
Haha, that's a hilarious injury!
Well, huh. I always thought this happened to me because I'm fat. Lol