It’s more than just a patch

What is it about kids and the knees of jeans? I don’t SEE my kids crawling around constantly but the knees of their pants make me wonder. When my oldest kids were small, I remember buying the toughskin jeans at Sears for my boys. They had double knees (and they carried slims as well) and if the knee wore through before the jeans were outgrown, they’d replace them. Okay, so they weren’t the most fashionable jeans, but my boys were rough and tumble and it seemed a necessity. I haven’t seen double knee jeans for years. Sad.

My 6 year old daughter has 2 pair of jeans for school among a few pair of lighter weight pants. They’re 3-4 months old. Already a hole! These are cute jeans, and fit around her skinny waist. They are getting a tad short, but not enough to justify moving up to the next size. I need to get these jeans to last another month or two! I found a package of patches at Walmart for under a dollar. They have denim patch, but I just got the thin, fabric stuff… it came with 5 colors, dark blue, black, white, tan and brown. Each piece is about 3″x4″. I cut the white in half, rounded the corners, turned the jeans inside out. Following the directions, I ironed that on the inside over the hole. While that cooled, I cut about a 2 inch diameter flower… just a simple, 5 petal flower, out of the dark blue. I used the tan to cut a center for the flower. Turning the jeans right side out, I placed the flower over the hole, ironed that on, and then added the center. CUTE! I was out of time, but I could easily cut out 2-3 more flowers in a smaller size and trail those down the leg as well. (I could also use the other piece of white patch and iron on the inside of the other knee to reinforce it BEFORE it wears through) My daughter thinks they’re lovely and it’s not noticeably a patch! SUCCESS!!!

Why is it more than a patch? I creatively extended the life of a pair of jeans that would have been relegated to the “play clothes” drawer, I will be able to hold off purchasing replacement jeans for a bit longer when we can use the next size up, AND I saved money! A frugal victory! Now, I’ve got to figure out how to patch my 11 year old sons jeans. Wearing them with the holes gaping isn’t acceptable at our house and somehow I just don’t think a flower will work. LOL Maybe a patch out of camo type fabric? I’ll give it some thought!

Frugality is all about getting the most out of what you have. I love it!

JOY