Good grief, my daughter keeps coming home from school with holes in the knees of her pants! She prefers to wear leggings rather than jeans, and they are no match for climbing all over the playground. I’m tired of buying new pants for her, so this season we’re trying something new – patches! If I can just make her leggings last through the season, I’ll be happy. I hate to buy new pants when summer is just around the corner.
I thought it would be easy to find cute, whimsical colored patches, but it was actually a challenge. I checked Michael’s and Hobby Lobby and only found basic khaki, denim and white patches. No pinks, greens or anything creative. I then checked out the custom t-shirt section of Hobby Lobby (where they keep the puff paint, iron-on letters, etc.) and found a few cute shapes (like the one pictured above). The cute shapes cost a few bucks each, however, and the whole point of this was to spend LESS than I would on new leggings. So, I bought a couple of the cute shapes, and then a pack of the basic khaki/white/denim patch blocks that you can cut into any shape you like (much cheaper).
I found a heart-shaped magnet in a drawer and used it to trace a heart onto the back of the patch. I cut it out, ironed it on…and voila! Repaired and cute. So simple.
My next project was to repair a small hole and stain on the front of a dress. The dress is one of those comfy, easy cotton dresses that I love for my girls, so I hated to part with it simply because it had a flaw on the front. So, I sewed buttons over the bad spot!
So now I see a world of possibilities. You can add bows, iron-ons, craft flowers, buttons, ribbon, sequins, lace…just about anything to jazz up an outfit that either needs repair, or just needs a refresh. (Think about hand-me-downs…sometimes they still have a lot of life left in them, except for a spot or two.)
Happy Patching and Sewing and Ironing to You!
Nicole
Jessica Foley says
I might just give this a try. My oldest daughter has suddenly started getting holes in every pair ot “leggings” she owns. Now my younger daughter won’t get to wear the cute pants after all. I’ll have to go check out patches and such. Thanks for this post!
Nicole says
Yes, that’s been our experience as well where hand-me-downs are concerned. Some things just aren’t going to make it! But others can be saved! Good luck, and thanks for reading Daily Momtivity!
Faye says
How cute! I remember the old school patches I used to wear on my pants growing up. Love this idea!
Angela @ Blooming On A Budget says
True!! Girls are every bit as tough on their clothes as boys are– maybe more so. Great job transforming the damage into an accessory!
Lis says
I have about a dozen pants with holes in them from my 4yo girl waiting for me to fix them. Thanks for these ideas- can’t wait for her to have hearts on her knees!
Shannon says
Oh fun! I hope she likes them. I love finding easy ways to re-use and update 🙂
Tanya @ Mom's Small Victories says
What a cute idea. My boys are rough on their clothes, I’ve thought about getting patches to repair them. I love the button idea on the dress! Thanks for sharing with Small Victories Sunday Linkup and hosting with us. Pinned to our linkup board.
Shannon says
I’m sure boys go through jeans soooo fast! My little one is just turning 3 so we are about to see all the holes in pants too!!