Knee Reinforcement Patches: How to Reinforce Knees on Jeans
Forget the crotch. It is the knees that you have to watch out for. One day the jeans look new and the next, they look like someone took a knife and cut holes in them. The knees take the worst of the treatment and no matter what you do, holes hit those knees faster than a hungry dog can eat his meal.
How to reinforce knees on jeans: The first step in preventing holes from hitting the knees on your family’s jeans is to use patches. These little pieces of fabric help reinforce that vulnerable material area and delay the eventual problem. The good thing is that these patches can be sewn on or ironed on.
To learn more about how to reinforce the knees on jeans and other pants, just continue to read our article. It has the information you need to know about. take a few moments and get all the information you need to help you defeat or delay this problem.
How do I Stop My Knees from Ripping Out of My Jeans?
For adults, this is not a great problem than it is for growing kids and teenagers. Unless someone works at a job that requires them to do a lot of kneeling or other fabric stress-related activities, the knees last longer in their clothing.
But for growing kids and teenagers, the knees do not seem to last that long. No matter how often you buy new jeans, the knees are gone in a matter of weeks if not days. The first step in preventing this problem from happening is to place a patch on the knees.
In the olden days, having patches on your jeans or other pants was a sign of being cool. While that attitude is no longer the rule, patches are still a great way to stop holes from developing in your jeans.
The good news is that you do not have to be a sewer to put many of the patches on. You can buy the iron-on version and have the reinforcement on in a couple of minutes. The key is to make sure you follow the instructions on the package.
How to Reinforce Knees On Pants
Iron patches are one way to go. Another is to either buy patches and sew them on or create patches from your fabric hoard. The latter option lets you create a unique look that will impress all who look at your handiwork.
The first step to reinforcing the knees on your jeans will be to make sure they are nice and clean. Some people recommend washing them twice if they are new. That action will get all the shrinkage out.
Then the next step will be to cut all the frayed parts of the jean out of the hole. If you have no holes already, then simply iron on a patch or sew one in place after you do the washing and your jean or other pants' knees will be reinforced.
When cutting out the frayed edges of the hole, it is best to use a rotary cutter as you will get a nice clean edge to the fabric that is easier to sew with and removes the tickle factor from annoying you as you go about your day.
Once the hole is clean and ready to go, measure out enough fabric to cover the hole by at least a 1/4 inch. You can go larger on the overlap but not smaller. Once the fabric is ready and depending on the type of patch you are using, you either iron on the path or sew it in place.
Both procedures should take only a few minutes to get done.
What are Reinforced knee Pants?
If you go to Amazon or some other outlet, you may find reinforced jeans or cargo pants on sale. These types of pants are merely adding more material, stronger fabric, or adding a patch to the knees.
Most often the jeans or pants have a patch over the knees just like you would make if you did the repair or the preventive step yourself. These jeans are supposed to last longer because of the reinforcement and sometimes the nylon thread or other strong thread used to keep the material in place.
That is all that reinforced knee pants are. A regular pair of pants with added material to make the knees last longer no matter the treatment they have received. Unfortunately, no matter how tough the fabric, they will wear out eventually.
There is no permanent fix for this problem and at some point in time, you will have to deal with it. It may take years but it will come and when it does the fix is going to be the same. You either buy new pants, which can be expensive, or you apply a patch until the rest of the pants catch up with the knees.
Making Knee Patches
Making your own patches may be old school and old-fashioned but it is a money-saver as well as a time saver. You get to use up scrap pieces of fabric in your stash as well as solve a fashion problem without firing up the car and driving off to the store.
It is not hard to make your own patches and even a novice can do it in a couple of minutes. All that has to be done is to search for the right fabric in your stash and then make the appropriate cuts.
Just as long as the homemade patch is large enough to cover the hole and have a little stitch allowance. Then you need to use a good stitch pattern that will stretch when the knee stretches but hold firm when the pressure and stress are on.
Hand stitching is the easiest way to get the patch on the knees, but we are sure that some sewers have great machines that can tackle this problem making it even easier to do. A little cutting and a little sewing and you have a patch without spending any more money than you have already spent on the scrap fabric.
kevlar Patches for Jeans
This material is usually reserved for motorcycle enthusiasts. It is a very tough material that is supposed to protect the body when the motorcycle goes down and your body is sliding along the pavement or gravel road.
It is going to be tough to work with when you need to cut and sew as well as fine-tune the material so it fits the hole just right. But it may be worth it in the long run as the knees on the jeans, etc., will last a lot longer than regular fabric will.
However, even though the kevlar is on the material protecting it from holes, it does not protect the stitching or the thread. The thread can easily be worn out and you will have to re-stitch the patch to continue protecting the knees.
It is obvious that your teenager or little kid will not be encountering the same rough situations as a motorcycle rider does when the bike goes down. But they will be giving their pants a lot of rough treatment which may still rub those threads raw.
That means you may have to resew the kevlar patch several times before the patch begins to wear out. The pants may wear out faster than the patch will and you will be dealing with other issues than the hole in the knees.
Finding Reinforced Knee Jeans
This is not going to be a hard task to do. We know we say that a lot but it is true when we say it. If we can find the different outlets very easily in a quick internet search, then we know you can as well.
As we mentioned earlier, Amazon does sell these types of pants. They can be jeans or cargo pants but they are readily available and the only issue you will have to deal with is making sure they fit right.
Etsy and Wrangler have them as well. This is a need that manufacturers have decided to meet so you are not going to have a lot of difficulties finding these types of pants. Your local department store may have them in stock as should other clothing stores.
Women should also have an easy time finding these jeans for themselves or their daughters. There are more women's clothing stores than men’s. We are not being sexist here, it is just a simple fact that women have more fashion outlet options than men do.
We are sure, you won’t have a difficult time finding the right reinforced jeans or pants that make you look good and last a long time at the knees.
Preventing Holes in knees of Jeans
As you already know, patches or reinforced pants are the main options you have in preventing holes from developing in your pants. You can easily find iron-on patches that will be a quick fix to the problem.
By quick fix, we mean that they go on fast and stay on without a lot of work. How long they last will depend on the material those patches are made from and how active the pants wearer is.
Hand sewn patches can be bought or just as easily made from your fabric stash. As long as you have the right decorative but tough material in your stash, you should have no trouble making a patch that won’t embarrass your kids.
Sewing the patch on takes longer than ironing but that is because you have to find the right material to cut, do the cutting itself, then sew the patch into place. This may be old-fashioned but it is a tried and tested method that works.
Plus, the sewing may last longer than the adhesive used on the iron-on patches. It is your choice in how you handle the hole in your knee problem but make sure to pick the best material that looks good.
What do Double knee Pants Mean?
All this term means is that there are 2 layers of fabric instead of one at the knees and around the cuff area. The extra layer of material is supposed to provide more durability and safety. Your knees should not be as vulnerable to scrapes, cuts, and so on when wearing these types of pants.
Another term for 2 layer knee pants is reinforced knees. It is just another way to say the same thing you already know. Reinforced jeans are designed to help you delay the hole in the knee issue, especially when you have little kids who like to play rough.
Some versions of this pant style also accommodate knee pads. You can add an extra level of protection by slipping in the pads between the layers. A small opening is placed at the bottom of the second layer that allows you to insert those pads.
Then, these pants are just as easy to find as reinforced jeans and pants are. The same outlets mentioned above have them in stock and the price will vary from outlet to outlet. A quick internet search or a trip to your favorite clothing store should help you get the p[ants you want without much trouble.
Some Final Words
Patches used to be a big deal back in the 60s and early 70s. You just weren’t cool unless you had a patch or two on the knees of your jeans or pants. Whether they remain cool or not is not the issue.
Patches help clothing last and when you are on a tight budget, those patches are a way to extend the life of pants and save you some money. To save even more, make your own as patch making is one of the simplest sewing tasks you will encounter.
