How do I fix a hole in a trouser pocket?

Pocket bags fail because they are made from the lightest fabric in the garment and they carry keys, coins and phones against a seam all day. The garment itself is usually nowhere near worn out, which makes this one of the highest-value repairs there is — and because the whole repair is inside the trousers, it does not have to be beautiful.

What you'll need

• Light cotton fabric for a patch or a new bag — an old shirt or pillowcase is ideal
• Strong thread
• A sewing machine, though all of this can be done by hand
• A seam ripper
• Pins and an iron

Step by step

1. Turn the pocket bag inside out through the opening.Pull the whole bag out through the pocket mouth so you can see and work on it flat. On most trousers it comes out easily; on jeans with a curved front pocket it will come most of the way.
2. Work out what has actually failed.A split along the seam with sound fabric either side is a stitching failure. A hole in the middle of the bag with thin, translucent fabric around it is wear. The second cannot be fixed by sewing the edges together.
3. For a seam split, sew inside the old seam line.Run a new line of stitching just inside the original — a millimetre or two further into the seam allowance — starting and finishing at least 3cm into sound stitching at both ends. Sewing along the split itself just puts stitches into the same weakened threads.
4. For a hole in the bag, patch it from behind.Cut a piece of light cotton at least 2cm bigger than the hole all round with the corners rounded so they do not curl. Pin it behind the hole, then stitch round the hole and round the patch edge, or zigzag across the whole area.
5. Round the corners of every patch.Square corners lift, catch on things inside the pocket, and start the next failure. Rounded corners stay put.
6. Replace the whole bag when it is generally thin.Unpick the bag from the pocket opening and from the side seam, keeping the old bag intact. Use it as a pattern to cut a new one from any light cotton, sew the new bag together, and reattach it exactly where the old one was. It takes an hour and gives the garment years.
7. Reinforce the bottom corners while you are there.The two bottom corners take almost all the wear from keys and coins. A second row of stitching across each corner, or a small patch fused inside them, prevents the next hole.
8. Finish the raw edges of any new seam.Zigzag or overcast. Pocket bags are washed constantly and a raw edge inside one will fray back to the stitching quickly.
9. Turn it back and check nothing is caught.Push the bag back inside and put your hand in. Any stitching that has caught the front of the trousers will be immediately obvious.

Tips

• Old shirts, pillowcases and cotton sheets are ideal for pocket bags and patches — light, closely woven, already softened and free.
• If both front pockets are worn, do both while everything is out and set up. The second takes half as long as the first.
• On jeans, the pocket bag is often visible through the pocket mouth. Choose a patch fabric that does not look startling, or use a piece from an old pair of the same jeans.
• Loose change is the main cause. A phone in a front pocket wears the bag differently — along one edge rather than at the corners.

Common mistakes

• Sewing the two edges of a worn hole together — It closes the hole and puckers the bag, which then pulls open again beside the repair because the surrounding fabric is just as thin. Patch behind instead.
• Using heavy fabric for a patch or a new bag — A stiff pocket bag is uncomfortable, shows through the trousers, and puts more strain on the seams that hold it. Match the weight of the original.
• Square patch corners — They lift and catch. Rounding them takes one snip each.
• Not overlapping into sound stitching at the ends — The repair then starts exactly where the old seam had already begun to give, and the split simply extends past it.

If it doesn't work

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