Jeans are generally a tough item. They hold up fairly well to most use, eventually becoming ragged and worn. One place where I have noticed frequent failure on jeans is the belt loop.

Belt loops are used to hold belts, of course. They are also frequently used to help pull the jeans on and can occasionally snag while being worn or washed. I try to repair clothing as much as possible, and have done a belt loop fix many times. Here is my technique.

First, I need to clean up the torn area and belt loop. I want to remove any loose strings from the torn area of the pants. I also need to get all of the old threads that were holding the loop on removed. There are several layers of fabric at this point, and having all the old thread there will make it very difficult to stitch through.

Sewing on the loop again

The next step is to patch the hole in the jeans themselves. There are many options of patch material available at fabric and craft stores, as well as online. For this type of repair, I choose an iron-on patch that is close in color. I trim the patch to the correct size and round the corners. Rounding the corners reduces the chances of the patch coming up.

Once I iron the patch on, I zig-zag over the whole surface. We already know that this area gets a lot of strain, so any help that can be given is useful.

I have thread to match jeans, including the gold top-stitch thread. This thread is heavier than most sewing threads and is used only on the top. The gold thread is a nod to the original linen thread used by Levi jeans.

The method of sewing on a belt loop is called a bar tack. First, you sew straight across the loop. Then you sew across the line of stitching with a narrow zig-zag. This provides extra stability. Because there are so many layers of fabric in a very narrow location, it can be difficult to stabilize the presser foot of the machine on the loop while stitching. I have a small tool, (called variously a hump jumper, thick seam jumper of jeans-a-ma-jig) that helps while sewing.

Once the belt loop is sewn down, you are all set and ready to go!

Digging Deeper

You can read a lot about jeans and materials used in them on the Levis website here.