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Found in an abandoned shack near the Dan River, north of Greensboro, North Carolina, is a collection of denim clothing that belonged to a family of tobacco sharecroppers. The clothing, from the 1930s to the 60s, tells the story of a family who lived in dire poverty. Overalls have been cut into pants, newer denim has patched old, worn holes, and resourceful combinations of patches and hand stitching have created an unintentional but beautiful, folkloric patchwork. Historians have concluded that all the handwork has been sewn by one person. The clothing brings to life the motivation of a homemaker, who worked to maintain the family’s clothing with respect and durability, with no means other than a needle and thread. When mending is done with sincere purpose, with a will to survive another season in the fields, it has a unique integrity and beauty all its own. With great respect for this nameless family, I have tried to capture their spirit of resourcefulness and handcraft, and named this technique of mending denim: "Sharecroppers" patches. technique 4 mending and patching jeans with designer style Sharecropper patches by Nancy Minsky for more jean ideas see Nancy’s book: Denim Revolution: Dozens of Ways to to Turn Denim Cast-Offs into Fashion Must-Haves http://21centurydressmakers.blogspot.com CHILDREN’S OVERALL CIRCA 1940 (image –“FOUND: A True Story”)

How to Mend and Patch Your Jeans with Style: Sharecropper Patches

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Tutorial on how to mend and patch jeans with designer style. This technique, named “Sharecropper patches” is attributed to an historic denim collection. The clothes belonged to a poor family of sharecroppers, probably during the depression. All the clothing, mainly overalls or jeans cut down into overalls, have been beautifully repaired by hand, becoming both an historical archive of the era and the extreme hardships, as well as a beautiful, folkloric inspiration for denim designers.

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Page 1: How to Mend and Patch Your Jeans with Style: Sharecropper Patches

Found in an abandoned shack near the Dan River, north of

Greensboro, North Carolina, is a collection of denim clothing that

belonged to a family of tobacco sharecroppers. The clothing,

from the 1930s to the ‘60s, tells the story of a family who lived

in dire poverty. Overalls have been cut into pants, newer

denim has patched old, worn holes, and resourceful

combinations of patches and hand stitching have created

an unintentional but beautiful, folkloric patchwork.

Historians have concluded that all the handwork has

been sewn by one person. The clothing brings to life

the motivation of a homemaker, who worked to

maintain the family’s clothing with respect and

durability, with no means other than a needle and

thread.

When mending is done with sincere purpose,

with a will to survive another season in the fields,

it has a unique integrity and beauty all its own. With great

respect for this nameless family, I have tried to capture their

spirit of resourcefulness and handcraft, and named this

technique of mending denim: "Sharecroppers" patches.

technique 4 mending and patching jeans with designer style

Sharecropper patches

by Nancy Minsky

for more jean ideas see Nancy’s book: Denim Revolution: Dozens of Ways to to Turn Denim Cast-Offs into Fashion Must-Haves

http://21centurydressmakers.blogspot.com

CHILDREN’S OVERALL CIRCA 1940 (image –“FOUND: A True Story”)

Page 2: How to Mend and Patch Your Jeans with Style: Sharecropper Patches

sharecropper patches a technique to patch jeans with integrity The jeans below demonstrate the variety of sharecropper patches: hand stitched, machine stitched, re-enforced, patched on top and underneath – which creates a patchwork of textures, shapes and colors.

Page 3: How to Mend and Patch Your Jeans with Style: Sharecropper Patches

the sewing materials denim scraps for patches DCM embroidery thread – match thread to a medium shade of your denim sewing thread – white and denim

note: choose a shade that blends with the worn area you will be mending. Jeans vary broadly in colors and shades, and well matched thread is important for the look.

general sewing materials including: embroidery scissors; shears; straight pins; iron and ironing board; sewing machine; denim sewing machine needle; hand sewing needle. + your badly damaged, clean and pressed jeans

Page 4: How to Mend and Patch Your Jeans with Style: Sharecropper Patches

a few mending hints For the patches, choose a denim scrap in a weight similar to your jeans. (It will feel much more

comfortable when you wear them.)

Soft, worn denim is very pliable so be careful not to stretch it out of shape when you sew.

Baste all the patches and then sew. In this way you won’t be fighting a bundle of straight pins and your stitches will be much, more lovely.

Work with clean and pressed jeans and patches.

Patch the whole, extended, worn area otherwise you will soon be mending again.

Make the inside as neat and tidy as the outside. This will make your repair more durable.

For added durability, make lots of back stitches.

Knot the thread ends between the patch and the jean to avoid the knot rubbing open.

Denim comes in many different shades, so choose your thread colors carefully. The thread color can make or break a look. Sew a test, sewing just a small area, to check if you like the way the thread color matches or contrasts.

Look at your jeans, and how they have worn. Patch them accordingly. That is the beauty of denim.

Sew your stitches, neatly, firmly and evenly to create stitches as beautiful as possible.

step-by-step tutorial – for three patch techniques patching from the inside: Open the side seams, from above the cuff to just below the pocket join point. Press your jeans. Lay them flat on the table and decide which gaping holes you want to patch. Cut the shapes of the holes with a soft curve, as even and neat as possible.

Page 5: How to Mend and Patch Your Jeans with Style: Sharecropper Patches

Select denim patches and lay them underneath the various holes to choose which one will go where. Pin a patch in place, on the inside. You want your patch to extend much beyond the worn area. Baste around the cutout, ¾” from the edge, and ½” all around the perimeter of the patch. Remove the pins. (photo below)

Turn the cut edge of the hole under about 3/8”. By hand, back stitch, all around the hole, with 3 strands of DCM thread. Turn the leg inside out, and back stitch, all around the perimeter of the patch. Repeat on your other patches.

Page 6: How to Mend and Patch Your Jeans with Style: Sharecropper Patches

In above photo of backside of jean leg, note the basting, the stitching around the hole, the different sizes and kinds of patches.

In the below photo, note the completed patching from the backside.

Page 7: How to Mend and Patch Your Jeans with Style: Sharecropper Patches

patching on the outside If you have a small hole, then cut a piece of denim, pin it on top of the jeans or underneath the jeans, baste and backstitch all around the perimeter and on top of the worn part. (examples in photo)

re-enforcing white weft threads

For areas that the white denim threads are still intact, you can preserve the look. Press and baste the threads neatly in place. With the denim patch in back, enforce the area, with several rows of stitching. (examples in photo) For more detailed instructions on preserving the weft threads, read the “cat and mouse” mending document. Sew the side seams closed. Knot and trim all thread ends.