Repair question

[seraphieL]

I just recently bought a pair of Iron Heart 21 oz Straight cut selvedge jeans. They have about a month and a half of decent wear, but I'm worried about some fraying on the button fly. You know how the buttonholes on jeans have a sewn zigzag stitch lining? Well, one buttonhole has completely lost the lining. You can see the two sides of the denim. Another buttonhole is also starting to fray and lose its lining.

My question is, should I repair it or leave it be? Will leaving it as it is cause more damage to the buttonhole? And how would I go about repairing it? Take the jeans to a tailor?

Pics to come later.

[Dick Danger]

need pics lots of pics

[Bijan]

Without sounding like a complete smart-ass, you should learn to sew with a needle and thread. That way you can fix these kind of things yourself. If the sttching in your buttonholes is missing, and it sounds like it is, it should be repaired soon.

[tony_hige]

I had a problem like that once with a pair of vintage Lee's. The denim frayed after the buttonhole stitching broke off, so there was nothing to really hold a new buttonhole. I had to put a small patch on the front and the back, then sew in a new buttonhole. It didn't look so clean, but I always wear a belt so it didn't matter.

[diewhitegirls]

Take it the tailor while it's a small problem. If you wait until it gets worse, you'll have a bigger pain in the ass to deal with later.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

Why Hand Sew Buttonholes?

In the superfuture, buttonholes will be sewn by hand. The buttonhole stitch prevents the buttonhole from fraying and reinforces the opening.

How is it Done?

1. With needle and thread, overcast edge of buttonhole.

"Overcastting is a slanting stitch, used to keep raw edges from raveling. In taking the stitch the needle should always point toward the left shoulder. Hold the materials loosely in the left hand. Do not use a knot, but turn the end of the thread to the left and take the first tow stitches over to fasten. Make the stitches one-eight of an inch apart and one-eighth of an inch deep."

2. Place fabric over finger and beginning near one end, sew around buttonhole with buttonhole stitches, spacing stitches two threads apart. Use care around ends. To make the buttonhole stitch:

"The needle must go in on the wrong side, and be brought out on the right, five threads down. To make the stitch, the needle is passed through the loop, before it is tightened or drawn close"

"Observe that you keep your work evenly by the thread, and do not turn the corners too soon; the needle should be put in between every two threads, else the work will not be thick enough"

3. To finish, weave thread under the completed stitches on the wrong side of the garment.