Common repairs

Reinforce a Worn Pocket Corner

Strengthen the top corner of a pocket opening where the fabric is thinning or starting to rip, using a bar tack (a block of tight stitches that locks the corner). A machine bar tack is preferable for speed; hand-stitched bar tacks are neat on a single corner.

Confident Beginner15 minHand or machine

What you will learn

Making a bar tack
Spotting stress points
Backing a weak corner

Materials and tools

Strong thread (topstitch thread or doubled polyester)
Hand needle (sharps, size 5 or 6) or machine with jeans needle 90/14
Small piece of lightweight fusible interfacing or denim scrap
Scissors
Fabric chalk
Pins

Before you start

Assess the damage. Look at the corner from the inside. If you see only slightly thin fabric or a loose thread end, add a bar tack. If the corner has torn into the fabric, add a patch behind it first.
Test the strength by tugging the corner with both hands. If the cloth tears, back it with interfacing or a patch.
Mark the bar tack: a rectangle about 1/4 in (6 mm) tall and 1/2 in (12 mm) wide, centred over the corner and tilted along the pocket line.

Step by step

Turn the garment inside out. If the corner is thin or torn, cut a patch of denim or interfacing 1 in (25 mm) square and place it behind the weak spot. Fuse interfacing with a press cloth at a heat the care label allows, testing on a hidden area first. Pin a denim patch.
Turn the garment right side out. Pin or mark the bar tack position with chalk.
For machine: set a zigzag stitch with width 2 to 3 mm and length 0.3 to 0.5 mm. Stitch 1/2 in (12 mm) across the corner, then sew a second pass over the same block, staying inside the mark.
For hand: use a doubled thread. Bring the needle up at one end of the mark and down at the other, making stitches next to each other for 1/4 in (6 mm). Then wrap thread across them.
Short stitches lie side by side across the corner mark, each close to the last.
Whichever method you used, look at the bar tack from the inside. If you added a backing patch, the stitches should pass through it.
Secure the thread on the wrong side with two small stitches. Trim the tails to 1/2 in (12 mm).
Check the corner. A bar tack should look like a short, dense bar crossing the corner.

Tips for a neat result

A zigzag with a tiny stitch length acts like a satin stitch. Test it on a scrap first.
Use heavier thread on denim, and match the colour of the original topstitching.
A bar tack on the right side shows. Place it in the same spot as factory ones if you can.

Common mistakes and fixes

The fabric puckers under the bar tack.

The stitch length is too short or the thread too thick. Lengthen to 0.5 mm or reduce the number of passes.

The needle breaks.

Too many layers. Use a 100/16 jeans needle, sew slowly and hand-turn the wheel through thick spots.

The corner tears next to the bar tack.

The surrounding fabric was already worn. Add a larger patch behind it.

Safety and fabric care

Keep fingers away from the needle on a bar tack. Wear a thimble for hand stitching on denim.

Check your result

The corner is firm and does not stretch when tugged.
No holes appear at the ends of the bar tack.
The stitching is neat and straight.

Stop it happening againDo not hook fingers into pockets and tug. Reinforce pocket corners on new garments with a bar tack before they wear.

When to use a professionalTake it to a tailor if the corner has torn into the pocket bag and the waistband, or if the garment is leather or heavily bonded.

Projects that use this

Repair a Torn Pocket BagConfident Beginner30 min Reattach or Replace a Belt LoopConfident Beginner30 min Reinforce Areas Prone to WearConfident Beginner35 min