cry for help

so my FAVORITE jeans in the world have a couple holes/tears in them, originating from the upper inner thigh, and now extending, on the left leg, all around the back half of the leg, parallel to the ground. now it's kinda unraveled...anyway, this leaves me unable to bend over or really do anything but shuffle when i wear them, for fear of scarring small children.

i'm not very "craft-y" (mmm to say the least... i get all spazzy and panicked like a cat with a laser pointer)...but is someone handy with clothes? what's the best way to keep these jeans just this side of wearable? i'll post a picture when i'm not running out of the house...but in the meantime, thanks for any advice.