You Can Make Your Own Jeans More Fun with Embellishments
Do you love taking an item and making it a little more interesting? If so then grab a pair of jeans and join me for a little DIY fun! And if you aren’t a fan of making more work for yourself, then I found some jeans that are already decorated for you below!
This idea came from a reader who has created these jeans for herself and me. Let me introduce you to Jude!
Jude grew up in a small northern Minnesota town on the shores of Lake Superior. She attended college in central Minnesota earning a BS in Social Science. She loved teaching social studies in middle school in suburban St. Paul for 39 years. Her teaching focus was U.S. Civics to 8th graders—what a saint!! And then 5 years ago she retired. She and her husband, Jay, recently celebrated their 41st anniversary. They have raised six English Springer Spaniels over the years. As for her DIY abilities, she claims to have always been a crafter and amateur artist and she finds the work very meditative.
She’s the fabulous creative mind behind my silver sneakers that I’ve been wearing a ton this summer (see the post here).
Well she has a tons of ideas for DIYing your own clothing. It’s along the lines of what I feel like I’m always saying—let’s stand out and be unique & fabulous! Well, she was reading Suzanne’s post about Paint Splattered Jeans and decided to try out her own version (she created a pair for herself and me—isn’t she the nicest?)
So we thought we’d put together this post in case you’d like to join in the embellishment movement. It’s pretty easy and guarantees that no one else will have a pair of jeans like you do! The two jeans pictured at the top were done by Jude recently. The tan jeans are the ones she created for me. The blue jeans she painted with her kimono in mind—isn’t it so wonderful how the colors of the characters, mirror the kimono?
Steps for Embellishing Jeans
1-First get a pair of jeans—do you have a pair that are yawn—boring? You could use those. Or head to the thrift shop for a pair that doesn’t break the bank. Both pair that Jude used in the top pictures were found at Walmart and they were under $10. Do you have a pair of light colored jeans that have a couple stains on them? This would be an ideal way to cover the stains!
2-Now for the paint color. You’ll want a color that enhances the jeans. If they are a lighter pair of jeans, then you might consider a darker paint. If they are a dark pair of jeans, then some of the lighter paints will show up better. Jude used acrylic paint for this project. I was able to wash them in my machine & even dried them in the dryer (Making sure you turn them inside out).
3-Picking out the stencil is next. The options are quite endless depending where you are shopping. If you love butterflies than here’s one to consider or if you prefer flowers, there are tons with that motif. The stencils that Jude used on my jeans represent love, peace, energy and eternity.
4-Now the actual fun! Use a piece of cardboard on the inside of the jeans so the paint doesn’t absorb all the way through. Jude used cardboard that had press & seal attached so it wouldn’t move on her. You’ll have to hold the stencil securely so it doesn’t move while you’re painting it. For the example above, you’d want to make sure it’s positioned so half of the design is on each side.
5-Use a stenciling technique to put the paint on the jeans by dabbing it with a small amount of paint on a stencil brush. It’s never a bad idea to practice the stenciling on a rag for a couple times first. Then you get the idea of how much paint to put on the brush and how many times you need to dab it on! You can stencil this design down the entire length of the seam or just in the corner of the pocket —again, making it your own is half the fun!
6-For Jude’s masterpieces, she even sewed on by hand beads in between the stencils!
Other Examples
Now the above embellished jeans are not the only ones that Jude has ever created. Below is a picture of a pair that she sewed a decorative trim onto many years back. She put this trim right over the existing seam by hand instead of opening the seams.
And then there’s another pair where Jude hand sewed the long strand of pearls at the seams of a pair of jeans!!
This may remind you of the 1960’s & 70’s fashions, but isn’t that what we all say? Every style comes back around? So whether you like the idea of DIY or not, you can still have some fabulous embellished jeans.
[tweetthis]Make your own unique painted jeans![/tweetthis]
The Facts
Even if you wouldn’t consider purchasing your clothing online, it can be helpful to look through my links to see what is available! It certainly doesn’t hurt my feelings, if you click on them but don’t like them. Just so you know, one of the ways I make money from this blog is through these linked items.
What this means is that when you click on a linked item, I receive a couple of cents. Those couple of cents can certainly add up! So I appreciate it if you keep clicking to help support Jodie’s Touch of Style!
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In case you like the idea, but don’t want to make your own I found a couple pairs of jeans with embroidery or paint!
