DIY Jeans Refashion Ideas

Have an old pair of plain jeans that need some new life?

Here is some inspiration for DIY refashions you can do to spruce that pair of denim. Get your scissors, needles, thread and/or Beacon Fabri-Fix Fabric Glue ready! You can add printed fabric, lace trim, jewels, paint, embroidery...all sorts of embellishments. Now these are mainly ideas for the ends of the pant legs like cuffs but you can add details to just about anywhere on your jeans. Make them your own and make them stand out.

1. Cut out and weave other fabric through

2. Sew on colorful rhinestones

3. Hand embroider your own designs

4. Add metallic and patterned trims

5. Brocade silk fabric cuffs

6. Side split with fabric insert

7. Add embroidered floral appliques

8. Cut out the denim and stitch outlines

9. Split open sides and add in different colored denim

10. Split open sides of wide jeans to get breezy almost flared jeans

11. Hand paint all kinds of designs

12. Add grommets and ribbon

13. Cute bunny cuffs

14. Add embroidered floral mesh fabric for sheerness and flare

15. Shiny sequin fabric cuffs

16. Take a permanent marker and doodle

17. Add pom-pom fringe trim

18. Add flower and pearl details

19. 2 in 1 upcycled a skirt and pair of jeans to give them plenty of flare (tutorial by DIYbohemian

20. Add lace

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Refashion | An Old T-Shirt + Scrap Piece of Fabric

thee inspiration:

Giving color and pattern to a solid comfy t-shirt, looks simple enough to me. I had this bright red-orange tee and a remnant of fabric leftover from this wrap and tie pantskirt I made. This fabric piece just goes so well with the shirt. It was meant to be.

First I did was mark how high I wanted the center back. I basically made go to where the front neckline is. Then fold the shirt in half, with side seams meeting in the middle. Create the shape you want for the front and back "v"s. Well I guess the back is more curved than a "v" but you get it. I had the front "v" end right above the belly button.

Once that was cut out (leaving a 1/4" seam allowance) I took my scrap piece of fabric, evened it out and sewed it in half lengthwise. The piece was 37.5" long by 30" wide so 15" when folded in half.

I have a similar shirt that I like the back length of so I used it as a reference. Within this piece of fabric I was able to get both front and back pieces. Starting with the top back curve.

Then the front after the back is all cut out. Make sure the width is the same as where it meets up on the sides. After that I had it flare out some since this fabric doesn't stretch like the t-shirt does.

So the seams on the fabric will end up in the middle and should then be sewed to your t-shirt. I did the front first then the back.

I wanted the front middle corner to line up exactly with the middle seam of the fabric. It was a little tricky but got it eventually.

After the front is attached to the front and the back to back you can serge the raw edges. Then you can attach the sides together and serge those. After all that even out the bottom a bit, get it how you want and hem it.

All done!

Renew & reuse!

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Refashion | DIY French-Knotted Upcycled Cardigan

thee Inspiration:

French-Knotted Cardigan by Moth

I had been collecting and using thrifted embroidery hoops for years now. Not to sew on or with but as wall decor above my sewing space. Along with the hoops one day I found a bag of brightly colored doilies so I put them together on display. I also found some interesting frames I then turned into another decor piece featuring used measuring tapes (DIY post about it here) and two pin cushions. 

A few years back I got an embroidery thread set from an aunt as a gift and since then it piqued my interest to actually try embroidering by hand. I learned some stitches by watching tutorials on youtube. I bought more thread and I embellished this upcycled denim crossbody bag with it:

Then I saw that grey cardigan from Anthropologie and I thought to myself, it is completely doable. I had this fuchsia cardigan I've worn a couple times. It's not a V-neck but it's plain and could certainly use a little revitalization. The French knot confetti embellishment is perfect.

If you don't know how to make French Knots, check out this video I watched to learn how to make them (they are super simple!): How to Sew a French Knot Stitch by Professor Pincushion

Initially I thought I would be using an embroidery hoop to keep the cardigan nicely stretched but I ended up not really needing it. I guess I should've just used a much smaller hoop instead. It would've helped but I think it turned out fine, you might not need it. This is what I ended up with so far. It's definitely not as full as the Anthro cardi but I can always add onto it. If you have a plain cardigan in need of some flair, just add sprinkles!

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Refashion Idea | Adding Jean Sleeves to a Sweatshirt for Textural Contrast

thee inspiration:  Womens Patchwork Sleeve Knit Blouse by SooLinen 

I had leftover jean jacket sleeves after making this denim jacket with contrast chunky knit sleeves. The sleeves were perfect to refashion another top. So I found that blouse on Pinterest and I loved the idea.

(this jacket available here in thee shop)

I took a plain black terry sweatshirt style top and exchanged the sleeves for the jean jacket sleeves. It was important to pick a shirt with drop shoulders so that the sleeves would fit no matter what.

With a seam ripper I took off the bottom portion of the sleeves on the sweatshirt and then cut the jean jacket sleeves to that length.

I sewed the jean jacket sleeves onto the black sweatshirt, serged the raw edges inside together, topstitched and that was it. Came out looking pretty similar if I do say so myself.

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Refashion | Old Jeggings + Fabric Remnant

I'm not a huge fan of faux denim but I can't deny how comfortable it is. These skinny jeans in particular or rather jeggings were super comfy. The knees eventually faded out though and the fabric is starting to pucker, like most stretchy material does around the inner thighs area. I love the waistband on this so I had to keep it going. I chopped the legs off and put those pieces towards bags. Now I had this top piece left and a fabric remnant (It's rayon. It has a subtle stretch to it and drapes very well) I got it at Joann fabrics. Put them together and you have an easy maxi skirt.

This fabric remnant was about 1.5" yards in width and 31" in length. The denim mini is 7" at it's shortest in the middle front and 9.5" long at the middle back. Just gather the fabric and attach it to the denim mini. Serge the raw edges either before attaching them like I did or at the end altogether.

Apparently I take long strides when I walk so I will have to open up a side or both sides so that I can extend my legs out more. Yeah, I would've liked a little more fabric but this was a remnant I thought matched really well with the denim, I had to make it work.

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