Project in Focus: Reworked Jeans
Do you have a pair of jeans in your wardrobe that you love more than anything? You're (almost) blind to their fade. You're bereft at the wear in the knees.
Yes, you know the ones.
This is a story about my go-to jeans. They always start off super snug and within the hour are like the comfiest leggings you've ever worn. Trouble was, my love for them has worn them hard. It was time to save them.
I popped to see my lovely friends at Ray Stitch and grabbed supplies:
- Dylon Wash and Dye (dyes up to 1kg of fabric) in 'Olive Green'
- DMC Cotton Embroidery Thread
- Organic Cotton Fat Quarter
First stop was the overdye. I wanted something other than the blue you get when you redye your jeans so I used my colour theory. I knew the existing blue would dominate in some places and the new colour would take far deeper where the fade was worse so I stuck with a dark green as it would complement, not compete with the existing dye. I threw in some old bits and bobs like workout tees so that the dye would take evenly with the jeans in the machine. Dyeing in the machine couldn't be easier: prewashing, salt, dyeing and rinsing. I could easily get addicted.
I loved the colour and the slightly different way it took and made the stitching more prominent so next came the patching.
One knee was completely shot so I finished the job and snipped a hole out so I could see the patch. To save on bulk, I used a bonding tape to attach the patch to the back of the jeans. I would be stitching over it so wasn't too worried about wear. (You can find bonaweb at most supermarkets and haberdashery)
Next came some free hand stitching. I wanted a contrast and nothing too uniform. I used simple stitches around the patch to make sure that it was secure then ran stitches of different length vertically along the knee and then horizontally. I've been enjoying learning about Sashiko and Boro, a Japanese form of stitching to visibly mend fabric in a truly beautiful way. I didn't get too hung up on shape, just held it away from me every now and then to check it wasn't coming out too wild or too uniform.
I'm pretty pleased with the end result.
I've been pinning plenty of embellishing inspiration on my Pinterest board, 'Embellish' and am pretty tempted to take a hand embroidery class. I see more reworks in my future!