Project: White Stitched Jeans

When you first see this project you may just think I'm crazy.  Just remember I have 4 kids - I kept finding myself just sitting there....feeling completely unproductive.  Soccer practice and swim lessons alone is over 4 hours a week!  Not to mention the time we were spending on the road visiting family and moving.  I decided I needed something to do while I was 'just sitting there'........and I had this pair of jeans.......  :0)

So you all have seen the True Religion Jeans

Or really, any store white stitched jeans

Well, I don't have the $$ to buy said jeans and I had a comfy pair of plain jane jeans my sister gave me that was about 1.5 inches too short.  I cut them to capri length and hemmed them....and they just never look quite right - I'm gonna figure it out one of these days!!  

 I've cut off about a zillion pair of my girls jeans - you know, when they wear holes in the knees - and I usually add some ribbon or fun stitching, but I didn't quite feel like that would work for me.  So I decided to white stitch them!  Yup!  The whole shebang.  I took white crochet thread and double threaded it (so I was sewing with 2 strands instead of 1) to make it a bit thicker.  You could just do one thickness as well, its all in how you want it to turn out.

 And I started back stitching.  (there are lots and lots of youtube tutorials on how to back stitch) Originally I was measuring 1/4 inch stitches, then after I had finished the hem I decided I wanted the stitches a little bigger.  So on the rest of the stitching I just sewed one of my stitches for every 3 stitches in the jean.  It was MUCH easier than measuring it all out.  And I just covered all the exposed stitching with white.  You can toss it up by doing over some of them with the regular jean tan-ish color or a medium blue.  I've seen that done too.  Whatever you want really.  Pick a pair of jeans you love and copy it!  It did take a while.  But it was better than 'just sitting there!'

*And you might want to make sure you have a thimble.  Hand-stitching through multiple layers of jean isn't very friendly sometimes.

 Time for the pockets!  I drew up a pattern and mirrored it, cut it out,

 and pinned it where I wanted it on the pocket.  Then I just stitched over it!

 When I was done, I pulled the paper out and added some bling.

 I have this great tool that I picked up at Wal-Mart somewhere along the way.  I got tired of wishing I had the money to buy my girls the $20 jeans instead of the $8 that were on sale for $4 jeans.  They were just so much cuter!  So I started making my own....of course.  You just get these little jewels with glue on the back and this tool heats them on. Awesomeness, I'm tellin' ya!

 This was before I finished the top of the jeans and all the belt loops.

So there you go!  If you need something to fill in the spaces of times you are just sitting, grab a pair of boring jeans and make them fun!  I love my new capris!  So much better than this.....

And so much more cost effective than this

And not a single soul knows I did it myself - after all!  Who is crazy enough to do that?!

And now I am off to move half-way across the country.  The hubs is going to dental school!!!  YAY!!!  I will have a whole new house, with bunches of new fun projects, AND.....the kids will be in school.  As much as I love them and have thoroughly enjoyed our summer together, I'm ready for a few quiet afternoons :0)  See you in a few weeks!