Stenciled Jeans

Hola!

Tami here with a project I'd like to share with you. 

Embellished jeans are growing in popularity this season, but they can be a bit pricey. With the kids heading back to school and needing new school clothes and supplies, shopping on a budget is a must for most of us. So why not add those embellishments to some inexpensive jeans or even upcycle some from a resale shop.

If you have a crafty teen or tween, they might enjoy trying this project all by themselves. It would be easy enough for younger kiddos to attempt too with a little help from mom or grandma.

I found some jeans on clearance for around $10 and decided to add a little bit of summer to them to enjoy the season a little longer before heading into fall...

Clear Scraps has TONS of stencils in lots of great themes and designs. The stencils also come in 2 sizes: 6" and 12", so you can pick which size would work best for your project. You could even use both sizes to add a mix of different sizes of designs to your altered clothing.

I wanted to embellish the bottoms of my jeans with flowers so I selected the 12" Flower Power Stencil...

I started by washing and drying the jeans to make sure I removed any sizing that was in the fabric. The sizing can sometimes prevent the ink or paint you use from fully penetrating the fabric, or make the designs wash off easily.

If needed, also iron the fabric to make sure it is nice and flat. I tucked a few layers of paper in the legs of the jeans as I worked to prevent the ink from leaking through to the other side. Check the directions on the paint or ink you use to find out how to "set" it and make it permanent.

I used a craft ink that needs to be heat set to make it permanent.

Blue Painter's Tape is helpful to hold the stencil in place as you work. I also use it to tape over any designs that are close to the ones I plan to use so I don't accidentally ink a portion of a stencil I didn't want to use. 

I inked all the flowers first, then heat set them. Next, I outlined them with a permanent pen to make the designs stand out more. 

The last step was to sew on some buttons for the flower centers; I used white embroidery thread. You can add a drop of glue (that withstands washing) to the knot to keep the button in place.

You could also sew on some trim along the bottom of the jeans.

Another option is to use some scrap denim to stencil designs on, then cut them out and glue or sew them on. the edges will ravel a little bit each time in the wash, distressing the look! Or you could zig zag stitch around them or use a product to seal the edges if you don't want it to ravel.

Your child will have something unique to wear to school that no one else will have! 

I hope you enjoyed today's project; please stop back by soon. Some brand spanking NeW designers have joined the team and will be sharing their projects and talent with you starting this month!

SUPPLIES:

Clear Scraps: 12 Inch Power Power Mascil 

Other: Clearsnap: ColorBox Crafter's Ink and Stylus and Tips, Blue Painters Tape, Jeans, Buttons, Embroidery Floss and Black Permanent Pen