Jean jackets are a staple in many wardrobes. And this particular jacket is one that I am very fond of. But even the most well loved clothing could use a make over from time to time.
In preparation of writing this article I looked into the history of jean jackets. To no surprise at all I found that these jackets have been in style pretty much since their appearance on the fashion scene in the United States around the year 1800.
But, that is not when their story starts. I was very surprised to read that their origins date way back to the late 1700's to when they were first designed by Levi Strauss in the land of Germany.
That was all very interesting to me and I have this jean jacket, which I love but, felt that it needed a change. For years now I have been using this jacket with my moon signs and monarch patches. I always imagined that I would continue adding more and more patches but recently have been wondering if I shoudn't take a different direction completely.
Now that I have recently acquired these set of decorative ribbons the inspiration for the transformation is in my hands. These are not just any ribbons but my way of reconstructing my ancestral past. I found these ribbons from 32 North on Etsy though they are originally from Czechia which, is where my ancestors are from.
First step was to remove the previous patches. I like them well enough but I feel their destiny lies with some other item of clothing, or maybe decorating a backpack. Using a seam ripper was very much helpful in this task.
Then I pinned the ribbon along the sleeve, making sure that it lay flat and centered on the outside.
For the most part this ended up being a hand sewn task where the denim was doubled up into seams and the middle of the sleeves where the machine couldn't reach.
In total this project took about 4 hours to complete as only a small fraction could be sewn with the machine. That is alright with me as I find hand sewing to be relaxing and helps me get into the mood for future sewing projects.
What do you think of how this turned out? I am quite happy with the result and feel a bit of magic and memories of the past have now been combined into this jacket that has become my favorite once again. Of this ribbon in particular I have about a yard left as well as five other designs that I will certainly be using soon, maybe even in my next NeedleWork post!
I think you have done a great job with this transformation,the jacket looks so pretty.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much!!
<3
Before, I usually get scared of how I will have a successful sewing 🧵 without the needle cutting especially jeans. But with you did it show jeans can be sewed in a neat way
It is always a bit scary to take needle and scissors to a nice piece of clothing. Maybe that is why I took so long to finally do this project. But, in the end it was worth it!! Thanks for your comment :)
That looks really good ! I much prefer hand sewing to using the machine. You can control how it's going stitch-by-stitch, making for a far better end result. I find it very therapeutic and relaxing, too. Except when I'm sewing piping; spending a whole evening working on a piece of piping and then realising it's taken you hours and you've only done about a foot of it can get a bit overwhelming !
Hand sewing is a great activity and a good way to get the feel for a project before taking it to the machine. I also like to have a hand sewing project to take on vacations or to take out when a group conversation gets a bit boring. As you say it can be a bit discouraging to realize I have spent hours on a single project but, I try to justify it by imagining all the hours I will be wearing this jacket.
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Along the line, I realized I have learned more than enough from you and my favorite is how you find relaxation in the little things. More like you find happiness in the little things. It really makes me super happy everytime
And oh that jacket looks dreamy, I could sense my inner child jumping from when you started attaching the decorative ribbons.
You are so sweet, thank you!! I am lucky that growing up my sister and I were always encouraged to make things ourselves and experiment with fiber arts. I worry that kids these days aren't doing much of that but, hopefully your posts as well as mine and all the others here in the needlework community can inspire people to create something they love!
You’re welcome
Yeah, I really hope so too🥰
Very cool! Great transformation. I like how rhe hoody/capuchon looks on you too :^)✨🏵️
Thanks so much!! I really appreciate that the jacket has a hood, most jean jackets don't.