03.05.07
Ruffled Holiday Jeans
Ever since I had Addison I have been enticed by boutique style clothing. I love for her to have outfits for all the holidays. I have seen a lot of really good ideas on Ebay, but this idea was adapted from a good friend of mine. These jeans can easily sell for over $30.
Since I am crafty and I own a sewing machine, I decided to attempt sewing them myself. This pair was for my niece Sydney who is almost 7 yrs old, but I intend to make some for my little Addi real soon!!
I got these jeans from a consignment shop for less than $5. The material is from Walmart. I got 1 yard of 2 different fabrics at $2 a yard and 1 yard of “Wonder Under” double sided interfacing at $.97 a yard. The ribbons for the belt and around the pockets are from Michaels.
To make the patches I ironed the interfacing following the product directions. I used Pinking Shears to cut out the patches. After ironing them on the jeans I used a zig zag stitch to make sure they were secure.
For the ruffles at the bottom I measured the circumference around the bottom of the jeans and doubled that length. After measuring the length of approximately 28 inches then I measure the width, keeping in mind that both the top and bottom would need to be hemmed (which I did using a decorative zig zag stitch).
I pinned the fabrics together so that I could cut them at the same time using a rotary cutter. I found that a yard stick and a hem measuring stick helped me cut in a straight line. I cut the larger cuff 5 1/2 inches and the smaller 4 1/2 inches. This can be altered depending on how long you want to make the jeans.
Keep in mind that the ruffle should hang about 1 inch below the original hem. After hemming the edges of the ruffles, and along the raw edge of the fabric, I sewed 2 rows of gathering stitches approx. 1/4 inch apart, and 1/2 an inch from the top I gathered the ruffles in until it measured approx. 14 inches.
Starting on the inside seam of the jeans, I pinned the ruffles and measured along the bottom hem to make sure it was straight all the way around the hem of the jean. Once it was pinned in place I made one stitch through the middle of the gathering stitches on the top of the jeans. Optional: (This stitch can be covered up by sewing a decorative ribbon on the top)
This was tricky to keep it all straight and not sew the jeans together. Baby jeans that snap up the crotch are obviously much easier than little girl’s jean as there is less room in the cuff, flare jeans are preferred. (I don’t recommend trying to do it on a tapered pair of jeans)
I used a grosgrain ribbon for the belt and be sure to heat seal (using a wood burning tool) the end so it doesn’t fray. You can make a sash using the material, I ran out of time to do that before Valentine’s day.
I also made a pair for St. Patrick’s day using all the same techniques.
Estimated cost $10.
Total time to complete this project 3 hours. Including time to cut out the material, iron on the patches, and hand sew on the ribbons. Plus all of the sewing.
After doing this project I have a new appreciation for the people who sell these types of clothes on ebay. It was a lot of work. Ultimately, I don’t mind sewing them for my family, but I can understand why they charge $30+ for them. However, if you have the time and patience you can make them cheaper yourself!!
AM