5 Insanely Creative Ways To Transform Your Old Jeans

This is a really cute and simple way to upgrade a plain pair of jeans. Plus, embroidery thread is super inexpensive!

First, figure out the placement of your design. Then pencil in a few flowers (or use a vanishing fabric marker) to make sure that each element is evenly spaced. If you’re happy with the pattern, decide on your colour scheme and start sewing!

I like to split the embroidery thread in two as, if it’s too thick, it can be quite difficult to pull through the fabric. You can find loads of tutorials on YouTube showing you how to stitch different types of flowers – I found this one the most helpful.

For a complete beginner I would recommend starting with the lazy daisy. It’s not the most complex flower design but it still looks really effective!

If you’re looking for inspiration, I love the example on the right. I think the contrast of the bright flowers on the white denim is just so unique and adorable.

You’ve probably seen those Pull&Bear Smiley Jeans floating around the Internet. Unfortunately, I was supremely late to the party and now they’re almost completely sold out! So here’s how we can make our own version at home.

To recreate this look you’re simply going to need a thin paintbrush and a splash of bleach (depending on the strength you may have to dilute it). I suggest you wear gloves for this because you don’t want to get any bleach on your skin.

Again, start by drawing out your design. Then dab your brush in the bleach and go over the image you’ve outlined. NOTE: You might want to put some cardboard inside the leg to stop the bleach seeping through to the other side.

After about an hour, rinse the jeans in cold water and throw them in the wash. It’s like a whole new pair!

This looks so stunning and is surprisingly simpler than it seems. There are plenty of line art templates on the Internet so you can use these to form your design or try and create a new one!

Trace your faces onto the jeans – they can be as abstract as you like. Then, when you’re satisfied with the distribution, you can go in with your paint. I really like the combination of white and black in the picture on the right, but to start with it might be easier to stick to one colour.

If paint is too messy, try embroidering your line art instead. You’ll get a really similar effect (with none of the cleaning up).

Finally, one for all the black jean wearers! Bleach doesn’t work too well on dark denim since, when it develops, it usually turns orange instead of white. So your best bet here is to opt for paint instead.

You’ll want to use something bright as your base – I’d go with blue or purple just to make sure the design really stands out. Then you’re going to dab the paint on using a small sponge. Don’t apply it too heavily at first, you can always add more later! At this point, it should look more like a soft glow than a thick, opaque line.

Next, we’re going to take some white paint and, with a thin brush, follow down the middle of the lines we’ve just made. It doesn’t have to be straight or perfect – remember, lightning is naturally irregular.

If the white looks a bit too stark, try blotting over with your blue/purple paint to soften it a bit. Leave to dry and – voilà – you’re done!

If flowers aren’t your style, this is an embroidery project that might appeal to you more. The flame design adds a certain edginess to your look, but still has that cute, quirky feel.

To start, you’ll want to cut out a paper template and decide where to place your design. I personally think it works best on the pockets or along the hem.

Trace round the edges of the template and, once done, stitch along the outline with your red thread. Use some orange thread to do the same underneath and, finally, finish off the design with a splash of yellow.