Earth Day--Jean Jacket Makeover DIY

Happy Earth Day 2012 to all! 

I want to share my latest "makeover" project with you.  You may want to give it a try.  

Recently, one of my favorite hosts on QVC (I'm addicted--sorry!) was wearing the cutest jean jacket that had a "shabby chic" appearance.  I called The Q to find out the item number, only to be informed that it was her personal item and not offered by QVC--darn it! 

I made a "mental not to self": Grab a jean jacket at a thrift store soon and make it myself!

Here's what you'll need:

1.  denim jean jacket, I paid $3.50 for mine--whoopee!

2.  sewing machine and your choice of colored thread (optional)

3.  sharp scissors

4.  pillow case and thick rubber band

5.  washer and dryer

Step 1.
Decide where you want your "shabby chic" fringe accents.  I chose to only "enhance" the collar, cuffs and down both sides of the front.

Step 2 (optional).

Using thread (your choice of color) and sewing machine, sew an extra row of stitches about 1/8" from the button holes and buttons along both sides of the front.  This is to allow more fringe to form and still keep the layers intact.  I used a caramel colored "jean" thread by Coats and Clarks.  My "buttons" were actually riveted metal buttons, so I had to be extra careful when sewing near them.  Don't worry if your stitches are perfectly straight, as the "fringe" will hide it anyway.

 Step 3.
Cut away the garment's edge of all the areas that you want to "fringe".  If your jacket has top stitching close to any of those edges, just remove it with a seam ripper.  You can now start the fringing process.  Pull out and discard the threads of the fabric that run parallel with the edge.  This can be time consuming, so make yourself comfortable and plan to have a mess to clean up once you are finished.

Step 4.
Place your jacket in the pillowcase and close the open end of the pillowcase using the thick rubber band. This will save the LIFE of your washing machine--hmmm, I speak from experience, and not a pleasant one!
Add this to your washing machine and wash on a regular setting.  I used hot water, but I think the results would be the same for cold water, too.   Once the wash cycle is complete, add the pillowcase with the jacket still inside to your dryer.  I let mine dry for about 30 minutes, then paused the cycle and removed the jacket from the pillowcase.  At this point, my pillowcase had lots of lint, threads, etc. on the inside, so I turned it inside out and took it outside for a good shake, shake, shake.  Turn your jacket inside out and add it back to the dryer, removing or trimming any random long threads first.

Step 5.

Once your jacket is thoroughly dry, remove it from the dryer and turn it right side out.  Using your sharp scissors, trim away any stray or random threads along all the edges.  Put that puppy on, add some jewelry, and go "Rock Your World".

Have a Happy Day!