DIY Embellished Denim Jacket

Nineties babies, where you at?! ?? What a time to be alive… chokers, overalls, boy bands, purple ketchup, THE FRESH PRINCE OF FREAKIN BEL AIR. #nostalgia ? When I look back on photos of myself as a kid, my favorite things to see are the (many) embellished denim jackets that my mom would make for me. Ya girl seriously had a blinged out jean jacket for every occasion. When it comes to doin’ it myself, the phrase “I got it from my mama” definitely applies. Those over the top mom-made outfits inspired me to make some fun fashion creations of my own growing up. Now that 90’s style is making a huge comeback, I decided to channel my inner Lisa Frank for this throwback DIY ?? Here’s how to make one for yourself!

SUPPLIES:
Denim Jacket (thrifted mine for $4!)
Coarse Sandpaper
Stitch Ripper
Assorted Patches
Embroidery Thread
Scissors
Needle
Iron
Towel
Bleach (optional)
Lint Roller (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Before embellishing my jacket, I opted to submerge it in a mixture of 1 part bleach and four parts water for about an hour. I then rinsed it thoroughly and threw it in the washing machine. This step is optional, but adds to the 90s vibe I was going for.

 

Once your jacket is prepped, decide what areas you would like to distress with the sandpaper. Putting some elbow grease into it, use your sandpaper to rub away at the vertical fibers in an area of the denim.

 

To get rid of stubborn vertical threads that are too difficult for sandpaper, use a stitch ripper to finish it off and make a clean looking rip.

 

Repeat all over the jacket in different shapes and sizes until you have reached the amount of distress you’re going for. At this point, you will have a fuzzy denim mess, that’s where the optional lint roller comes into play! Roll this all over the jacket to clean it up.

 

I also used colorful embroidery thread to highlight small areas on the stitching on my jacket. This step is very open to creative freedom, but one approach I think works really well here is a satin stitch around the seams of the jacket. Tie a knot at the bottom of a long piece of thread and attach a needle to the other end. Bring the needle up through the bottom of the jacket and stretch over to the other side of the seam. Bring back down through the denim and repeat until you reach the end of the thread. Then, either tie on another color of thread and keep going or knot to finish off the stitch.

 

Next, lay the iron-on patches in the placement you want them on your jacket. Turn the iron onto the “cotton” setting and allow to heat up. Peel off the adhesive plastic on the back of each patch and stick them onto the denim. Place the towel over a patch, and iron over until you can no longer pry the patch from the jacket. Repeat until all patches are secure.

That’s it! You’re ready to throw on your jacket over a Spice Girls tee and binge a season of Friends. Maybe add to the fun with a game of MASH? P.S. that game totally played us all. I’m supposed to be living in a mansion, married to Lance Bass and driving our 6 kids around in a pink Barbie corvette… but here I am ??‍♀️ Really though, this DIY totally doesn’t have to be 90’s themed, that’s just the way I choose to spin it. You can add anything you’d like to yours, and just use this as a guide for different embellishment options! I would love to see what ya’ll come up with! If you do go for it, please post a pic with the hashtag #347DIY

Have any questions? Feel free to comment below or hit me up on social media! Don’t dwell, I’m here for all of your denim distressing dilemmas! ❤️

Xo Amanda