Tutorial: Turn jeans upside down to make a jacket

Cristi from In the Mood for Couture turns a pair of jeans upside down, turning them into a cute new jacket. There is very little waste with this project. She uses the top part of the jeans as the body of the jacket (the waistband remains the waistband, just upside down), and cuts sleeves out of the bottom portion of the legs. Because of the way the zipper fly runs into the crotch of the jeans, the jacket doesn’t actually zip or unzip off. You’ll need to pull it over your head like a t-shirt. If you want to make the contrast panel on the front (the part that looks like a shirt layered underneath), you’ll need to use denim from another pair of jeans or perhaps a panel of fabric from your stash. Go to In the Mood for Couture for the tutorial.

[photo from In the Mood for Couture]

[via Refashion Co-op]

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I’m always tempted by the pretty velvets at the fabric store. So much texture! And the way the fibers catch the light! But sewing on velvet is trickier than you’d think. That nap that lends beautiful texture also likes to slip and crawl. That nap can also spell disaster if you cut a piece the wrong direction. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t use buy that velvet and sew it into something gorgeous, you just need to go into your velvet sewing project prepared. And Melissa at Melly Sews has a post that takes you step by step through sewing on velvet.

Velvet is such a luscious fabric, especially for winter sewing projects. Of course there are velvet Christmas sewing projects – stockings, tree skirts, santa hats – but velvet is beautiful for all winter. Think of all the gorgeous velvet dresses, evening bags, hair accessories, even pillows and other home décor that you see all winter long.

Melly Sews’ post gives you the tips and tricks you need to know in order for your velvet sewing project to end up a success. There are types of projects better suited for velvets, and kinds of projects to avoid. She describes the different types of velvet available. And she also tells the best way to lay out and cut your pattern pieces from velvet fabric. Her tutorial also covers marking, pressing, and of course sewing that beautiful fabric. There’s also a video included in case that’s your preferred method for learning.

Head over to Melly Sews to learn how to sew on velvet fabric.

And if you want to learn more about that lovely blue velvet dress shown, she has a post that tells more about it including 2 ways to style it depending on if you want to be more dressy or more casual.

[photo credit: Melly Sews]

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