Sew Easy Episode 813 - BOHO BLOUSE AND JAZZY JEANS

When you see Marie Zinno jazz up a pair of jeans with machine embroidery you may want to stitch your own special pair. Below you'll find some tips for imitating this technique, but what if you don't have access to an embroidery machine? I would suggest you consider adding appliqué motifs instead. Cut your appliqué pieces from printed or solid fabric. Then add a bit of trim to the hem in a coordinating color and you can make a fashion statement using nothing more than a simple zig zag stitch. Appliqué can be a great substitute for machine embroidery, or used in addition to machine embroidery. Anyone can learn to do appliqué! For more appliqué information CLICK HERE to download the Free Basic Appliqué tip sheet recently added to this site.

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On the show Marie uses one of the Brother PR Series Multi-needle machines along with a special attachment called the Cylinder Frame to embroider near the hem on her jeans. 

While this is truly a specialty attachment for a specialty machine it is possible to embroider along the leg of jeans with most any home embroidery machine. You may want to practice stitching on an old pair first.

Here are some practical tips:

• Find a pair of jeans with only one flat felled seam. Most jeans have a standard seam on one side of the leg. This standard seam is easily opened with a seam ripper. 
  
• Open the seam beginning a couple inches from the hem and go all the way up to the top of the thigh, giving yourself plenty of room to spread the leg flat. Note: If your jeans are really narrow you'll need to open them all the way through to the hem, which means you'll have to re-hem them as well. Since the original hem on jeans is hard to match you'll likely be forced to re-hem both legs. With this in mind you may want to opt for jeans with larger rather than smaller legs.

• Next, select your design. Hoop your first section of the leg. Using a template helps greatly with positioning. 
• If you have difficulty hooping the fabric, use a piece of sticky stabilizer, either wash away or tear away, to hold the fabric in place.  Regular hooping can be tricky depending on the leg size and the location of the opposite, thick seam. Sticky stabilizer makes this easy. I prefer wash away because it is completely removable. However, tear away is more economical. Stick the portion you want to embroider to the stabilizer and stitch away, starting with a fresh sticky sheet for each additional hooping. Add additional stabilizer if necessary.

• Continue to re-hoop as necessary to add more designs. If you stitch on both the front and back leg, stitching close to the seam, it will look like one continuous design once the seam is re-sewn. Be careful each time to keep the fabric smooth so it is not caught on the underside of the hoop. 
• When finished, re-sew the leg closed and finish off the seam allowance with a basic overcast stitch.

If you have a 5 X 7 hoop size take a look at the Jazzy Jeans Designs offered by Dakota Collectables. They are not too dense and include coordinating small and large motifs, perfect for jeans and many more garments as well! Click on the image below to see the sunflower designs I used in this example.

Certainly, embroidered embellishment of some sort keeps popping up on the cuff, side seam or elsewhere on the leg of ready-made pants, jeans and capris. Personally I really like the idea of embellishment near the cuffs on capris. Whatever design idea you may choose this is a style that continues to show up over and over again. I guess you could say it's moved beyond fad stage and could be considered a lasting trend. Think about adding a coordinating motif to a top for a unique set you'll enjoy for both casual and more dressy wear!

CLICK HERE for my previous, detailed review of show #813,  with pattern tips and ideas for making your own peasant style "boho" blouse. CLICK HERE to watch It's Sew Easy Episode 813 until Friday September 25th.

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