Hand Embroidered Jeans

I have always wanted to add little embroidered flowers onto some jeans, so when I saw the Decorate It contest, I figured this was my chance. I designed and hand-embroidered flowers onto a pocket of my jeans.

This is a great, simple way to add some personality to your closet. You don't need any real experience embroidering to do this, just some patience. It can take anywhere from 4-6 hours. It took me about 4.5 hours. Yes, that is quite a bit of time, but the result is worth it!

1. Jeans - I bought some No Boundaries jeans from Walmart, but any jeans will do. The thinner, the easier to embroider.
2. Embroidery Floss - You can find embroidery floss at many craft stores or on Amazon. I am using the Loop&Threads embroidery floss from Micheal's for $7.99.
3. Sewing or Embroidery Needle - Needles can be purchased at any of the stores that sell embroidery floss or any sewing outlets. I used a needle I found around my house. I recommend using a needle with a larger "eye," so it will be easier to thread the thick embroidery floss through.
4. Sticky Water Soluble Paper - The only place I have found this is on Amazon. This is a link to the pack I purchased: https://a.co/d/e2pG8Wc
5. Access to a printer (optional)
6. Computer or design materials - I used a free online drawing website called Kleki, but you can also decide to hand-draw your design.
7. Scissors

First, you need to decide what you want to embroider. You can use any photo or drawing you want. I recommend that it be simple. The more complex the design, the harder it is to embroider.

I wanted to make my own design of flowers to almost look like a field of wild flowers. I used references from Google on how to embroider flowers and took these references to draw a design. I used a free website called Kleki (https://kleki.com/) to draw this design.

I then saved this design as a PNG photo to my Google Drive, so I could print it. I recommend PNG or JPEG files for the best quality.

Once you have your file saved, you need to print your design onto the fabric side of the Sticky Water Soluble Paper.

I first printed the design on paper to make sure the size was right and to know which way the paper needs to go into the printer - all printers take paper in a different way, so make sure you print it on the correct side of the paper. After the test print, I printed the design on the water-soluble paper.

Another option is to trace your image onto the soluble paper. If you have a bright screen, you should be able to trace the design you chose onto the paper - like the image above.

Cut around your design and peel back the backing of the soluble paper.

If you purchase the paper I used, there is a sticker-type back that can peel off and be attached to the jeans. This allows the pattern to stay in place while you embroider over it.

If you didn't get a soluble paper that is sticky, then you may want to pin the paper to the fabric.

At this point, everything is set up, and you can start embroidering.

You will want to plan out the colors you decide to use before you start sewing. Take your first color cut about an arm's length to two arm lengths, and thread it through the needle.

Tip: Use a needle threader to speed up the needle-threading process. Embroidery floss is thicker than normal sewing thread, so it will be much harder to thread.

You will want to then move the needle so it is as close to the center of the thread as you can. To ensure that your needle doesn't just pass through the fabric, tie the ends of the two strings together with whatever knot you like. I used a knot similar to the picture above that shows the "double". Then start your sewing. Start with your needle on the inside of the jeans or pocket to ensure that the end knot stays on the inside and isn't visible. I recommend using the basic sewing stitch. This stitch is called the running stitch and can be seen above. Follow your pattern as best as you can for the best look. Make sure you knot the thread a couple of times before you end a color. The best way to do this is to thread your needle through a past stitch and then tie the knot as seen in the last video above.

I started by doing all of the greens first before I went back and did the flowers. This part of the process takes the majority of the time. It took me about 4 hours to embroider my design.

After you are done embroidering, you can wash off the sticky water-soluble paper.

I used my bathroom sink, but you can really use any bucket of water. After soaking the design in the water, the paper was mostly disintegrated. I had to kind of peel the remnants of the paper off. I recommend gently scrubbing it with your fingers to really get the paper remnants out.

I let my jeans air dry overnight so I could take pictures the next day, and noticed that there was a weird texture where the paper had been. I highly recommend machine washing your newly decorated jeans before you wear them!

Now your jeans are freshly blinged out, and you can wear them whenever!

I hope you enjoyed this instructable and love your newly decorated jeans! Have a great day!