Upcycled Ruffled Jeans

Princess Thundercloud makes me kind of crazy…she has this long, long legs and a skinny little waist, and she’s always outgrowing jeans in length before the waist, even when I cinch up the waist with those adjustor thingies. And she inherits a lot of jeans with the knees ripped out from her big brother, too.  I hate giving perfectly good jeans to the thrift shop, so I often turn hers into shorts or capris.  With a little embellishment, she thinks they’re brand-new and can’t wait to wear them. It’s all a mindgame, I know…but I love messing with those little brains!Crops-Title

ALl you need is a pair of jeans, cut off wherever you’d like, some strips of fabric about 1-1/2” to 2” wide and a half inch longer that the circumference of the jean leg where it’s cut off, and some ruffled eyelet trim, also 1/2” longer than the circumference of the jean leg. And a sewing machine and thread, of course.

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Start by sewing the ends of the printed fabric together to make a loop. Then sew it to the pant leg, about an inch in.

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Turn the fabric and tuck the raw edge under the end of the jeans.  Iron it to make a crease, then sew around the leg, catching the eyelet ruffle, the jean leg, and the printed fabric.

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Then give them to your kid and tell her you got her some new capris!

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This photo was taken on the last day of school last year, and just made me miss our old school in Wisconsin…again! On the bright side, here it is a year later, and she can still wear these capris!

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About Megan

My various hats: mom to three crazy teens and one quirky dog, wife of 27 years to my retired GI Joe, and high school math teacher. After my husband's retirement from the Army, we've settled in the Pacific Northwest. Crafting, cooking, photography, and reading keep me sane (that's a relative term!) and I hope you'll enjoy following along as I navigate the chaos of life!
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3 Responses to Upcycled Ruffled Jeans

  1. Dania says:

    Totally cute! I wish I had known this trick when Taylor was little.

  2. Melody T. says:

    What an awesome idea!!

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