Over Distressed

Hello Readers. I had a couple pairs of jeans that were distressed at the knees. I like that look but it is cold and the jeans were not great to wear in the cold weather. I have been wanting to try some visible patching and mending and here was my chance.

I started by cutting out all those white threads. I thought they would just get in my way, 

I decided to fill in the holes with other fabric. 

For the darker pair of jeans I chose a dark thick cotton. I cut pieces that were slightly bigger than the holes and stitched around them with my sewing machine. Was it hard to sew inside a pant leg? 

Yes. Yes, it was. It was part sewing, part wrestling.

 I wanted to keep the blue colors close in tone but also make sure the patches showed. These are my new favorite jeans.

This warm cozy sweater was a wonderful find at a clothes swap. It was brand new! I liked the length and the sleeves weren't too long on my short stubby arms! It also had beautiful silver hooks instead of regular buttons and...

Judging from the tag, it came all the way from Norway. It was a size small but it was still a little big on me. It was thick and the extra size made it seem bulky. I thought if I could slim it down a little it wouldn't look so puffy. .

 Norway makes great sweaters!

I took a little off the sides and the sleeves. I used a tight zigzag stitch to keep it from fraying.  Usually I find sleeves can be tight, I always think I must have big arms but this sweater was the opposite. The sleeves were really too roomy.

I really liked how these 2 pieces turned out. The jeans kept my legs warm and the sweater didn't feel as over-sized. So then what did I do?

 

 I made my husband hold the camera down low so I looked taller in this picture. 

I decided to patch the knees on another pair of jeans. I used some scrap denim and covered the patches with visible stitches. I wasn't sure what I was doing and I didn't really have a plan. (My usual way of life!) I just got into it and thought I would figure it out as I went. (Also my usual way of life!)

The hand stitches were fun and I am not sure I am really done with these yet.

I did use my machine to attach all the patches for strength. I liked how excess sewing looked on the patches so I went a little overboard. I sewed one front pocket half closed in my excitement. Oops!

 Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.