Making 2-Tone Jeans Part 2

 Hello Readers. This is a re-make of an old project. My washing machine ruined the original pair I made but I really loved them So these are the 2.0 version. I made them the exact same way as the original. (I followed my own directions. You can too.)

 

 

 I put together 2 pairs of jeans, again, so this is part 2. I was inspired by the upcycler on TikTok named @Radha. She made some cool blue and white 2-tone jeans. I really liked hers so I got to work making something similar with what I had on hand. 

This was a fun project to put together.

I had these 2 pairs of jeans and putting them together would be fun. The white pair was basic denim. 

This blue pair was also denim but they were not very stylish. They had a very unattractive gathered elastic waistband and I have been keeping them to cut up for a project. Today was the day! I cut 2 straight long pieces from the back so they wouldn't have any seams and so I wouldn't be getting part of the front pockets in the pieces I used.

I started cutting the white jeans. I cut about 3 inches from the side seam. You can see I did not cut through the pocket, I cut underneath it. I wanted to keep the pockets intact and reattach them later.

I used a seam ripper to detach the pockets from the cut off the part of the jeans I was cutting away.

 

When I was done, my white jeans looked like this. The back pockets are kind of hanging off so that I could sew the blue denim pieces in on the sides of the white jeans. Then I will reattach the pockets. 

I sewed the blue denim to the white denim with the right sides facing each other. I started at the waist.  I moved the pocket over to the left so it was out of the way while I was sewing.

 

Here is a look at the blue and white pieces sewn together. The pocket is kind of flapping loose here. 

 

It was easy to sew the pocket to the blue denim using a straight stitch. 

 

I used the seam ripper again to remove the belt loop from the white denim I had cut off the jeans. I could reattach it to the blue denim. 

 

I wanted to sew it here on the side. It might help distract from that elastic waistband. 

 

I also had this tiny front pocket from the cut off white denim too. I could attach that somewhere.

 

Here is a look at everything sewn in place. 

 

 I love these new jeans. They are so fun and different and colorful. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update***- I loved these jeans! I got something on the white part and tried to bleach the spot. Then I got bleach on the blue part.... it was a laundry disaster.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeans From Scraps

 Hello Readers. You know I like to cut up, remake, and refashion clothing. That leaves me with a lot of scraps and leftover pieces. What do I do with them? I try to put them together in a new way.

Before and after. 

I had the front of these jeans leftover from a past project. 

I found this pair of jeans at a thrift store for less than a dollar. They were so torn up that the store priced them low. I cut the waistband off for a project that I never actually did. So with these pieces could I make a complete pair of jeans. 

I decided to cut the front of the light blue jeans off. The holes in these jeans were so big that they wouldn't be warm enough in winter. I am trying to prepare for the coming colder weather. Sort of like a bear preparing for hibernation. 

I put the right sides of the jeans together and sewed the inner leg seams first. I matched up the center crotch seam to make sure they were lined up. Then I sewed the jeans together. 

I sewed the back of the waistband on the back piece of jeans. 

I sewed the front waistband in between the front and back pieces of jeans. I sewed the sides together. I started at the waist and ended down at the ankles. I wasn't sure if the pant legs were exactly the same length so I started at the waistband and figured I could hem the pant leg lengths later.

I stitched the light blue waistband to the front of the dark jean piece. I didn't need to do this to wear the jeans but I wanted to add the waistband for fun. 

I have worn them a couple times and I like the two tones of blue together. They are comfortable because they have some stretch to them and because I made sure they were a little roomy in case I eat a big pasta dinner. I think looser styles of jeans are supposed to be in style and I am all for it. I want to be as comfy as possible. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Year End Update***- I loved these and wear them a lot. I love 2-tone DIY denim.

Making 2 Tone Jeans

 Hello Readers. Can I put together 2 pairs of jeans for a fun 2 tone look? Sure I can! I have been wanting to do this denim project for a long time.Read along and then try it yourself.

 

Before and after.

I have been wanting to make a pair of 2 tone jeans for a while. I had to wait until I could find 2 pairs of jeans with a similar cut and fit. I couldn't match up a pair of loose fit jeans with a pair of skinny jeans. These 2 were both a straight cut and fit me a tiny bit loose so, they would be a great pairing. (Don't use jeans that are too small or just barely fit, you need a bit of extra room for all the new seam allowances. Try for jeans that are at least 1/2 a size too big.)

I started cutting the jeans open with sharp sewing scissors. I needed each pair of jeans cut into 4 parts. I wanted the front and back of each leg separated and I wanted the left and right legs separated.  I cut up the side of each leg, using the side seam as my guide. Then I cut the jeans apart in the center/crotch seam.

 

 Basically I cut along the right side of the big seam in the center of the backside. I cut the blue jeans the same way. Cutting each pair of jeans the same way will make it easier to put the pieces together later.

 

I cut apart both pairs of jeans This might sound confusing. Keep reading for more pictures and explanations. It will make more sense in a minute.
 

I matched up the front and back pieces with pieces of the other color to show how I plan to put them together. There is a blue leg and a black leg in front and in back. I did not cut the zippers. I kept them intact. Let me show you what I mean.

I kept enough fabric on the left side this zipper so that I could sew it to the blue side of the jeans. (About 1/2 an inch.) I did not want to remove the zipper completely stitch by stitch, just to sew it back in. This was much faster. 

Here is a look at the zipper from the back. You need about half an inch of fabric next to the zipper to sew in to the other front piece. You can see how I sewed the 2 front pieces together with the right sides together. There was just enough black fabric to sew it to the blue half of the jeans. Cutting the front pieces like this also kept the button attached to the zipper piece. You will need a sewing machine for this project, I can't imagine sewing all this by hand.

 

I sewed the legs with the right sides together using a straight stitch. I started at the waistband and sewed down. I went back later and used a zigzag stitch on the edges to keep it the new seams from fraying. I wanted strong seams and sewing twice makes me feel more secure. You will end up with a pair of jeans that is inside out when you are done sewing all the pieces together with the right sides facing each other.

They looked like this when they were done and I turned them right-side out. The fronts and backs are blue and black. The blue jeans were a bit longer than the black. I cut off the excess blue so they would be even all around the ankle. I did not hem them. I wanted the frayed/released hem look.

 

Here is a good look at the back of the jeans. You can see the big seam from the black left leg is sewn on top of the blue right side. This is the only seam I did not sew with the right sides facing each other. I wanted that seam to show like a normal pair of jeans. I stitched right on top of the 2 lines of stitching that were already there.

 

I wanted to switch the pockets to the other colored side of the jeans. 

 

 I used a seam ripper to unpick the stitches on the back pocket. This took a little while but it wasn't difficult. I worked my way around both of the pockets and separated them from the jeans. 

I sewed the pockets back on the jeans. I stitched over the stitching around the pockets.

It was easy to put the pockets in their new location because there were stitch marks where the pocket was originally. I just switched the sides and reattached the pockets.  You can see the pockets were not the same size. You can see there is some roughness to the areas where the pockets came off the jeans. All that distressing is part of the look. It gives the jeans a lived-in vintage vibe.

I really liked how they turned out. They are fun and casual. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update***- These were one of my favorite projects of all time. I loved these jeans and when they got too tight I was really bummed.