Springcycling Kids Clothes

Can you do me a huge favour, if I ask nicely?

If I add a big photo of my face way up there at the top, can you give it a little slap every time you see me start a new project?

Thanks.

I've had these jeans in the "stuff needing sorted out" pile for a couple of weeks now.

Yes I have a "stuff needing sorted out" pile. Its massive.

I really need sub piles.

Anyway, the jeans. They're a pair of Toot's skinny jeans she wore during winter and she still has plenty of room in them. I don't mind skinny jeans during the winter with a big jumper and tucked comfortably into a pair of boots. They're close fitting so she doesn't feel the breeze betwixt her knees and they're narrow enough to go down the boots without being uncomfortable.

But I'm not so fussed on them during Spring and Summer. Somehow with a little pair of pumps and a t-shirt, they all of a sudden look exactly like tight jeans (funny that) and tight jeans aren't a good look on a 4 year old.

She's been asking every morning for the last to weeks if I've fixed her jeans yet, so I thought I'd better get to it.




First I took the jeans and my little seam ripper and opened up the outside leg seam to just below the pocket.




I didn't have any fabric which I could use the pink belt with so I made a new one using the fabric she chose from my stash (its actually an old summer dress of mine which made me look pregnant when I wasn't and fat when I was).




Then I added a few embellishments (surprised) just to brighten up the jeans a little.




It's much easier to add these embroidered bits and pieces while that side seam is open. Far less futtery.




Finally I cut to lengths of fabric from the dress slightly longer than the open seam on the jeans. Its kind of pointless giving measurements to be followed because if you do this, your jeans will probably be a different length, but mine were 18 inches. The good thing about recycling an old dress or something similar is that you can cut the fabric to take advantage of the hem already in place at the bottom.

I turned the jeans inside out and pressed the open seams flat, trimmed away any little stubborn threads from ripping the seam. Then I lined up the fabric over the opening and pinned in place, making sure the hem on the fabric lined up with the hem of the jeans. I used a simple straight stitch on my machine to sew the fabric in place, although since its such a small project you could easily hand stitch the seam.

And I was done.

Child's faith in mother not being just a big wind bag or all mouth and no trousers (heh) fully restored.

And I honestly tried my best to get a photograph of her standing still, smiling politely, but she was having none of it.