image above via flickr
Floral printed jeans and pants are everywhere right now. I think J Brand has my favorite pair to date but if you’re on a tight budget or haven’t found the perfect print, why not DIY your own? Which, of course, was my thought exactly! I have about 3 pairs of white jeans, thanks to some of the clothing brands I’ve partnered with… so, I had a pair to spare in case my idea went majorly wrong. Happily though, it didn’t! They turned out marvelously and I love them. I decided to stick with blue hues, but you can use any color or colors you like! It didn’t take as long as you may think, though I actually began this project over a month ago, I ran out of blue markers and had to wait for a new shipment. Go into i knowing it will take some time and spread it out over a few days.
What You’ll Need
* White jeans {mine are Levi’s Made & Crafted}
* Fabric Markers. I used Sharpie “Stained” fabric markers for the majority of my design… It took 5 of them! I used Crayola fabric markers in the lighter blues for shading and details.
* Lace or floral pattern to trace.
* Cardboard
* Questions about laundering? Wash them in cold, as you would any of your jeans, and hang them to dry {I never dry my jeans}. The markers are permanent. Have you ever tried to get an accidental pen mark out of your clothes? It’s almost impossible – HOWEVER, Sharpie “Stained” markers’ brush tip writes thick and the ink has been specially developed to resist fading when washed as all fabric markers most probably are.
Steps
* Begin at the ankle of your jeans, and if you’re shaky, the back of the ankle. This way, if you mess up a little at first, no one will notice way down at the bottom of the back of your ankle! Slip a piece of cardboard in between just so your marker doesn’t transfer to the other side of your fabric.
* I used a lace pattern because I liked the rough, textured look it created, and found one flower design in particular to repeat over the entire leg for continuity.
* Holding the lace taught, carefully {or not so carefully} mark right through the lace onto your jeans. {it’s similar to the effect I created with my Snakeskin Printed Tank Top DIY}
* It should look like this… your flowers do not have to be perfect.
* Repeat the flower pattern to cover the front and back of your jeans. Make sure to space your design out and tilt your flower in various positions for a more free-flowing look. Also, don’t forget to place some over the edges and seams of your jeans. Seams never line up perfectly on legs!
* You can also free-hand, if you’d prefer. I did so a bit in between my flower pattern. I also used a different part of the lace to create a leaf design, and drew some of my own with a stippling technique.
* Add some dimension with various shades of blue. I also went {stippled} over and around some of the edges with a darker blue for more depth and texture.
Voila!
* find the mounted gun wall vase here
Have Fun!
* Psst! Wearing them in my 30/30 denim look later today!