Check Out How I Turned Kids’ Pants Into Awesome Patchwork Jeans

Tools and materials:

• Thrift-store jeans
• Sewing machine
• Seam ripper
• Sewing pins
• Denim scraps

The first thing I had to do was take apart the hems of the pant legs. So I grabbed my seam ripper and got to work. Then I unfolded them and pressed them down. This gave the bottom of the pants a really cool and unique look. 

Next, I went through my scrap bin and retrieved a bunch of denim scraps. I held up the different scraps to the jeans and chose the scraps that I thought would go best with it. If you watch the video, though, you’ll see that making the choice wasn’t as simple as it sounds. 

I laid down the jeans on my work surface…also known as my floor…and placed the scraps where I wanted them. Part of the issue with using kids’ pants is that they’re short, so I had to add some material to the ends of the pants. Luckily for me, I happened to have two cuff scraps that worked perfectly.  

I turned the pants inside out and then grabbed the scrap cuffs, which were already cut open. I then matched up the seam of the scrap cuffs to the seam of the pant leg. Next, I pinned it all the way around the pant leg and stitched it in place. I repeated this process for the other leg. Since the cuff I was using was a bit longer than the pant leg, I flipped it over and cut it off where it matched up, then I stitched the remainder down. 

To add the patch to the thigh, I first pinned it in place. Then I opened up the pants and pretty much shoved my sewing machine into the pant leg. It wasn’t easy, but I managed to get the patch sewn down. If you’re trying this project out, though, you might want to just consider hand-sewing that part. I really don’t know why I didn’t. 

I actually didn’t do this on this particular project, but the last time I made jeans like this, I also added a patch of scrap denim to the top of a frayed back pocket by simply stitching the top, then the sides. 

That’s it! It was so easy to do and I’m so happy with the results. I think they look super cute, and you’d never guess that these were thrifted kids’ jeans! The patches give the jeans a really cool, almost vintage-y look, and I am so here for it. I love the way the cuffs look and I’m just completely obsessed with these. So give this project a try, and show me your results in the comments!