How to Embroider Jeans & Add Cute Cat Faces to the Knees

Alicia Yanson
by Alicia Yanson
5 Materials
$15
30 Minutes
Easy

In today’s tutorial, I’m going to show you how to embroider jeans for my entry for the Make Thrift Try Challenge. These cute embroidered jeans are going to be made with little cat faces on a thrifted pair of jeans, so let’s get started!

Tools and materials:

  • Water-soluble fabric marker
  • Embroidery needle
  • Embroidery thread
  • Needle threader
  • Pair of jeans
Marking the cat face at the knees

1. Mark the cat face onto your jeans

Mark the cat face onto the pair of jeans while you’re wearing them. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it’s just to know roughly where the cat will be. 

Marking where the embroidery will go

I also marked a line above my knee and went straight in the middle to make it symmetrical.

Tracing the cat face

Then, I traced the cat face with more precision and with a water-soluble marker, so I could erase any mistakes with water.

Thread the needle with embroidery floss

2. Thread your needle

To start your DIY hand embroidery on denim, you need an embroidery needle, a needle threader, and embroidery thread. Start by inserting the needle threader into the eye of the needle.

How to thread an embroidery needle

Then pass the thread through the loop and pull the needle threader out.

Knotting the end of the thead

Make a knot at the end, and we’re ready to start embroidering.

DIY hand embroidery on denim

3. Embroider the ears

Most of this project will be made using a back stitch. Start about a centimeter (0.4 inches) before the beginning of your marking and make your first stitch. Bring the needle up a stitch length away and bring the needle down at the beginning of the previous stitch. Repeat this until you get to the end of your marking.

Embroidering on jeans

Once the first ear is done, don’t forget to make a knot at the back before continuing to the second ear. 

Embroider on jeans

I also realized the thread kept twisting, so I fixed this by untwisting half of it and pulling the twisted part through the fabric so that only the straight part is left.

Filling the nose with a satin stitch

4. Embroider the nose

For the nose, outline it with a back stitch and then fill it in with a satin stitch. For this, you just need to make straight long stitches next to each other.

Cute embroidered jeans

5. Embroider the whiskers

For the whiskers, just use a back stitch.

Cat embroidered jeans


How to embroider jeans

How to embroider jeans

Remove the markings with water, and you’re done! Here are the finished DIY embroidery jeans. Now that you know how to embroider jeans, I’d love to know what other designs you plan to do, so let me know down below!

Suggested materials:
  • Water-soluble fabric marker
  • Embroidery needle
  • Embroidery thread
See all materials

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