It’s no secret that I love second-hand clothing, and I particularly enjoy finding creative ways to upcycle old clothing to give it new life. In this blog post, I am upcycling old denim jeans with the Brother Skitch embroidery machine. It’s the perfect machine for adding creative sewing embroidery details to your projects. Let me explain how I use this amazing tool to breathe new life into old jeans.
Why the Brother Skitch Embroidery Machine?
I was so excited when I saw the Brother Skitch machine, as I knew it would be a great option for me as a small household embroidery machine. I thought it would be perfect for my love of upcycling and multi-craft projects. The Brother Skitch embroidery machine is a game-changer for several other reasons:
- The Skitch’s easy-to-use, app-operated format is perfect for first-time embroiderers and experienced crafters. I’ve never used an embroidery machine before and felt confident setting it up and it didn’t take me long to learn how to use it.
- Artspira Design app: Using the Artspira App which connects to your Brother Skitch via Bluetooth, you can choose from 100’s of designs, and upload your own!
- It’s the perfect compact crafting companion with a 100 x 100mm working area. The free arm and included magnetic embroidery frame make personalising tubular items like bucket hats, tote bags, trouser legs, and t-shirts super easy. It’s why upcycling jeans are also a great option with a few simple preparation tips I’ll go over in the next segment.
Preparing Your Denim Jeans & Other Prep!
Before you start embroidering, it’s essential to prep your jeans for the best outcome:
- Choose Your Design: Decide on the embroidery design you want to use. The Brother Skitch offers a huge variety of designs on the Artspira app, or you can import your own.
- First, you will need to apply an embroidery stabiliser to the back of your project. Turn your jeans inside out, and heat press your stabiliser to the area where you will be stitching. This prevents any puckering or stretching of the fabric when stitching. I cut a piece roughly 1cm larger than the design area.
- Choose your thread colours and change the colour shades to correspond to the Artspira app on your design.
- Unpick the sideseam of the jeans where you will be adding the design, this is to access the area more easily with the embroidery frame, and it can be sewn back up afterward!
Embroidery Process
Here’s a step-by-step guide to embroidering your denim jeans with the Brother Skitch:
- Hoop the Fabric: Place the stabiliser and the area of the jeans you want to embroider in the frame. Make sure it’s tight and smooth. Place the grey side of the frame inside your project, then the black side on top and they are held together with a magnet. The fabric should feel tight and stable.
- Last min edits to the design on the Artspira app: Check the layout matches where you are sewing, and adjust the size and orientation as needed.
- Make sure your workspace around the machine is clear!
- Start Embroidering: Once everything is set, start the machine, and follow the steps on the app to set up the threads. The Brother Skitch will take over from here, and with a few helpful actions on the Artspira app, the actual stitching process is super easy!
- Monitor Progress: Keep an eye on the machine as it works. Although it’s highly reliable, it’s always good to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Creative Upcycling Ideas
Using the Brother Skitch embroidery machine, you can transform old denim jeans into stylish, one-of-a-kind pieces. Here are some other fun ideas to inspire your embroidery projects:
- Pocket Accents: you could add beautiful details to a pocket, by un-picking the pocket and laying it onto some backing fabric/stabiliser thats big enough to fit in the frame. Cut away the excess and re-sew the pocket in place.
- Applique patches: Use the frame to create applique badges on felt or quilting cotton, trim around the design, and sew onto your projects!
- Knee Patches: Cover worn-out knees with beautifully embroidered patches.
- Larger Designs: Don’t let the compact frame area limit your project size! You could always map out a project to add more than one design to an area, one detail at a time! Something like a table cloth, pillow, or anything you want can become a work of art!
Finished Jeans & Overview:
The Brother Skitch embroidery machine has opened up my world of upcycling to many other ideas. It combines ease of use with professional-quality results, making it an indispensable tool for anyone looking to add a personal touch to their wardrobe.
So, next time you look at a pair of old jeans and think their best days are behind them, think again. With a bit of creativity and the Brother Skitch embroidery machine, you can transform them into something uniquely yours. Breathe new life into garments you already own, or things that need a little facelift. Happy upcycling!
See more of my sewing posts here.
Shop the Brother Skitch here.