I Did A Thing, Vol. 23: Denim Jacket Upcycling

After my last embroidery project, I wanted to try a similar “upcycling” project – updating an older piece of clothing with a cool embroidered design. My old friend Google had a lot of suggestions, many of them involving denim jackets. I had an old denim jacket, as it happened; one that I hadn’t worn in a few years, so ripe for a makeover. It took me a while to find a design I liked. There were plenty of examples involving florals, but I wasn’t feeling that vibe. I debating doing a skull-and-butterfly design, but wasn’t 100% sold on it. And then I spotted this:

I don’t believe in astrology (I think it’s fun and harmless, and that’s about it) but I love designs that involve moon, stars, planets, constellations and the like. I liked that this particular design was simple but striking. I was sold.

The trickiest part was getting all the straight and curved lines in place and the whole thing symmetrical; since I am not good with that sort of thing, I originally asked my husband to trace the design onto my jacket. He wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the task, so after waiting a few days, I decided to tackle the challenge myself. The end result wasn’t as neat as it could have been, but it worked for my (very low) standards.

The embroidery itself was mostly a cinch – no lining to worry about! – except for the globes/planets. It’s hard to satin stitch a perfect circle, you guys. My “earth” in particular ended up a little, um, squashed. But I still dig it:

As I mentioned, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve worn a denim jacket, so I had to think a bit about how to style this for its inaugural outfit. In the end, I decided to take a cue from the 90s: a vintage body-con dress and lace-up oxfords. The only thing missing was the velvet choker.