Have you seen all the super cute bellbottom inspired patchwork inserts jean upcycles that are flooding the internet? It seems like my social feeds have been filled with them recently. While I’m not really a bellbottom kinda gal, I can definitely appreciate the creativity and fun behind it. Seeing all them got me inspired and thinking, about how would ‘rework’ a pair of jeans with patchwork embellishments? The challenge was how to make them look more boho chic like me than 70s retro. So I grabbed some scraps of my favorite prints and colors and got to work.

Not only do I love them, I’ve gotten so many compliments when I’m out that I decided to sit down and write a tutorial to share. Below are the general steps, but if you’d like to grab the more detailed pdf pattern (for free), just click here.

Step 1: Measure your Jean leg

Measure the outer band of your pant leg to get the circumference (not the diameter). Write it down.

Step 2: Prepare Your Scraps

-Cut Color Fabrics: Cut your color fabric scraps into 1¼” strips. If using smaller scraps, cut each scrap, then sew fabrics of the same color together to make a strip. (I did this with the pink fabric in the picture below.) Each color strip should be roughly the same length as your measured pant leg circumference.

-Cut Contrast Fabric: Cut the contrast color into (8) ¾” strips that are also the length of the circumference.

Step 4: Jean Leg Patchwork

-Cut 2″ strips perpendicular across the strip panel. Cut enough strips so that their total lengths equal twice the measure circumference, plus 2 extra strips.

-Sew the 2” strips together end to end to make (2) strips slightly longer (~3″) than the measured circumference.

-Fold and press ½” on each side of these strips. They should now resemble bias tape.

-Pin strips to the bottom of each pant leg at the desired location.

-Trim the excess strip to about ½” on each end. Slide one end into the other end. Then fold under the exposed end. Pin.

-Top stitch along each edge of the patchwork, then top stitch at equal lengths across the patchwork..

Step 6: Applique the Jean Pocket

-Measure the width and length of the pocket backing. Add ½” to the width and 1″ to the length. Using the leftover scrap panel, choose the grouping of colors for the pocket.

-Mark and cut the remaining panel section to the above measurements. Fold and press ¼” on the top and sides of the section.

-Pin the section to the back side of the pocket. See the video link in the pattern for more guidance on this step if needed.

-Top stitch along the edges of the patchwork and vertically along the length of each color just to the side of the seam. I found using a zipper foot very helpful with this step.

That’s it! You now have a cute pair of patchwork scrappy jeans to wear with your quilt block sweater to your next quilt festival or guild meeting or if you’re like me when you are out thrifting!

Until next time….

Waste Not, Quilt Alot!

Angela

Note: If you would like to tweak this pattern by changing the number of fabric colors or using a different band height, be sure to download the FREE pattern. The pattern provides not only the above instructions but also how to modify as well as a helpful video link.

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