I had so much fun crocheting over the hole in my jeans that I decided to have a go at the other leg, too. This newfound passion may yet get out of hand. I was imagining a sort of floral vine growing round and round and round the middle part of my leg. So this isn’t a design that would work for mending holes; it’s more for embellishing otherwise healthy jeans.
Out came the DMC Natura Cotton again, and a 2.5mm crochet hook and a tapestry needle. And a smallish slice of Christmas cake. Also some toy cars with which to distract the Toddler Twinnage. So having sketched a rough design on paper, I drew the line of the stem onto the fabric in pen. Have you any idea how naughty it felt to be doodling on my clothes? I half expected my mum to pop up and ground me for a week, even though she lives 100 miles away and hasn’t funded my wardrobe for a couple of decades. She probably will, once she reads this blog post: it’ll be the first time someone’s been grounded by email.
Anyway having drawn the stem, I used the needle to chain stitch its length, round and round (and round) the leg.
…until the basic stem was done:-
Now I needed some leaves and maybe a couple of buds with which to embellish the stem. After a bit of experimentation I came up with a design for the buds. (I’ll put details of how to do it at the end of this post.) Here, look!
And I used my own pattern for the leaves, reducing the number of stitches slightly, so that these leaves were roundish rather than longish.
So then it was just a matter of sewing on the leaves and buds, and then – once again – facing the enormous challenge of how to photograph my own knee:-
And here are both knees together, united in their hooky craziness:-
Pretty, no?
And before I get to the pattern for the buds, let me show you something even more pretty, made by my mum, Mother Twisted, for her neighbour. I showed you her patchwork-in-progress a while ago, and by Christmas it was finished! Wa-hey! She sent me some photos. Look, here’s one side:-
And here’s the other. The design is a traditional arrangement known as barnraising, aptly chosen because the Twisted Seniors and their neighbours live in converted old barns.
Very pretty, no?
And finally, here’s the pattern for the crocheted bud above. ***US CROCHET TERMS USED THROUGHOUT.***
- Using your flower colour, ch4. Slip stitch into the first ch to make a ring.
- Into the ring, work the following stitches: sc, hdc, 2dc, tr, 2dc, hdc, sc.
- Just before the last pull-through, change to green and pull through before continuing to work seven dc.
- Slip stitch to join to first sc then cut the yarn.
Here’s a diagram:-
Enjoy! And please don’t blame me if your mum grounds you for drawing on your clothes.
Beautiful embroidered jeans and patchwork . . . but I hope the Toddler Twinnage didn’t see you taking a pen to your jeans. . . . .
I know. This could end really badly, couldn’t it? “But Mummy, you drawed scribbles on your jeans so I can too?”
My thoughts exactly!
Phil,it is simply STUNNING!!!!What a beautiful project you went through!!! I simply love your jeans and you made me wish to learn embroidery…. Happy new year and thanks to have inspired me with such a gorgeous idea <3 <3 <3
Aww thank you m’dear. Your words always mean a lot because I’m conscious that you’re a SERIOUSLY talented wielder of the crochet hook. Happy new year to you.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
I love it! One of my favorite pair of jeans were black with roses embroidered down the side of the leg….oh, how I miss those jeans. I may have to stop at Goodwill(our local thrift store) and pick up some well fitting jeans to embroider flowers upon;-)….when I’m not quilting log cabin bookwraps or knitting….
Yes, yes, yes, you must! Your rose-embroidered jeans sound as though they were gorgeous. EVERYBODY should have flowers on their jeans.
Absolutely brilliant. Was so impressed I showed it to my own beloved spouse as an example of brilliant crafting. He made appropriate (drummed into him) noises and then clearly feeling more was expected said I should do that next time I was complaining about a hole in my leggings. Clearly the husbandly brain has been operating on one level in that he’s clocked part of the message BUT he hasn’t been listening PROPERLY as my complaint was about leggings going at the inside thigh seam….. Anyway, brilliant and slightly bonkers project as always. Keep them coming!
Thank you. 🙂 And you have a very well-schooled spouse. Do you give spouse-training lessons? Mine can’t even distinguish between knitting and crochet.
Goodness me mine can’t either! He has just learned to make the right noises in the right places… My first lesson is as follows:
Require the spouse to look at some newly crafted item every day and supply the appropriate answer so they can learn by rote.
Comment: ‘I made this today.’ *shows item*
Spousal answer (while actually looking up from the iPad/ TV/ newspaper) ‘That’s really nice.’
The spouse can then pick one of the following options
– I like the colours you’ve chosen
– Did it take long?
– Who is it for?
NB ‘What is it?’ Is not an acceptable option.
By the time you’ve got him to master that we can move onto the advanced class – Answering Questions Your Knitter/Crocheter May Ask You About Their Work. ?
I’m so impressed. And you’re ahead of us. That said, one of the Toddler Twinnage (tends to be the same one each time) sometimes asks, ‘Mummy, what are you making?’ I’m training ’em well. These boyz will be knitterz.
My best knitting buddy is a man. And my nephew is far better at it than my niece. I say YES to equality!
Starting 2015 by having lots of fun, I can see! And let your mum know that her pillow is stunning!
She reads the comments, so she’ll see this and – I know – be touched. 🙂
Those jeans look fabulous. I’m definitely getting the urge to pimp some jeans, and maybe with added bling as I have one of those hot gun thingies for gems 😛
Oh, you must! And then post lots of pictures. That sounds PROPERLY bling. 🙂
Love it! very pretty.
Thank you.
Adorable!
Thanks! 🙂
Very stylish and beautiful idea! I love it!
Muchly thank you. 🙂
Love love love! The jeans look great and I’m such a sucker for log cabin anything! <3
Yup, log cabins are rather wonderful. I love my mum’s work. (And thank you for the jeans comment.)
Ooh this looks so good!! This feeds into my need to yarnify everything! Have you seen this? http://www.glamour-4-you.com/blog/faux-crochet-outdoor-boots
Oh my goodness, that is a fabulous project – so creative!
Its amazing isnt it. I just need to get the glue & scotchguard and I’m away
I’m forced to follow you then – must see what comes out! 🙂
Haha thanks. I’ll certainly be sharing 🙂
Oh wow, I so NEED to do this to my ageing DMs….
I remember embroidering my jeans when I was a teenager and hard up but I like the idea of adding crochet. Couldn’t crochet then. Love your Mum’s gorgeous patchwork too.
Thank you. 🙂
Lovely! Definitely something for me to try at some point 🙂
🙂
I love the jeans!! “Visible mending” is also really cool, altbeit less colorful!
Yup, agreed re visible mending.
I used to do this to the jeans I wore back in the 1960s. I always loved the look. It did, however, drive my parents nuts.
That’s what parents are for. 🙂
Do you have any pictures????????
Oh my stars! Twisted Senior’s log cabin is made up of gazillions of tiny squares? That’s what it looks like to me – I biggified the pics and goggled at them for a while. No wonder you are so clever with needle and thread and hooks and cables! The jeans are just brilliant! I wouldn’t ground you – I’d just hand you my tatty old dog walking pants, some [aqua] cotton and smile sweetly…………….
Seriously, my mum’s log cabin work is so perfectly neat and immaculate and detailed. The result is truly beautiful. She is one properly neat person. And she probably wanted some neat and tidy daughter but instead she got me. Oh well.
Life is never perfect! 😀
I used to draw onmy shoes all the time but never my jeans. It seems so naughty.
It does indeed. (I’d never dare draw on my shoes. 😉 )
This is just great! I wonder if I can adapt it to suit boys? They’re forever going through the knees of trousers and patches can be a bit boring.
Oh, I SO know this problem. I confess that I just fix my boys’ knees with patches cut from their old trousers. (The toddler twinnage are both boys.) We go through a lot of trousers. Sigh. Sounds as though you know the problem.
Definitely – and patches aren’t the kind of creative sewing I enjoy! Although my youngest would most certainly go for the flowers anyway….
As a lover of plants I applaud your desire to allow them to live on your legs. Just remember, vines have a most interesting habit of taking over. I expect to see those pimped jeans covered in vines, and perhaps even fruit, in no time flat come summer growing season…be warned! What a gorgeous cushion. I can’t sew for toffee nuts (where did that saying come from, it’s plain barmy!) and admire (from a distance) anyone who can, so consider me admiring to the max. I am going to have to learn how to do that chain stitch thingo all over again. I dabbled in embroidery back last century when I was a child (obviously that puts me into the realms of the aged 😉 ) but promptly forgot about embroidery when the next big thing came along (I think it was boys? 😉 ) so having a reasonable amount of “other things” water under the bridge my middle aged brain is having some trouble recalling those heady days of chain stitch. I am sure that there are many Youtube tutorials that will enlighten me. Lubbly jubbly job on the jeans Ms Twisted and cheers for the little buddy pattern (and the leafy one… BONUS! 🙂 )
Y’know, I think that I love your writing so much that I’m going to go out and somehow earn a million so that I can employ you to write this blog. Because whatever you write always makes me smile. And I’m quite happy for the vine on my jeans to bloom, grow, and generally take over. As long as it’s pretty. 🙂
A fellow gardener eh? I just tamed 7 grape vines today in order that we have a massive overload of muscatel grapes in the future. One day I will make my own muscatel raisins and all of my friends can roll in them with me. I will be a muscatel baron! ;). Maybe I am missing my calling. I should be tendering myself out to write other people’s blog posts 😉
So…. let’s just hammer out the details of a deal, here. You write my blog posts…. and provide some luscious grapes from Chateau Serendipity…. and I, um, well, I’m quite good at washing the dishes if you need a hand with that?
I’ve been working my way up the unread posts in my Reader feed- I see now that the crocheting on jeans idea spread slightly from just patching?!
Yes this is all getting rather out of hand. Anyone or anything that remains still for too long in my house is in danger of being crocheted…….
I love your jeans!! They are great!!
That is such a creative idea! I love it!
I seriously love what you have done with your jeans!! Too bad my faves ripped right alongside the seam of my backside, onlt thing that stopped the rip was the pocket the rip went from tailbone seam to bottom of pocket. So you know what happened to thise jeans dont you…
Thars right they gor CROCHETED into something that I cant remember now lol
WOW – love the jeans, although I don’t think my spouse [patient partner] would go for it on his!
SO pretty!!! What a great idea!
lovely!!! that is so creative, keep up the creativity 🙂