Transform a Recycled Jean Jacket with Paint

Money can be a huge stress on holiday gift-giving, or anytime of the year when gifts are exchanged. Recycling or repurposing items you already own, or those that can be obtained inexpensively, can help reduce that stress.

Make painted jean jackets for the recipients on your gift list. Clean out your closets, shop yard sales or visit your local thrift store for gently used jean jackets. By using acrylic paints you already have in your craft supply stash, this project can end up costing pennies. If you do not have paint, small bottles are very affordable.

The jean jacket pictured, cost me no money because the client I painted it for supplied me with the jacket. She wanted a snowman jacket that could be worn all through the winter season, not just Christmas. I chose a design from an old woodworking pattern, but you can find patterns anywhere. Coloring books, children's books, clip art or online craft sites will provide an abundance of inspiration for painted designs.

Things you will need:
Pattern
Stick glue
Card stock
Scissors
Jean jacket
Ink pen
Acrylic paint
Fabric medium
Paintbrushes
Pencil
Toothpick
Wood skewer
Stencil brush
Black permanent marking pen
Craft glue
Buttons
Scrap fabric
Hand-sewing needle and thread

Step 1
Scan and print all aspects of your pattern design. Multiple copies of the same images may be needed for the layers of your design. Example: I made a copies for the entire shape of my snowman, his hat, and one arm. I painted the entire snowman and then traced the hat and arm on top of the dry painted surface.

Step 2
Apply stick glue to the back of the copied patterns and place on card stock. Cut out each shape. The card stock will give your pattern a stiffness that can easily be traced around.

Step 3
Lay your jacket flat with the backside facing up. Arrange your patterns on the jacket until you are pleased with their placement. Trace around the outside of each shape using an ink pen. Flip the jacket over and use pattern elements from the back of the jacket on the front. You do not need to use all the pieces on the front, and they can be rearranged to your satisfaction.

Step 4
Mix a small amount of paint (as you need it) with an equal amount of fabric medium. By using the fabric medium, the paint will be softer and stand up better to wear and tear on a flimsy surface. Paint and allow one side of the jacket to dry before painting the other side.

Step 5
Add detail to your painted design by first, lightly sketching the detail using a sharp pencil.

Here are a few hints on my details that might work for your design. I dipped the point of a toothpick in black paint and dotted the two eyes of my snowman and the eyes of the birds. I dipped a small stencil brush into pink paint and scrubbed most of it into a paper towel. I then pounced two cheeks on the snowman. The eyebrows and smile were drawn using a black permanent marker. Outline you painted design using the black permanent marker. This is a wonderful finishing touch, as it makes the design really pop. The sign was lettered using a black paint marker and the tips were dotted with the blunt end of a wood skewer that was dipped in black acrylic paint.

Step 6
Add dimension by attaching real buttons and fabric bows where appropriate. Apply craft glue behind the buttons and bows before stitching in place.

Step 7
My design required snow. I dipped the bristles of a toothbrush into white acrylic paint and while pointing the bristles downward, I pulled my thumbnail backward on the bristles. The paint spattered the jacket. If you are spattering for the first time, you may want to practice on a scrap of paper to get the hang of it.