DIY Denim Jacket For The Bride

Share

Hi Loves,

There are people who come into your life and leave a significant impact on you. You value their friendship more than any earthly possession. This is the case with my dear friend, Ashley. Our friendship goes back to college cheer and her unwavering support  mixed with honesty and a dash of humor that always had me laughing. I remember the very moment Ashley told Rose and me that she was going to marry Jack. We were soaking up the hot summer sun at my family’s lake home. Ashley dropped the news she quit her job and was heading to Germany to be with Jack who was playing International Football. They were going to explore Europe during his time off, and she had an intuition that he might propose. If you could have been on the dock with us at that very moment, you would have heard sounds of pure happiness and excitement for our sweet friend. 

To backtrack, Ashley said she knew she was going to marry Jack the moment he came into a room and sat in a chair (love at first sight) back in our college days. It was just a quick statement that at the time wasn’t taken too seriously until now on the dock at Lake of the Ozarks. We were giddy for her upcoming departure to Germany.  Paris was on the agenda which is the City of Love. I was so nervous waiting to hear back from her. You just want the moment to be perfect for your best friend. Jack proposed in Paris, and I cried like a big baby. Here we are, and the wedding is planned for October! 

I knew I wanted to make her something special to wear during the wedding planning and celebrations. For a long time I had been eyeing a denim jacket from my favorite wedding dress designers, Rue De Seine. They had several embellished denim jackets for brides. I loved the one that said “Ride or Die.” They also had “Lady Luck” and “Drunk in Love.” Each one had a unique vintage flair, but these gorgeous jackets were out of my price range. I did the next best thing and created one for Ashley.  

How to create a denim jacket for the bride:

  1. Locate and purchase a denim jacket. It doesn’t need to be an expensive one, but do make sure the fabric is thin enough to sew through. I found one for $10 on clearance at Target.
  2. Gather metal add-ons (found in jewelry section at JOANN’s), lace, love themed patches, iron-on letters (from Hobby Lobby), and any meaningful bits and baubles for the bride.
  3. Arrange all your lettering and the embellishments on the back of the jacket. Placing the items before securing them prevents running out of space when spelling words.
  4. Next, iron-on letters to secure your message to the backside of the jacket. It is important to use a press cloth to iron on white letters or any adhesive type patches. A bandana, thin washcloth, or dish towel can work as a pressing cloth. Simply place it between the top of the patch and your iron. This keeps the glue on the patch from sticking to your iron and smearing your jacket. Start with your largest patches and then add all the small rhinestones or gems.
  5. To sew the metal on Ashley’s jacket, we had to buy a curved needle (looks like a fishing hook from Hobby Lobby) and use long-nose pliers to pull embroidery thread through the jewelry pieces. We also, added a bit of glue (E600 sold at Hobby Lobby and Lowes) as reinforcement to stabilize the chain and metal elements. The chain border created on Ashley’s jacket is optional. I just loved the edgy look it gave the girly jacket. It’s the yin and yang design.
  6. The last step is to personalize the bridal jacket by hand embroidering the bride and groom’s name and their wedding date. I had to completely free-hand this because the white pencil I used was not showing up on the denim. I sketched their names on a piece of paper exactly how I wanted them to look. Then I free-hand stitched the front of the jacket. I had to redo the “A” in “Ashley” but other than that it was fairly easy. If I was to do this again, I would transfer the words on the jacket with a fine-tip black Sharpie. The embroidery thread should cover up any markings. Click here to learn how to stitch!

I couldn’t wait to give Ashley her jacket. I wanted her to have it as soon as possible so she could wear it through her engagement and to all the celebrations we will have in their honor. I hope this inspires you to create something meaningful for the bride in your life. This denim jacket is perfect for bachelorette parties or bridal showers! If you DIY your own version of this jacket, I would love to see it! By the way, Ashley cried big crocodile tears opening the box with her personalized jacket. That’s the best thank you one can receive from anyone. Happy Creating Loves!

Until next time, Spread Kindness.

HW

Share

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *