Embroidered Ginger Jeans Part 1

First I must confess that I started these jeans back in October last year...taking slow to a whole new level here!

I'm sure everyone is familiar with the Ginger Jeans from Closet Case Patterns, and as a disclaimer I should add that I received the pattern free as a tester, but I wouldn't have made like 7 pairs if I didn't love the pattern off of its own merit! (I probably have mentioned it before but I haven't posted in such a long time, and can't be bothered to check back to see if I did)

For the yet again failed FESA sew along, I listed making two replacement pairs of Gingers, and used some really great broken twill denim off eBay, such great quality, and no twisty legs woohoo!

So then I had one of my slightly infamous 3am ideas - anyone else get these?! - and decided that I simply had to have skulls embroidered on my butt pockets. Because they're skulls and it's me. So a bit of googling revealed that it was a thing, a couple of US brands did skull butt jeans, and a bit of pinteresting threw up a few choice designs. I purchased one from Urban Threads (who are cheap and wonderful and will have whatever embroidery you're looking for!) and sized it up and printed it off. I decided for the sake of needing some to wear immediately I would make up one pair as normal, and since the embroidery completion was glacial it was a smart move!

As I was using black denim (obviously) I needed to use the tissue paper method to stitch my design as the pockets needed to be mirrored as identically as possible so risking free hand was not an option. I traced the designs onto tissue paper that was slightly thicker than usual, not sure what it came with, it is a bit like that really terrible toilet roll at school that was like tracing paper.

 I just tacked the tissue paper down to stop it shifting. I chose to use two shades of grey, a lighter one for the skull part, and a darker one for the swirly bit to the side. The pockets were interfaced so there was no risk of stretching out.

Once it was finished I pulled through the tacking stitches. Then I very naively thought I would pull the tissue paper off in one piece. I have no idea what kind of brain glitch was responsible for that idiocy because as I'm sure you will all realise, it looked like this...

 Doh! So out came the tweezers, and eventually I got all the bloody stuff out!

So at this stage it was December, not too bad! Queue second pocket being finished in March. This is why I went ahead and finished the other pair, I know myself well enough to know that no matter how much I *had* to go through with my idea,it would take me forever to actually get finished.

Well, the finished pair are pretty much identical in design and spacing. I do wish I had done them a bit further in though. It looks better when all the edges are folded inwards so on the finished pair they don't look too odd.

Part two will show the finished jeans.

Have you ever incorporated embroidery into your handmade clothing? If so would you do it again or was once enough?!