I actually first completed this quick upcycling project as part of a sustainable fashion event at First Light Festival. The task was to use charity-shop finds to create a ‘festival fashion’ look for the catwalk.
I helped Families Together Suffolk to upcycle a denim dungaree dress for the occasion, and it was paired with a fringed waistcoat, a white crochet tee and an embellished bag. So fun!
There were two main reasons that I decided to add patches to the dress. Firstly, I’ve seen patches on all kinds of denim products, from jackets and jeans to shorts and skirts.
Personalised clothing is everywhere at the moment and this is an easy way to get the look for less – just pick up some second-hand denim from your local charity shop and get customising!
Secondly, I’d got a stain on my dress. Right in the middle. No amount of washing removed the greasy mark and I didn’t want it to look like I’d dropped my dinner on the dress as it went down the catwalk.
So, the patches were strategically positioned to cover my stain, along with any other marks and scuffs. The patches are iron-on, so I didn’t even have to get out my sewing kit, making this a quick way to refresh an otherwise ruined outfit.
My bonus reason is that it just looks really fun!
Here’s how to DIY this no-sew project for yourself the next time you want to save an old denim item from the recycling bag…
You will need
- Denim clothing
- A mix of iron-on patches – or just one if you’re only covering one specific mark
- An iron and ironing board
- Cloth
- Sewing needle and thread – optional
Step 1
Lay out your garment and decide where the iron-on patches should be positioned for the best effect. I tried to mix up the shapes and colours across the whole dress.
You can choose patches that are embroidered, sequinned, metallic or textured with a towelling finish, if you want to add even more pizazz into the mix!
Don’t forget to carefully cover any stains or rips, and why not pop a little patch peeking out of a pocket?
Step 2
Put your item on an ironing board and follow the instructions that came with your patches to adhere them using an iron.
You may need to use a cloth, tea towel, or flannel to protect the patches while you’re ironing and some patches require the cloth to be damp so that the steam helps to attach the patches more securely.
Step 3
Depending on how much movement you’re planning to do in your customised item, you may want to sew around the edges of the patches to secure them further.
I initially skipped this step, but one or two of the patches fell off the dress at a later date. I guess I probably hadn’t applied them correctly, but it was easy to just iron them back on.
And here is the finished dungaree dress on the Charity Supermarket catwalk at First Light Festival. I was so chuffed to see it on the model and it certainly made everyone smile as it sashayed down the runway.
You could use this technique to apply a slogan or name across the back of a denim jacket, or you could just embellish one pocket on your jeans for a tiny pop of fun.
Let me know if you have a go at recreating this look for yourself, I’d love to hear what item you decided to customise in the comments below. And please tag me in a photo of your upcycled creations on Instagram @Cassiefairy.
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