Custom + DIY Denim Vests
Make a killer denim vest for your kid with the internet’s best patches + tips and tricks for hand embroidery.
Sometimes, the best clothes are store-bought but with a twist. That is totally the case for the classic denim jacket. (We bought ours at Old Navy, here). I was inspired by the girl-power groups of yore to make my daughter and her bestie some awesome vests. We took to the library to learn about history’s greatest women – our own “girl gang.” Then, we found some inspired patches, a few nifty YouTube videos for hand embroidery, and voila! Now we have two empowered, knowledgeable, and super cute kiddos.
Some of my absolutely favorite patches came from Etsy. Click for links:
- Washi Gang is Australia based and they have some super cute options.
- I LOVE all the custom, typography inspired ditties from Frog & Toad Press
- And then of course Half Stitch Embroidery has some hilarious Girl Power Motifs
And then beyond those companies, the California-based Mokuyobi Threads, have some really beautiful and fun-loving patches.
Once you have the patches and the vests, all that is left is the embroidery. I tried using paint pens, and didn’t love it. So what I ended up doing, is sketching their names and embroidering over it.
I don’t know the first thing about embroidery. But good news is, you don’t have to. YouTube can teach anyone anything. I am sure that with the right tools, I could change a car engine tomorrow with nothing but a sexy grease monkey outfit and a youtube video. Here is the cute station I tuned into to learn some basic embroidery stitches. You can get embroidery thread and needles at any craft store. And I didn’t need a hoop or anything.
All that is left now is your girl gang (or boy gang for that matter). Stay tuned for a list of my favorite, inspired non-fiction picture books about women that changed the world.
