DIY: Festival encrusted denim jacket

Goodness me, when was the last time I posted a proper fashion DIY project on the blog? Too long, since the completion of Adorn late last year, feeling burnt out from sewing, I’ve been yearning for more blood, sweat and tears. Trawling through old DIY posts to see what I have achieved and failed, I spotted my usual fondness for using broken up pieces of jewellery – pearls, glass beads and floral motifs as embellishment on garments and most of them were hand beaded. It wasn’t until recently when *Forever 21 got in touch about doing a DIY project based on the theme ‘festival’, festival has never been on my agenda as I don’t do festival-related work or refuse to go to one, but for a DIY project…OH YES! As a fan of nature and all things floral, I chose Wilderness Festival as the theme for festival, embellishing (as usual of course) a classic denim jacket with a selection of hand picked necklaces – floral motifs, gold discs and pearls, all from Forever 21. Have a go and enjoy the tutorial!

What you’ll need:

• Forever 21 mens classic denim jacket.
• A selection of Forever 21 necklaces – I’m using x2 cream garden girl floral necklaces, x1 long gold disc chain necklace, and x2 iconic faux pearl necklaces.
• Jewellery pliers.
• Sharp scissors.
• Sewing needle.
• White and gold coloured cotton threads.

Instructions:

1. We’re using the jewellery’s floral motifs, gold discs and pearls to embellish the front denim jacket. First things first, make sure you remove all jump rings and lobster clasps using jewellery pliers, and cut the string (pearl necklace) with sharp scissors.
2. Place the floral motifs, gold discs and pearls in individual bowls or pots. If you want, split them into equal amount enough to distribute both sides of the front jacket.
3. Start from the top of the shoulder seam for dense beading, to the breast pocket for sparse beading, place the motif the floral motif on both sections and estimate how much you’ll need to add pearls and gold discs.
4. Sew the floral motif with a cotton thread and needle.
5. Now do the same with the gold discs and pearls. Make sure the shoulder panel look densely hand-sewn and work your way down on the spare area of the breast pocket, as seen in the picture.
6. Don’t forget to add some on the front collar!

Estimate time of completion: 20 hours.

My Wilderness festival-inspired outfit: DIY-ed classic denim jacket, retro wonder maxi dress, woven booties (all from Forever 21), floral print sports top (from Topshop), Gyakusou snake skin print running leggings (courtesy of Nike), and felt riding hat from a vintage cycling shop in Bloomsbury.

*A collaborative DIY project with Forever 21, based on the theme of festival of my choice – the Wilderness Festival. Photography by May, edited by me.

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