If you have a pair of old blue jeans that appear well worn, you may think of tossing them into the garbage can or donation box. However, old jeans are often extremely comfortable and broken-in. One way to salvage your old jeans is to decorate them with colorful ribbons and fabric paint. This can give your jeans a new look and can make them appear artistic.
1 Lay a pair of old jeans flat onto a table top with the seam of one leg facing up.
2 Cut 20 horizontal slits into the leg directly in front of the seam. Make each slit 1/2-inch long.
3 Weave 1/2-inch ribbon into and out of the slits. Sew one end of the ribbon onto the waistband of the jeans and sew the other end onto the hem of the paint leg.
4 Repeat this process to weave a second ribbon down the other pant leg.
5 Locate any holes in the jeans, and sew around each hole using colorful embroidery thread. Embroidery thread is thicker than standard thread, and will make the edges of the holes look more clean and colorful.
6 Draw designs onto the front of the jeans using squeezable fabric paint and glitter glue. You can draw abstract patterns onto the jeans, such as swirls or zigzags, or illustrations like animals or flowers. Allow the paints to dry for one hour.
