Fringe Benefits: A Fringe Jean Jacket DIY

This fringe denim jacket is a great weekend project.

woman walking up stairs outdoors wearing a brick red dress and fringe jean jacket

I had an old jean jacket that felt like it needed something – so I added fringe and its brining me lots of joy right now.

I love the idea of adding simple embellishments to staple clothing pieces to make a statement. And fringe, especially, has been on my list as of late.

Don’t get me wrong, patches and embroidery projects are good options too. But I thought fringe would give this stiff jean jacket a lot more movement.

And now that’s it’s finished, I want to fringe ALL of the things! You really can’t even tell that the fringe was added on after the fact because it’s tucked into the seams.

Click through for the simple sewing hack that made the fringe look seamless with the jacket.

women wearing a dress and fringe jean jacket twirling around outside

side by side jean jacket with a without embellished fringe

Materials for Fringe Jean Jacket 

How to Add Fringe to a Jean Jacket

1. Match the thread.

Choose a thread that matches the thread of the jacket.

I used denim thread (this exact one), which is the yellow thread commonly used on jeans. It matched my jacket perfectly. 

Typically the seams of jean jackets (and regular jeans) will have flat felled seams.

Which means you can open up just one side and easily fit the fringe underneath, then stitch it back up for a clean look that will look like you bought it that way.

2. Measure and cut fringe. 

Measure and cut the fringe for each arm and the back panel of the jacket separately (so you’ll have 3 pieces of fringe).

Set aside.

3. Open the seam.

Next, use a seam ripper to carefully open one side of the flat felled seam.

You want to to open the seam closest to the edge NOT both stitch lines.

4. Insert the fringe.

Insert the fringe under the opened seam. Pin it to keep in place / prevent from moving around.

5. Stitch the seam closed again.

Then use your sewing machine to stitch the seam closed again (with the fringe sandwiched in between), trying to hit on top of the old stitch line as you sew.

Basically you’re recreating the original stitch line to make make it look finished again.

6. Repeat these steps.

Repeat these steps with each arm and the back panel separately. 

We added a second layer of fringe of a different color fringe to the back panel to make it stand out. And kept the arms just one fringe color.

Something to Note about this Project

You can definitely attach the fringe straight to the jacket without opening up the seams if you want.

BUT I think it looks a lot better to have a clean line.

steps for how to add fringe to a jean jacket

woman spinning in place outdoors, wearing a fringe jean jacket

DIY fringe jean jacket on a hanger against a white wall

woman walking up stairs with a fringe jean jacket on

Fringe Denim Jacket DIY

I love the idea of adding simple embellishments to staple clothing pieces to make a statement. And fringe, especially, has been on my list as of late. Don't get me wrong, patches and embroidery projects are good options too. But I thought fringe would give this stiff jean jacket a lot more movement. And now that's it's finished, I want to fringe ALL of the things! You really can't even tell that the fringe was added on after the fact because it's tucked into the seams.
Keyword: diy, fashion, fringe, jean jacket
Servings: 1 jean jacket
Author: Brittni

Ingredients

  • jean jacket
  • chainette fringe trim
  • denim thread that matches jacket threading
  • sewing machine

Instructions

Match the thread.

  • Choose a thread that matches the thread of the jacket.
  • I used denim thread (this exact one), which is the yellow thread commonly used on jeans. It matched my jacket perfectly.
  • Typically the seams of jean jackets (and regular jeans) will have flat felled seams.
  • Which means you can open up just one side and easily fit the fringe underneath, then stitch it back up for a clean look that will look like you bought it that way.

Measure and cut fringe.

  • Measure and cut the fringe for each arm and the back panel of the jacket separately (so you'll have 3 pieces of fringe).
  • Set aside.

Open the seam.

  • Next, use a seam ripper to carefully open one side of the flat felled seam.
  • You want to to open the seam closest to the edge NOT both stitch lines.

Insert the fringe.

  • Insert the fringe under the opened seam. Pin it to keep in place / prevent from moving around.

Stitch the seam closed again.

  • Then use your sewing machine to stitch the seam closed again (with the fringe sandwiched in between), trying to hit on top of the old stitch line as you sew.
  • Basically you're recreating the original stitch line to make make it look finished again.

Repeat these steps.

  • Repeat these steps with each arm and the back panel separately.
  • We added a second layer of fringe of a different color fringe to the back panel to make it stand out. And kept the arms just one fringe color.

Notes

Something to Note about this Project: You can definitely attach the fringe straight to the jacket without opening up the seams if you want. BUT I think it looks a lot better to have a clean line.
Tried this recipe?Mention @paperandstitch or tag #paperandstitch!

Sewing Julia Pistsova // Model Cori Maass // Photography Brittni Mehlhoff

What do you think of the finished jacket? Would you ever try something like this?

How cute would this be as a kids jean jacket too? If I had a kid, I would totally make one of them one of these!

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19 comments | Click here to reply

What are the two different lengths of the fringe?

Sandra

How do you sew the sleeve back together without sewing the sleeves together? I don’t get it. Can you explain. Thank you so much! Love the jacket!

Cheryl Houston

I’m dying to try this and even bought all the stuff, but so scared my machine won’t be able to go through all the layers 😅 I guess I’ll just have to be brave and try!

Claire

I love this 😍What are the lengths of chainette you used? Is that gold and red, or more of a coral? Thanks!

Claire Wong

So I successfully did the back but now I’m confused how you re-sewed the sleeves without stitching them together! I guess the flat seam wouldn’t be perfectly flat anymore, or I have to do it by hand.

Julia Dumaine

Love this fringe jacket! Wondering how you sew fringe on the arms? I don’t think I could do on machine.

Julie

How did you sew the sleeves back together in tje sewing machine🙂heelp

Andrea Medina

To be honest, I’m in love with the idea of adding simple embellishments to my clothing so I might buy some chainette fringes and add them to my jacket as well. I’ll try to recreate the original stitch like you did so that it doesn’t look noticeable. I like the idea that you said that it can be used for kids jean jackets as well so I might try it on my son’s jacket since he likes fringes on his clothing.

Sariah Meagle

What a gorgeous jacket! Well done. Can I feauture you?

Key

I like how you said that you could use this kind of a fringed jacket for kids! My wife loves to sew and she always likes to try new things when she does it as well. Maybe I’ll have to look for some chainette fringe and some jean material to see if she would like to try making a jacket like this for one of our daughters.

Todd Stauffer

I love, love, love this jacket. I want to go home and sew right now. It is super cute and looks amazingly easy. However, I know sewing those thick jean seams can be challenging without a strong machine. Good thing I have my trusty sturdy Kenmore for just such a thing!

Michelle Widger

Thanks Pink Pineapple! It was a fun project to work on.

Brittni

I love that jacket its so beautiful!
https://thepinkpineappleblog.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-coat-edit.html

The pink pineapple

Love that Amy. I bet your painted jeans look great!

Brittni

This is genius! I love love adding stylized embellishments to clothing. I painted a pair of jeans a summer ago and they have become my very most favorite jeans ever.

Amy | Delineate Your Dwelling

Thanks Davinia. 🙂

Brittni

Wow what a great!!!

Davinia Perez Santiago

Thanks Michelle! Julia did an awesome job with it. Now I want to do this to every jacket I own. Overkill?! Perhaps. 🙂

Brittni

This jacket is absolutely awesome and stylish!! Well done!
https://www.makeandmess.com/

Michelle
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