Make Old Clothes Fab: Jean Modification

WITH THE CURRENT DRIVE to be green and spend less money, thrift-store shopping is now eco-chic. But what if those Gap skinnies or Seven bootcuts don't fit, are out of date, or are just revolting? Don't die of barfness — reconstruct.

Did Levi Strauss have skirts, appliques and raw hems in mind when he invented jeans? Nah, but redoing denim makes sense. Denim "has a distinct American history," says San Francisco designer Scatha G. Allison, author of "Jean Therapy" ($20, Quarry). "It's designed to be worn until it falls apart," meaning blues that've outlived their hipness are ripe for rehab.

Choose jeans that fit you, either from your stash or a thrift store. Make sure the denim is in good shape, with no rips or holes. A sewing machine, scissors and heavy-duty needle and thread are musts, say Allison and fellow jean-revival queen Karen Kormondy of Capitol Hill store Ipso Crafto (733 Eighth St. SE; 202-546-4329). Kormondy also just wrote a DIY book, "Denim Mania" ($20, St. Martin's).

Then relax! Use a pattern, or don't: Many "Jean Therapy" projects require just adding ruffles or embellishments. Kormondy tells newbies to start by turning full-length jeans into capris, then go on to other easy stuff like morphing jeans into a skirt. Then decorate with sequins, paint or iron-on patches from the craft store.
And loosen up: "The more original it looks, the better" says Kormondy. "Nobody's measuring your stitches."

» Gored Skirt: Adapted from a pattern in "Jean Therapy"
Time: About four hours
A super-flattering shape goes anywhere. Cutting the pattern pieces turned out to be the most time-consuming part of this enterprise; we also used denim from three smaller pairs of jeans, rather than the XXL the book calls for.

» Puff-Sleeve Shirt: Adapted from a pattern in "Denim Mania"
Time: About three hours
This shirt, a thrift-store find, takes on a new flirty dimension with denim sleeves and a pocket lifted from the back of an icky pair of jeans. A little elastic keeps arms together. With a sewing machine, stitching time's cut in half. We hand-stitched the whole thing to prove we could, but by no means are you required to be as stubborn.

Written by Express contributor Rachel Kaufman
Photo courtesy of Jean Therapy