Adding a touch of embroidery is a great way to upcycle a pair of pants or if sewing from scratch, you can plan ahead for the placement. For this tutorial I am using a pair of ready-to-wear capris.

Supplies:

• Seam ripper
• Tailors chalk
• Embroidery Stabilizer: Pacesetter lightweight, adhesive backed, water soluble stabilizer SA8906
  

• Brother Embroidery thread
• PE DESIGN (optional)
  
• I am using an embroidery design from iBroidery: Design exe03 06 Floral Decorative
  

Machines Used:

• Brother Entrepreneur Pro
  and THE Dream Machine
  

Click here to Download Embroidery Design

• There are many cute designs built into your Brother embroidery machine, so you might want to scroll through your machine. For this project I downloaded a design from iBroidery.com.
  
• Here is the link to the design that I choose (Click Here).
  I then went into PE DESIGN next to see what other colors might look like (you can also change colors in the embroidery machine, this is just one option that I find quick and easy).

• Bring the embroidery design to the embroidery machine. Open the design.

• Rotate the design 90 degrees. This will align the long side of the design to extend down the leg.

Prep the Pants

• Use a seam ripper and carefully rip the stitches along each inseam. Open the inside pant leg from the hem all the way up. Open the center front and center back seam about 2 inches.

• My pants have a side zipper, which I want to avoid with the embroidery machine. I have marked a line with tailor’s chalk 1” below the bottom of the zipper. Measure from the waist down to the that mark and draw the same mark on the other leg. Draw a line along the outside seamline (this will make it easier to place the design using the camera feature on the Brother embroidery machine).

• Hoop the Pacesetter lightweight, adhesive backed, water soluble stabilizer with the paper side up. Score the paper and pull back the center area.

Note: If your pants are dry clean only use Medium Weight, Fusible cut-away
or medium weight tearaway adhesive.

• Place one of the pant legs with right side up onto the embroidery hoop. Line up the chalk mark about 1” below the edge of the hoop and try to center the leg seam within the hoop. Insert the hoop into the embroidery machine. Click on the camera feature.

• You should be able to see your chalk markings on the pant leg.

• Center the design on the chalked seamline and move the design up to the chalked mark below the zipper.

• Click on SIZE and make the design as wide as it will go to extend down the leg. I also narrowed the height, so the flowers only filled the side area.

• Duplicate the design.

• Slide the second design down to the right, again centering the design on the outside leg seam. Play with ROTATE and MIRROR image to get the look you want.

• Save the new designs to the machine to save time when laying out the 2nd leg 😊

• Embroider.

• Remove the embroidered pant leg and follow the previous steps to embroider the 2nd leg. Try to line up the chalk marks the same, use the camera feature to line up the design on the center of the pant seam.

• Cut away the excess embroidery stabilizer as shown.

• With right side together Pin the inseam together for each leg. Stitch. Press the seam open or toward the back of the pants.

• Stitch the center front and center back seam together, closing the crotch seam at the inseam intersection.

• My pants originally had a blind hem, which I opened up about 5 inches to open the pant leg. I am going to re-hem the pants using the blind hem stitch on THE Dream Machine.
  

• Change the foot to “R” or the blind hem foot. Fold the hem backward as shown in the photo below. Stitch.

• If your pants had topstitching or a different hem, just try to mimic the original hem. Leave a message below if you need help with that. After the pants are sewn back together, rinse away the stabilizer using HOT water. Let the pants dry and press. Although the pants I chose are cotton and linen, which means these things are a pain in the tush to press! Maybe if I walk fast no-one will notice the wrinkles haha 😊

I always love to see what you are working on, be sure to share your upcycled garment projects on the social side with hashtags #angelawolf #brothersews Cheers, Angela