From pink and mint colored denim to floral denim and now polka dots… no wonder when I wear plain denim jeans they seem so boring.
When I saw these pants by Paige Denim I loved them but didn’t want to spend 180 bucks on a something so trendy that I would probably only wear a couple seasons. In the back of my closet I found these grey skinnies and they were perfect to DIY and reuse.
Have you ever used freezer paper for fabric applique? This stuff is a dream. It’s a lightweight paper yet you can iron it to your clothes then remove it. You can pick it up at most grocery stores.
1. I used my Silhouette Cameo and opened up a 12×24 cutting mat then I made my own pattern of dots that are a couple inches apart. Attached the shiny side of a 12″x24″ piece of freezer paper to my cutting mat. Cut about 4-5 sheets. If you don’t have a Silhouette my sis in law, Em, used a pencil eraser dipped in paint and hers turned out super cute. 2. Iron on the shiny side of the freezer paper to your pant legs one at a time.
3. Use a foam brush to paint the circles. Instead of a brush stroke I blotted the circle. Start with small amount of paint and do two layers instead of a lot of paint at first. Use fabric paint or seriously I just used what I had on hand (paint for our house). Do you know how many times I’ve accidentally gotten paint on my clothes and it never ever came off? This time it was on purpose. My sister, Em, even used acrylic paint and she said it hasn’t washed off after numerous washes.
4. Wait for it to dry and peel off the freezer paper. Throw away, you can’t reuse it. I touched up a few of the outside edges of the spots with a similar colored Sharpie. But overall the freezer paper worked great! It actually took a couple hours to do but I was also doing this while my kids played around me so I wasn’t working on it non stop.
I am a big fan of wearing what makes you happy, confident and comfy… although I do take an exception for the last one with some new heels.
I am not one to point out somebody’s outfit and think why are they wearing that?! So it’s interesting to see peoples’ looks while waiting in the lines at Disneyland. Not sure if they wanted a pair themselves or if they thought I was bonkers.
Also, if your kids are old enough to paint and iron this would be fun to do together. Thanks for reading my blog & have a happy day!
xo, Lizzy
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
I JUST bought polka dot jeans this past week to take to Scrapfest :] love the DIY to be able to pick the size of the dots, it’s on my list to make when I get a chance! Hope Disney was fun && cant wait to see you soon!
You are queen of the funky pants this year — I love it!
I totally know this place you visited in the photos. It’s 5 minutes from our home. we live right next to the beach. How funny that I went to UT and you came here at the same time. It would have been fun to see you.
As always, you look like a doll and this is a fab-o idea. You smarty pants
PS if you come here again… I’ll take you roller skating there. That’s my spot
I have totally been drooling over your polka dot pants and have been scouring the internet for a pair. Thanks for posting…can’t wait to make me a pair!!
These are super SUPER cuteness. Well I was going to ask where you were posing? And apparently the gal above commented “where” you were…lol BUT where is it. Of course not that I wasn’t only looking at you, BUT that house or whatever it is …is absolutely beautiful!!!
I love this, I may have to do this some day to my nice bright pink skinnies that I just bought. I was unsure really how long I would wear them after I bought them, but maybe for winter or spring next year I can make them “Fancy Pants”.
They were admiring your pants. Is it sad that I want to just buy the paige denim??
I have some grey pants that I can totally do this to, but having 3 year hands might not be helpful. Do you think fabric paint would work well too?
They are super cute, would wear them in a heart beat! I am so into the skinny jeans this season. (different colors and nautical stripes!)
Adorable! I’m wondering about fabric paint and a polka dot template or stencil? I don’t know if I’m crafty enough to pull of the freezer paper thing
Super cute idea!
You could definitely use a stencil or template! for sure.
xo
liz
Love it! I want a pair for myself! I’m thinking my 3 girls at home would love to make & wear to school too! Except for now, it’s simply too hot. Maybe in Oct….
Sigh – these look fabulous on you but maybe not on me and my not so long and skinny legs. Seriously, the people in the lines at Disneyland were looking at you thinking “she looks great” (males) and “she looks like Lizzy from Dear Lizzy” (females)- tee hee!. Thanks for sharing this fab idea.
I have been wanting polka dot pants, and now I have the courage to diy them. Thanks for the tutorial.
Me encantan! Este fin de semana me hago unos. Fantástico!
Although I won’t make these for myself, they look great on you! I appreciate the instructions. They can be used for other projects and if I didn’t know I would have guessed bleach instead of paint and been very wrong and unhappy!
That’s a really pretty setting for your photos. I can almost feel the sun and smell the air and sea-salt.
yours turned out so cute!! i love the bigger dots and how uniform they are. i eye-balled mine with the pencil eraser and when i wore them i found some areas that i completely missed. oh well
.
[...] I patched my pants and pulled out the old Google, searched for Polka Dot Pants DIY, and found a few great tutorials. I found that the trick was creating the first row using a ruler so the dots were evenly [...]
[...] Lizzy gets fun and funky with these DIY pants using her Silhouette Cameo and freezer paper. Bust out those skinny jeans gals and gives this [...]
I absolutely LOVE this tutorial, i too love the bigger polka dots and set wide apart! Thanks!
I just have to say thank you! I was searching for a polka dot DIY when I finally came across your post. Thank you for your instructions. I think I’ll go ahead and do mine tomorrow.