Vahle Creative: Rocker Reconstruction!

My latest project was suuuuuper fun!!! In fact, I may have found my calling. I repurposed a pair of regular cargo pants:

.......into rocker pants!

John Corabi sporting his new rockin' pants

I ain't gonna lie--A lot of work went into these!

{The next part is the technical "mumbo jumbo" just for you detail-oriented peeps. Instant gratification chicas can scroll down a bit to see the close-up after pics.} ;-)

{The nitty gritty} Instead of using new fabric, I used two "used" pairs of pants I found at a thrift store for all the fabric elements I added to the existing pants. Here's what was left of them after I was finished:

thrift store pant remains

The first thing I did was fit them to make them a tighter fitting pant instead of baggy cargos. I took them in at the back seam and the inseam. Then, I removed the waistband to give them more of a low-rise fit.

the waistband I removed

The next steps all consist of making different elements to add to the pants: pockets, flaps, d-rings, snaps, patches, belt loops, and belt, not necessarily in that order.

{Patches} I printed John's logo onto fabric using my computer and made it into a patch with leather edges. I also made patches using cross stencils I created and silver fabric spray-paint.

{Pockets} I created pockets using denim and leather {my fave materials!} and snaps. There are a lot of pockets on these pants!

{D-rings} I added D-rings and strips of denim. I also cut and roughed up the denim to give it an edgier look.

{Belt loops and Belt} I created new belt loops and sanded the fabric to give them some wear, then I made a belt and, again, roughed up the fabric.

{Finishing Touches}