We all have a jean jacket in our closet. I know I do and I love it, but lately I’ve been needing a refresh so I decided to do a quick appliqué project. Full disclosure…I am not an expert at machine appliqué, but I love the way this easy jean jacket upcycle turned out so I decided to make a tutorial out of it. You don’t need a lot of special supplies and it does not take much time to do this. So go get that jacket out of the closet and get ready for some fun.

You can watch the entire process here in my video tutorial, however I demonstrated all of the steps in this blog post too.

What You’ll Need

To do this project you’ll need a sewing machine that does the zig zag stitch. In addition you’ll need the following Items.

• A jean jacket
• Fabric
• The templates (which can be downloaded here). Note: These templates can be scaled larger or smaller on your computer as needed.
• Paper-backed iron-on adhesive that you can sew through. I use HeatnBond Lite Iron-On Adhesive which you can purchase here.
• Marking tool
• General sewing supplies

Trace out the templates on the paper side of the iron-on adhesive. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, adhere the traced shape to the back (wrong) side of the fabric. After it has cooled, cut out the shape.

About the Templates

I think we all need some peace and love so these are the shapes I went with. Of course, you can use whatever shapes you would like to use. Note: the ampersand sign prints out backwards and that is ok. When you put it on the back of your fabric and cut it out it will be the correct direction.

You can download the pdf templates here. When printing they can be scaled up or down depending on the size needed for your jacket.

Adding the Shapes to the Jacket

Remove the paper backing from the shape. Position the shapes in the desired location. I pin to make sure I like the way they are placed. Then, following the manufacturer’s instructions, press each shape into place. Important: Remove the pin before you press.

Lastly, use a zigzag stitch (or your favorite decorative stitch) around the edges of the shapes. I used black thread to really make those bright fabrics pop.

I love the way this jacket turned out! I made it to wear at QuiltCon 2026 and I can’t wait to show it off!

Have fun with your jean jacket upcycle! – Claudia