Customizing Clothes?

[RainbowJimmy]

For awhile now, I've been interested in the whole customization process.
But have no idea where to start.

I want to start with a pair of old jeans and customize the hell out of them.

What kind of materials do I need to do this?

Does anyone have any cool post-customization items that they've done?  

[Isabelle]

I have a pair of jeans that I accidently ripped near the crotch, so I decorated them sooo much just to distract from the rip. xd
I used embroidery, which takes a long time on denim because of its' thickness. I sewed on some sequins and bead too. And felt _ fabric patches. Basically I just decorated them to create imagery from my favourite song. @___@ I started them in September and they are still not finished, haha!

You can dye jeans with old coffee too, it makes them have that dirty look for sure.

Have you heard of Threadbanger on youtube? They have a ton of great videos for transforming old clothing into something new.  

[Kiyoshi Masamune]

I recomend hanging around on craftster.orgs reconstructed clothing forum for ideas.
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?board=8.0
Its where I get all my best ideas.  

[Sachiko13]

I have a pair of jeans that I'm taking in, shortening so that they're capris, and then adding eyelet to the bottoms. I got the idea from an item in the store I work in.  

[kochi~mochi]

I do some small customizations... like turning long jeans into cutoffs, or adding ribbon and/or lace to things. Personally, i prefer to simply make my own cloths rather then customize already made cloths.  

[roimabeofan]

heart  

[Silver Mist]

I'm currently turning a pair of jeans into a skirt. They fit perfectly, but were a bit to short in the crotch. So when they went on sale for only $5, I decided it was perfect. I took out the inside seams and I'm inserting a panel of red/orange fabrid. I need to finish them. I started on them when only machine avaiable was not so hot, so I'm going to finish them while I'm at home with my moms machine.  

[fishkisser22]

bleach, fabirc paint, spray on glitter, tiedye, needle thread, iterfaceing, zippers,chains, fake flowers,anything really domokun  

[MandarinRose]

I love customizing clothes... I'll see if I can find some good pics later.

My best trick for jeans is actually to cut the legs off halfway and then doing the same to another pair, and promptly switching legs. Since I'm below average height it's a nifty way of making them fit better, without having to fold and stuff.  

[Sachiko13]

I do a lot of tailoring and taking in on my shirts. I like my tops to fit nicely and show off my curves, so i take them in, add darts, or add ties. I have one blouse that's about three sizes too big, but it was already pretty tailored (my mom gave it to me after she got bored with it), and I had a pretty white ribbon that came around a pair of pajamas I got for Christmas, so I cut the ribbon in half, sewed it onto the side seams of the shirt, and applied clear nail polish to the cut ends of the ribbons to keep them from fraying in the wash. The other ends were already treated and cut with points, so I didn't have to do anything to them.  

[loves_funeral_song]

Customization is next on my list. Right now, my sewing machine is a tiny little $30 one, and it doesn't do much, and I only just started sewing. Right now, I haven't gotten past sewing throw pillows, LOL.  

[Jeayla]

You can actually cross-stitch any pattern onto clothes.
I've never done this myself, but I've read plenty about it (a while ago, admittedly)! I don't remember any technical terms, or the exact materials needed, but here's the basics:

Temporarily glue a special piece of fabric to the clothes; this fabric has the visible squares you'll need as a template for the cross-stitch pattern.
Cross-stitch your pattern on.
I think the glue dissolves in warm water when you're done; make sure you have the right type of glue.
Carefully pull the special fabric apart from underneath the finished pattern. The edges of the fabric will be frayed; just pull it out strand by strand.
Tada! You have a nice, new pattern or picture cross-stitched onto your clothes.

You may want to look up more specific instructions, but now you have an idea of what it is and how 'hard' it would be.