Making the Crochet Overlay Designs
I couldn’t wait to present these crochet overlay designs. I’ve thought about this upcycle idea for a long time and finally, I pushed myself to try it and see what happens, and it turned out exactly how I imagined it. That’s not always the case with everything, but it invigorates me to keep making more!
The idea came to me when I was thinking about how to blend crochet with fashion. My imagination takes hold and I don’t like always playing it safe. Sticking to the beaten path gets boring after a while I have to go out into the woods and see what I find. For the crochet overlay designs, I thought it would look neat if the crochet wasn’t just connected to the garment, but attached solely onto the surface of the garment for an innovative effect.
The first garments I used denim and made a miniskirt and a matching cropped jacket. I worked on the mini skirt first, just to see how it would go. I measured the surface area of the section of shorts and crocheted to those specifications. I had to decrease on the front of the skirt and I created a chain around a belt loop for a little added detail. The crochet overlay panels were hand-sewn onto the miniskirt for the mesh-like effect, and I added a border along the pattern.
For the reworked cropped jean jacket, I used a pair of jeans. I had to cut along the seams crocheted a pocket panel and added a border on the openings for consistency. Together, they make such a cute outfit, or they can be matched with other garments for a completely fresh, new vibe.
What's great about this is that the crochet overlay technique is easy to do. For the mesh look use an extended stitch such as the double crochet stitch (DC) or a triple crochet stitch (TRC). I prefer the double crochet, but experiment with both! I just double crochet chain one, skip one stitch, then double crochet into the next stitch. (DC, CH1, SK 1 ST, and then 1DC into the following ST.) The triple (or Treble) crochet stitch creates more movement because it’s a more extended and looser stitch. These are perfect for Summer tops too!
I have so many ideas for the crochet overlay designs. For example, I have a pair of pants that I really want to do an abstract overlay with (inspired by my pen and ink illustrations) and I plan on sharing my journey, as I happily create away!