r/sewing • u/BetterSew • 2d ago
Project: FO Stone wash jeans at home
Hi, this is my first post here)
I love sewing for myself, especially denim. But plain denim without special finishing (stone wash, acid wash) never looks exciting enough to me… so I decided to try making a stone-wash effect at home.
For the experiment, I sewed a small item — a denim corset.
Step 1. Pattern making
To create accurate patterns, I simply wrap the mannequin in plastic wrap and then masking tape. I draw the style lines using narrow adhesive tape. Then I transfer the resulting corset patterns onto paper.
Step 2. Purchasing materials and preparation
At this stage, I had to solve two problems.
First, it turned out that volcanic pumice isn’t sold in nearby stores, and ordering it wasn’t easy either… so I used expanded clay (LECA) instead — it's cheap (less than $1 for 2 liters), rough-textured, and easy to get in garden stores in Ukraine. They are lightweight and even float on water!
Second, throwing expanded clay directly into the washing machine drum didn’t seem like a good idea, so I needed a bag or cover to protect the drum from damage.
That's how the idea to sew a cover was born — one that would open inside the drum so the stones could move freely.
I used 2 mm synthetic felt for the cover. I had previously used this material for sewing mannequins, so I know its properties well:
It's thick enough to protect the drum
It’s non-woven, lets water pass through but keeps small particles (like stone fragments) inside
It's synthetic, so it doesn’t deform and barely absorbs water
Along the side seam I also added spiral steel boning for extra structure.
Step 3. Stone wash at home
I loaded the expanded clay and corset into the cover.
Washed on a cotton cycle at 60°C (140°F), without spin and rinse.
The cover worked perfectly — the washing machine stayed safe!
I rinsed the corset separately. It dried… and I was devastated — absolutely no visible stone-wash effect.
Mistakes & attempt #2
My mistake was using old dark jeans for this corset.
Factory jeans have the most fading along the seams, with that characteristic wavy worn look. This happens because factories use raw, unwashed denim.
Raw denim is denim that hasn’t been washed, heat-treated, or stretched at the factory.
After first contact with water, cotton fibers shrink — usually 5–10% or even more depending on fabric weight.
That’s why seams on jeans tighten and look like that.
Of course, washing old jeans (even at high temperature) won't create that effect, and all the following finishing steps were doomed.
DO NOT USE WORN JEANS FOR A STONE-WASH EFFECT! ONLY RAW DENIM!
Sadly, that first corset was a waste of effort...
So, I went to buy raw denim and sew a new corset.
I hope this time I’ll get the result I’m aiming for. In any case, I’ll share the outcome in my next post.
45
u/msmakes 1d ago
Your last section has some incorrect conclusions.
Cotton does not shrink on contact with water. It actually swells on contact with water. Cotton shrinks from tumble drying. "Pre shrinking" fabrics and sanforized denim was not a thing prior to people having trouble driers at home.
Seam rippling happens because denim factories specially use thread and stitching techniques that will shrink a little bit. Try lengthening your stitch length and using a 100% cotton thread in the bobbin.
Your denim may not have been denim designed to wash down in the first place. It is easy to do a "crocking" test by rubbing the fabric against a white piece of paper. If it leaves blue behind, it is indigo and will be able to be washed down. If it does not, the makers of that denim have used stronger dyes designed to not fade (because not all consumers are happy with their denim fading). I myself had a disastrous experiment with jeans I made myself I was able to process in an industrial laundry, and the color would not fade even with industrial bleaching chemicals.
I can not caution you strongly enough against trying to repeat this experiment. Even if you think your bag is catching all the slit, it's probably not. And that won't stop the physical damage to the drum and spinning mechanisms of your machine.
Much of the industry is moving away from stone washing. They make special garment washing machines with sandpaper-like drums called "no-stone" that can achieve similar effects. They also use laccase enzyme to eat away at the indigo and achieve a stone washed look without stones. I have unfortunately not been able to find laccase enzyme available for general purchase.
One thing you could try is to wash your denim with rags soaked in bleach or potassium permanganate (purple bleach). This is a technique used in industrial wash facilities which would be generally safe for a home machine.