How to Update Denim Shorts with Ice Cream Applique

Following on from my love of fruit motifs I’m also quite fond of food in general, particularly if it’s unhealthy! A while ago I saw Caitlin  from A Little Dash of Darling had posted this image on instagram and the ice cream cone was so cute and simple that it inspired this DIY! Ever wondered how to update denim shorts to make them a bit more fun? This tutorial is for you!

I had some old denim shorts that I’ve upcycled here but you don’t need to update your denim shorts if you don’t want to, the design would work just as well on a jumper or a skirt or anything really!

To update your denim shorts you need:
Sheets of felt (colours are up to you but I chose vanilla, strawberry and pistachio!)
Scissors
Thread
Needle
Glue gun (useful but not essential)

1. Cut three circles and a triangle from the various colours of felt, these are your scoops of ice cream and cone. I used a circle die and my Sizzix BigShot for this but in case you don’t have one I’ve created a template for you to download.

2. Lay two of the circles next to each other with one overlapping the other slightly.

3. Add a blob of glue to the back of the dots and add the third circle onto the top peeping over the top. Whilst I haven’t shown it in the picture I found that overlapping the dot of glue onto each circle beneath helps hold it all together when sewing.

4. Now add another blob of glue in the centre and stick on the triangle of felt to form the cone.

5. Repeat these steps to generate the amount of ice creams you need. I used six for my shorts.

6. Position your cones on the front of the shorts until you are happy with the arrangement, now use a pin to secure each one into place, this will stop it from wandering as you try to sew it.

7. Thread your needle and with long stitches run round the outer edge of the cone and the edges of the scoops of ice cream. Hand sewing is not my strong suit but even I didn’t find this too bad! Be careful around the pocket area that you don’t sew through the pocket linings.

8. Flip your shorts over, you can either repeat a random looking pattern on the back or just add some embellishment to the pockets like I’ve done here. This is a bit trickier to sew as there’s not much space inside the pocket but aside from a few pricked fingers (and a couple of swear words) it was easy enough.

(No gratuitous bum shots here, sorry!)

That’s it – your shorts have now been revamped and are ready for an outing. These are great for holidays and days at the beach I think, in the photo I’m wearing mine with a cornflower blue ASOS camisole. Unfortunately, I haven’t worn these shorts for a while and they’re a bit on the tight side now so there won’t be any real ice cream for me until my holiday in September when I’m hoping (if I behave) they’ll fit again!