Dia de los Muertos DIY: Calavera on a Denim Jacket

Spruce up your plain denim jacket with this cool sugar skull made out of felt for Dia de los Muertos.

I’m a very practical crafter. That means I won’t make anything unless it has a purpose. I also love to make something just because it looks cool. Still, even though it’s cool, it has to have a purpose.

This denim jacket is all of those things.

My daughters have denim jackets because here in Southern California, it can take you through all the seasons. You wear it on top of your maxi dress in the summer and wear it over a hoodie and a scarf in winter. Well, I just feel like it’s a crying shame to wear a plain denim jacket.

‘Tis the season for calaveras and sugar skulls, so I thought I would liven up my daughter’s jacket and make a cut out with some felt squares.  I made something similar way back in the day–five years ago to be exact.

RELATED: Sugar Skull Denim Jacket Made with Felt

I like felt–it’s versatile and cheap. It comes in lots of colors. It’s cheap. You can use it on so many more things than Sunday School felt boards. And it’s cheap.

Did I mention it was cheap?

You can find it for only a few cents a square at places like Walmart. That’s my kind of craft supply, man.

You can use whatever colors you want. Make sure your scissors are sharp. I used Aleene’s Fabric Fusion Spray-On Fusible Web, but I also used the adhesive because for some reason I freak out about inhaling glue fumes. Also, it’s just easier to glue down small pieces of felt.

RELATED: DIY Calavera Block Prints

With a white piece of felt, cut out your calavera (skull) shape. I like to fold mine in half so I can have a uniform shape. Take note of the size you want (based on the size of the back of the denim jacket–I just eyeballed it). With black felt, cut out the details of the calavera–eye sockets, nose, mouth, etc.

With different colors, carefully cut out your calavera’s embellishments, like flowers petals, shapes around the eyes, etc. Make sure they aren’t too thin or else you’ll have a hard time gluing them down.

RELATED: Sugar Skull Makeup for Kids

Once I cut out all of my calavera shapes and glued them down, I ran the embroidery floss through the eye socket shape. If you want to add more of the embroidery floss to the other areas of your skull, go right ahead.

I also wanted to add a colorful piece of Mexican fabric onto the back of the denim jacket so I measured out a square piece. Then I ironed it so it would look neat and the edges would be easy to glue down.

I think my iron was in shock because it was actually used.

Once your fabric is ironed, spray the area with Fabric Fusion Fusible Web and press down. You should run the iron over it for 30-45 seconds, too. Make sure you cover with a separate piece of fabric. I don’t think it will burn, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Repeat the process for the calavera patch.

I also cut flower shapes for a crown because I wanted to give it a feminine appeal and I added them at the end. My girls will definitely wear this denim jacket all year long, not just on our favorite night of the year.

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