About Fheryl Fashion Jeans

Fheryl Fashion Jeans was started by 2 women who live in Tucson (Fawn and Cheryl). We are both wives and mothers. We consider ourselves artistic and creative. Cheryl works out of her home as a seamstress for a company that distributes fitted covers for boats and various other items. She has 6 children (2 of whom are still at home and attend elementary school). I am a critical care nurse and work full time in a cardiac catheterization lab. I have one son, but he is all grown up (physically) and out of the house. With no experience in running a business, we decided to "go for it" So here we are, just starting out..

Our company started with 2 women; one who loved to sew and create while the other enjoyed being bold and different in her style. We had a dream to build our own empire one butt at a time. 

I have bought several pair of embellished jeans over the years and paid in excess of $200 for each one. Frankly, I was quite disappointed with their quality...they did not hold up!!! Dissatisfied with the quality of embellished jeans purchased at retail stores and tired of over-priced, poorly constructed products made who knows where, we decided we could do better. My sister-in-law (Cheryl), an experienced seamstress, knew she could turn out a much higher quality embellished jean by taking the time to attach adornments securely and prevent denim edge fraying. All of our rough edges are stitched/sewn to prevent fraying (fraying allows the embellishments and adornments to fall off). 

As for me, I much prefer to distress and even destroy a pair of jeans. We do not iron-on anything. We pay attention to detail and the quality of our creations. We at FFJ want your jeans to be worn, enjoyed, and last for more than a few outings. Cheryl is particular and persnickety about her work. She often spends many hours working on one pair of jeans. Other companies mass produce embellished jeans and it is in their economic best interest to put together a pair of jeans as quickly and cheaply as possible. We at FFJ do not embrace this bad habit. Cheryl and I take the time to do the job right. We embellish, adorn, paint, and distress all day long (between taking care of our families and trying to get some sleep).

Deciding to buy a pair of embellished jeans is a matter of choice. Yes, they can be more expensive, but keep in mind the hours of work that go into creating a unique design and much of our beading and adornments have to be hand-sewn onto the fabric. Some of our jeans have to be completely disassembled in order to create the look we want. These are sophisticated pieces of clothing with ornate detailing. It takes time and attention to put together these creations. Embellished jeans can be worn anywhere. Why not to the grocery store, or your child's soccer game? Who says you can't? Show off a little bit. We do! Many of our jeans are stretch-denim; they contain spandex to shape and trim the silhouette and provide a comfortable, sleek fit.

Caring for your jeans

Finding a perfect pair of jeans can be a difficult task, and if you are paying premium prices for a pair of jeans, it is silly not to take care of them properly. Although some people do machine wash their FFJ garments, we highly recommend professional dry cleaning to maintain the look and life of your garment. These jeans have been altered from their original new condition by the addition of adornments and any original manufactured care tags are no longer applicable. Our clothing embellishments can be intricate and delicate. Dry cleaning will prolong the life of your jeans. 

Hand wash in cold water if needed. Lie flat to dry. Do NOT put in heated dryer. Do NOT bleach. Do NOT use heat or steam of any kind.  Hand washing helps prolong the life of these or any jeans. I have heard from some people that they wash their jeans only every few months.  All jeans will shrink with their first encounter of water, especially so if their first swim is inside a washing machine. Serious denim wearers often “wash” their jeans by placing them in a bucket of cool water and letting them soak. A pair of jeans will float, so be sure to turn them periodically to keep the color even. Remove them, roll them up and gently squeeze out excess water and then hang them to dry (if hung outside, no sun...it is as aging to denim as it is to our skin). Hanging a new, unwashed pair of wet jeans may cause the indigo-blue dye to run downward making the lower half of the pant darker then the top.  Never hang jeans by the belt loops as they will hold this shape (unflattering). Lye flat to dry is your best option, but hanging to dry is still better then using a dryer. Try not to wear your jeans while they are still wet/damp (the color can rub off onto light-colored seats, couches, underwear, etc) . Some jeans may take 2 days to dry. NEVER wash your denim in hot water because this thins the fabric and increases fading. Turning your jeans inside out will also prolong their life and color. Can you get by without drying them in a machine? If so, this will prolong their life. The dryer is more detrimental to jean fading than a washing machine. If you use the dryer, use a low/air dry setting and remove your jeans before they are completely dry and fold or hang to finish drying. 

Stretch Denim:

elastin, or lycra are especially sensitive to heat and agitation from washers and dryers. These stretchy fabrics will break down quickly when exposed to water, bleach, chemicals or heat and the jeans that fit so nicely before will gradually lose their shape and become baggy. Lycra-type fabrics shrink when they are heated and this is why they fit well when put on after a drying...however, heat breaks down this fabric and it quickly loses its stretch (like over stretching a rubber band, the fibers break and it loses its ability to snap back into shape).  The emphasis on stretch denim is to preserve the fragile, synthetic fibers whereas with cotton denim, the goal is to prevent shrinkage and fading. Bleach can destroy the synthetic lycras/spandex in stretch jeans.

Washing Machine: Invest in a Mesh Laundering bag.

Many detergents contain gritty ingredients that scrape against the fabric. Try using a  gentle or baby detergent to wash them. Try washing them without any detergents/soaps at all. If you insist upon using the washing machine, be sure to turn your jeans inside out and place them inside a mesh laundering bag (this is a must for jeans with paintings, embellishments or other decorative adornments). ALWAYS use cold water and a delicate setting on the washing machine. Try not to wash them with other clothing that can scrape against any embellishments or against the denim and cause fading, uneven breakdown of the fabric, or even detachment of appliqués. Jeans with lace should never be washed with other clothing (lace can become entangled in zippers, buttons, bra straps, buckles, etc.) Invest in a few sturdy mesh laundry bags (use them for all your delicate clothes and undergarments). 

Wear your jeans only as long as necessary. Take them off when you get home and hang them up for the next time. NEVER use bleach on your denim because it eats away and thins the fabric. A pair of jeans do not need to be washed after every wearing so long as they are not visibly soiled. It is a myth that jeans look and fit better right after a good washing. A beautiful pair of jeans will look good regardless. Try spraying them with a scent remover product or place some potpourri or incense in your closet of drawer along with your jeans. Some people use a  water bottle and give their jeans a light misting before their next night out on the body.

If you don't have a mesh bag, try a large pillowcase. Painted-on jeans usually need only be turned inside-out and washed only when necessary.

Beware of placing Velcro in the washer and dryer with any other fabric, especially delicate fabrics (Velcro loves to attach itself to everything and it doesn't want to let go without a fight)

Why buy Handmade Items.

Support the Arts and Support an Artist.

Handmade items are artwork, they are put together by a human, not some machine somewhere. They are unique, individual pieces. When buying hand-crafted items, you are supporting an art as well as an artist. It is your way of "voting" on what is considered valuable. Each artist, regardless of his or her item, has a signature style that shines and shows in all their creations. If you seek mass produced, inexpensive goods produced who-knows-where by who-knows-who using who-knows-what supplies, this is not the website for you. We have extraordinary creations that stand apart and are special. FFJ is a home-based business located in Tucson, Arizona. Our recycled clothing helps the global environment. Purchasing items from an artist protects a valuable resource: the individual person (NOT some big corporate, impersonal factory). 

New or Preowned Jeans

 Some of our jeans are new while others are previously worn/recycled.  We wash all of our jeans before altering them and once again after they are complete.  For this reason, our "new" jeans do not usually have tags. The reason for this is that we want to ensure that they are clean, free of contaminants, scents, oils, or any dye and sizing chemicals. Even with a new pair of jeans, we do not know exactly where thay have been or what they have been exposed to along the way (there are some things I do not want in my house...I have enough cooties already taking up residence). Washing new pants will "preshrink" the fabric and this ensures that our laces and appliques won't pucker or twist. Prewashing ensures a more accurate measurement on new jeans.

There are many advantages to buying used jeans. Previously owned clothing is prefaded, and soft. If you like the stiff feel of jeans, try spraying them with starch before putting them on. Recycled clothing benefits the environment by eliminating chemical dyestuff, chemical effluent runoff, fuel delivery usage, landfill waste, and gallons of water. Many of our jeans are purchased from upscale boutiques that give a portion of their proceeds to  charitable organizations. One resale shop we frequent operates on behalf of a local school system in my town. We have fun finding our treasures, both used and new. I especially like the used jeans because I like the preworn/prefaded look that works well with distressing (by the way, "distressed" refers to a stained or worn look while "destroyed" implies rips and holes). Cheryl likes starting from scratch with a virgin pair of jeans. Although we can do either.