Reflective Jeans for a Cyclist

Stylish and pro-safety? Sign me right up. Cyclists want to be seen on the road, and putting a little extra shine on the bum is a great way to be seen by approaching cars. This is a quick and easy little hack to make your jeans reflective for the cyclist in your life. I’m a cyclist too, and I could easily take one of my ready-to-wear jeans and pop in a little reflective detail on the back pocket. In this case, I made these mens reflective jeans for my cyclist fella from scratch. Read on for a quick tutorial on where to get some reflective piping and how to incorporate it into your next pair. Even if you’re not a cyclist, get creative and this could be a fun flash photo op!

The Details

• Reflective piping from Amazon – big batch to use on loads of projects!
• Pattern is a modified Morgan Jeans by Closet Case Patterns. More info on how to modify this pattern for men in this post: Morgan Jeans for a Man
• Denim is vintage raw selvedge denim from SR Harris, my local outlet (Minneapolis area).
• Buttons and rivets from Citron Jeans’ Etsy shop
• Top stitching thread is Gutermann Mara 30 in Silver color #9508 (note: this thread was too thick/strong for my machine and my liking)

The Jeans

In the photo below you can peep the left back pocket, which has a strip of reflective piping along the left edge. It’s pretty discreet for daytime wear, especially since the color of the reflective strip matches the silver top stitching. I put the reflective piping on the left side only. We ride and drive on the right side of the road, so cars will pass cyclists on the left most of the time. The idea is that their headlights will catch that cycling booty in action. For a really effective use of the reflective strip, you can add this to the cuffs or side seams. Reflective tape on anything that moves is most likely to catch the eye. I’m a big advocate for wearing a helmet, biking with lights (even during the day), and following the rules of the road. Safety rules.

Nick, my husband and jeans model here, works in the cycling industry. His colleagues and pals have noticed this little cycling friendly detail in his jeans and it makes for a good conversation starter. This of course ultimately leads to him bragging about how his talented wife made these jeans for him. Mmmm, bragalicious.

Reflective Detail: a Quick Tute

The photos below show you step by step how to add a little lightning to your back pocket. You can apply these same methods to adding reflective to other areas or other garments too. I got the reflective piping from Amazon, here. I still have so much leftover that I will probably incorporate into some spring jackets or activewear.

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Step by Step

• 1. If you’re making your own jeans, follow these steps after you top stitch the top of your back pockets, but before you sew the pockets to the back pants. If you are doing this to a pair that’s already made, carefully use your seam ripper to remove the pocket completely, including the top stitching around the sides and bottom.
• 2. Trim your piping to match the length of the side of your back pocket. This piping is a strip of reflective fabric that is wrapped around a cotton cord and sewn to a netting-like material. See picture 2 above for a close-up.
• 3. Unpick the first few stitches on either end of your piping.
• 4. Pull the cord out where you unpicked the stitches. Trim the cord about 1cm at each end. This will make it easier to tuck the piping under the pocket at each end so it will still lay flat and not expose any raw ends of the piping.
• 5. Unfold the pressed side edge of your pocket and pin the piping down so the cord lies right along the crease. The netting side of the piping should be against the edge of the pocket that will be folded under. Pull each end of the piping away from the pocket and pin into place.
• 6. Baste the piping to the pocket and trim the ends.
• 7. Fold the side edge of the pocket under once again and carefully press. Try to avoid your hot iron touching the piping directly.
• 8. Flash photo just to checky check.
• 9. Top stitch the pocket into place. That’s it!

More Jeans Details

The brightness of the reflective under a daytime flash is really impressive! I also love this top stitching design on the back pocket. I will probably not use this top stitching thread again though. It’s Gutermann Mara 30 and it proved to be too thick and got caught in my machine a few times. With such a high contrasting color, I definitely felt the pressure to perform top stitching magic because you can see every little stitch!

One little “oops-hey-that’s-ok” moment: I must have shifted the center seam of the right front pant to the right. That line of top stitching on the right leg at the crotch should be hidden by the fly. Oops-hey-design-feature.

I do love the mix-and-match vibes of the hardware and the button hole and bar tacks. Nick wanted some gold to match the selvedge edge coin pocket, and some bronze to balance all the bright. Hardware is from Citron Jeans.

Overall, I’d call this one a success. My cyclist guy loves the custom details. With these reflective jeans he’ll be seen on the road, for reasons other than the fact that he’s looking so stylish. Oohwee! If you’re looking for more mens jeans inspo, check out this gorgeous pair (if I do say so myself) that I made on my vintage machine!