diy yourself a little denim top

Prada marched out the bra top this spring layered like a twin set with a matching jacket and skirt. OK, I love faded, worn denim, so why not diy-it in denim ... just cover a lacy bra with denim patches—with several rugged, worn patches, that are all hand-stitched—to make yourself a flirty top, to wear layered under your fav denim jacket and skirt. (I've sketched it here with a backdrop of some vintage cotton fabric.) It's a cool way to do denim.
So here's a tutorial...

How Difficult? I’d say it’s an intermediate level. Even though it only takes a couple hours to complete this project, a bit of sewing experience is necessary to fit the pieces together and to hand sew with some gentle ease to keep the top stretchy.

What Denim Do I Need? A variety of softly worn scraps. The denim needs to be old and faded so it won’t discolor the white lace. Sort through all your denim scraps to find the faded denim colors and textures that look interesting together.

What Other Materials Will I Need?
Your “Sewing Basket” (scissors, straight pins, sewing needles)
Creme embroidery thread
Bra—it should be new and pretty with lots of white, lacy trim peeking out and firm-ish cups so it’s easy to sew the denim bits on and to maintain the shape. I found this one at H&M.

How to Do It Step by Step:
1. Assemble the Patchwork: Lay the denim patches on your bra. The patches should overlap each other a good 1/2" (13mm). If you have a scrap that you love the faded stitching but it’s too big, cut it to size. Play with the textures to get a diversity of faded textures.

--The key to success: Your bra is stretchy, and you need to maintain that stretch even though the denim does not stretch. To do so, pin the denim patches loosely at the elastic pressure points (like the joins to the front and back straps), so they have some soft gathers. On the cups, which are not stretchy, you want to mold the denim around the cup shape.
Once you have all your patch pieces, machine wash and dry them to get nicely frayed edges. Then pin them on the bra the way you worked it out before. With cream embroidery thread, using a running stitch, sew the patches on, one by one, 1/4" (6mm) from the frayed edges. Knot all ends securely and hiding knot ends. When you sew, remember to maintain the bra’s stretch, joining the patches with ease and a bit of gathers at the elastic pressure points.

Sewing lingerie is fun. Try wearing this top in different ways, layered over or under a camisole, or T or an oversized men's striped shirt.