I’ve been a bit quiet about it of late, but I’m still a closet denim addict.
And I have a suggestion for all menders and craft sewers – rescue old jeans and repurpose them! At our local Salvos Stores, a different coloured tag is reduced to $2 each week, which is what this heavy weight pair of Just Jeans cost me at the end of last year. It’s worth buying the biggest and most out of date pair you can find. Avoid stretch denim at all costs because it’s bollocks (ok, that might just be my rather firmly held opinion, but I don’t like either wearing or sewing it).
Cut the jeans open down the inner leg seam, lose the zip (even Reverse Garbage don’t want those, I’ve asked), and save the waistband for placemats. I ended up with nearly 1m x 75cm (about 40″ x 30″) of usable, beautifully aged, thick denim from this $2 pair of size 33 jeans…
And I use rescued jeans denim for everything from blankets to pincushions to jewellery to bags to mending patches. Oh and aprons of course. I’ve made about thirty so far. Here are a few photos from my denim archive to hopefully inspire you (put “denim” into the search box above to see more)…
I covered my neighbour Bernie’s office chair in a pair of denim jeans and turned the back pockets into matching coasters for him…
Today I cut the remaining pieces into patches in case we ever need to do a repair. All for $2!
But you know what? It’s really, truly not about the money.
I love a bargain, but denim is not a bargain for the planet. It comes with a gigantic environmental footprint, yet folks toss away their jeans once they’re out of style. If we can find ways to upcycle them, we keep these resources out of landfill…
So I urge you to look at used jeans in a different light. See them as an economical fabric resource instead of just old work clothes. Denim is durable, fades beautifully, is comfortable in the hand and against the skin, and to my eyes at least, looks even better when patched and repaired. It’s a very precious commodity, so let’s give it as much life as we possibly can. I’d love to know what you make out of your old jeans! ♥
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Apparently it’s an effective fabric for masks as well.
Weave is a bit open…line with something like nonwoven shopping bag fabric, or a USA site suggested high filter vacuum cleaner bags ( often in opshops) Otherwise ..better than nothing
Great ideas, thank you. I have some old jeans to work with
The more people that get this message (and also start to realise the true cost of ‘cheap’ clothing) the better for us all. You do some amazing things with repurposed denim my friend 😊
The Husband demolishes work jeans from the knee up, despite endless patching. I either make mending patches, or patchwork dog blankets, or on one memorable occasion, yarn. I cut 1″ wide strips up the legs in a spiral fashion on several old pairs, knotting the resulting strips together and turned it into a very tough yarn which I crocheted with a giant hook into a mat for our caravan kitchen, with a matching heat pad. It’s incredibly hard wearing, soft under foot and pleasantly squishy if you have to stand for a while. Be warned, though, it’s very hard on the hands to crochet.
I made an awesome gardening apron with old jeans I’ve been hoarding. Plenty of leftover offcuts too. I may use some of these for making face masks now they’re mandatory in Melbourne….
Face masks! brilliant as are all you other upcycling projects!
I have a huge stash of jeans in the attic for a quilt someday. I must say you are inspirational. Keep it up!
Mo
I recovered an armchair in old jean fabric from various members of the family.
https://suth2.wordpress.com/2016/10/20/tah-dah-2/
I am crocheting a rag rug from strips of denim scraps but that is a slow ongoing project. Nowhere near finished.
https://suth2.wordpress.com/2017/01/18/remember-the-denim-chair/
I cut the legs off an old jeans, sew the cut off legs into pockets and fit it over a bucket and use it as a gardening bucket to store all my garden tools and accessories. Love your apron idea
This popped up in my feed reader earlier in the week and I immediately thought of you!
https://kddandco.com/2020/07/17/rejean-denim/
A company in Scotland making gorgeous new garments from charity shop jeans!
I’ve used demin from old jeans for one side of reversible face masks, with the need of them suddenly coming up.
Keep the zips for those little purse bags you make……much better than nylon. (I make washing bags out of oddments & opshops zips. The bought ones don’t last, & none are big enough for my long sleeved shirts. Bags stop the sleeves knotting, decrease lint pickup if you do miss a tissue, and I found, decrease pilling on polos etc) But used metal over nylon any day.
[…] How many things can you make from an old pair of jeans? Read Celia’s article about the many uses for one pair of old jeans. […]