Denim Projects

It is always satisfying to make something from repurposed materials. We love the look of denim and it can be repurposed in so many ways to make a variety of projects. Whenever we clean out our wardrobes, we always put the old jeans aside for future craft projects. Over the years we have made a lot of projects from old denim jeans. Here are some of our favourites:

Denim Picnic Rug

We have had a lot of interest in our Denim Picnic Rug that we made around 10 years ago. I cut 6 1/2 inch squares from old jeans and some new darker denim. Each square was backed with a 6 1/2 inch square of cotton fabric in a checked/plaid print. They were stitched together in a X design. The squares were sewn together using a 1/2 inch seam with the seams visible on the denim side. The edges were clipped and then the rug was washed and dried to help the edges fray and give it a raggy appearance. It has been so useful on picnics and is super durable. We first blogged about our picnic rug here.

Patriotic Placemat with Denim Cutlery Pocket

Made for an Australian Day Picnic, but suitable for everyday mealtimes, is our Patriotic Picnic Placemat that features a repurposed jean pocket to hold your cutlery/flatware. An inexpensive woven placemat from IKEA was used. The edge was bound in colourful binding and the denim jeans pocket was added. See our tutorial for full project details.

Wine Tote with Sashiko Detail

The Wine Tote with Sashiko Detail was made for Stitch Magazine from a pair of child’s jeans. One leg was cut to form the tote. It was given a boxed flat bottom, and handles made from denim and twill were added. Grapes were hand stitched in a sashiko style. A Jeans Pocket was added to the other side of the tote to hold a corkscrew or gift card.

Wine Tote with Applique Detail

Here is another wine tote that  features felt appliquéd letters on one side. Check out our post for more details.

Baby Jeans with Crochet Detail

You can easily customize a cheap pair of chain store baby jeans with some crochet flowers and stitching. I made this pair for a craft feature in a magazine a few years ago. Check out our crochet pattern to make the flowers and for project details.

We have a Denim Projects Pinterest board where we are pinning lots of creative ways to repurpose old jeans. Check it out for more inspiration including – Denim Christmas stockings, storage buckets, bags, bibs, and more.

Have you used jeans in a creative way?