Denim, denim and more denim

I had some scraps of fabric left over after making denim bags and decided to use them up on a project that I've had in mind for some time. There weren't many scraps so I also pulled out my box of old jeans, which I've been collecting for at least 10 years. I have used some of them in the past for cushions and even a journal cover. But now I was ready to attempt something a bit bigger - a queen-size bed quilt.

Now, I could have cut the fabric into squares but I thought it would look good in 2.5 inch strips (I'm really good at making things difficult for myself). So I cut lots and lots and lots of strips and joined them together into a strip that was about 140 metres (over 150 yards) long. It rolled up into a very large "jelly roll". I then cut it into 50 strips, each a bit over 2 metres long, sewed them together, and quilted it with ditch stitching (it felt like wrestling a boa constrictor).

And here it is all finished:

Denim bags

I have made a lot of bags but this one, made from a sturdy denim, is the first one I've made for myself:

I lined it with some hand-dyed fabric I had in my stash and included a zip pocket on the inside:

I also made open pockets for the other side of the lining:

And I made this bag, with an external zipper pocket, from the leftover fabric: