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:

Recycled

I recently took part in another fabric postcard swap with the theme 'Recycled' and received this lovely postcard.

My effort was somewhat simpler - although hand-stitching into denim isn't easy, I managed to do it in an afternoon.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I really like the way denim ages and for me it's an obvious choice for recycling but I was very amused recently when I picked up a pair of new jeans, which my nephew had left here to be hemmed. I said that I must do something with them and 4-year-old Emma beamed up at me, "Make a postcard?" I usually let people wear their jeans a few times before I start trying to turn them into something else. After all, they need to be worn and washed repeatedly to get that wonderful unevenly faded effect. :)

More recycled denim

Two more cushions made from recycled blue jeans.

In this one, I worked rows of serpentine stitch all over.

 I just stitched lines parallel  to the seams in this one.

Everybody's wearing blue jeans

So sang the Skyhooks . . . but I'm more interested in what happens to the jeans when they wear out or no longer fit. I like the way denim fades as it ages and I've been collecting old jeans for several years. And I've finally got around to recycling some of them.

First I made a notebook cover for my son (I tried rotating this photo but it looked odd).

And then I made two cushions. I tried machine-stitching rows of stitching parallel to each seamline on this one but the squares kept distorting, so then I did the stitching by hand, with a button thread for emphasis. I found it difficult to stitch through the thickness of denim, plus some wadding underneath, and it took ages.

I machine-stitch rows diagonally across this one and I really like the finished texture.