At Least 10 Uses for Old Jeans

I love denim. I think everyone in the nation loves old denim. But I use it in ways most people don't think of.
When I'm able, I'll keep searching for the column in This Old House for their 10 uses - very guy oriented and very cool!
The following pictures is my latest denim project. Will put a pic of all 4 chairs when they are complete...


Denim Insulation!
Bonded Logic: Bonded Logic They use Denim from textile factories and remake it into regular bat insulation! WOW. I would have used it in my latest construction project. Will next year in my upstairs renovations.


Wisebread.com
Posted Monday, September 24, 2007 - 13:09 by Myscha Theriault in Green Living (34 comments)

1. Pot holders. In my opinion, these look far better out of used denim than the new stuff. And you can incorporate your own style via choice of trim or a patch stitched to the outside. Here's a link to some tips for making your own.

2. Cool quilts. You can do this in many forms. Different shades of denim patchwork options abound and are certainly sturdy and fun. Unfortunately, one of the coolest ideas I’ve ever seen I’ve been unable to find pictures of. It was done with pieced denim, but they had left on all the details like pockets, buttons, belt loops, etc. It made for a really fabulous unique quilt with a lot of attitude. If anyone has a link to a picture of one of these, please post below in the comments section.

3. Hanging sleeves for storing plastic bags and cleaning rags. This is an idea I came up when trying to find a workable solution for giving up paper towels. I needed something convenient to store my cleaning rags in and made several out of the legs of old blue jeans.

4. Pocket books and backpacks. These are tons of fun as beach bags and particularly popular with the younger crowd. Easily jazzed up with pins various bits of clip on “flair”. Here are one, and two separate links for various sets of project directions.

5. Patches. If you happen to have a bunch from different events, great. Otherwise, I’ve seen some really unique custom patches you can make yourself that add tons of style. I personally like the make your own option, because it opens up many more possibilities for self expression and designer style.

6. Embellishments. Sometimes bead stores offer classes on “jazzing up jeans” where they will teach you how to add studs, crystals and various beads as well as other items. Lots of room for individuality with this option as well.

7. Pimp the heck out of them. Options abound here. Pimp my jeans is a great site to look for inspirationwhen jazzing up old jeans. They also have a great idea pictured there for a way hip fabric grocery bag of pieced together old denim. You'll be strolling to your favorite New York grocery in style with that one. Here is an additional link for airbrushing designs on your denim. My favorite though, is this way cool how to video from Threadbanger that shows you how to get a vintage tint as well as providing some easy fabric distressing techniques. Really, really cool.

8. Embrace the frayed edges and go hip with some slamming shoes and a great bag. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen fashion experts give this same advice on TV. What’s funny though is I seem to notice more people with money trying it out than people who are supposedly on a budget. It’s a very cool look to have a faded set of jeans with a few rips and tears paired with a newer sweater and some dressy shoes or boots.

9. Help dress a scarecrow. Fairly timely, considering the season. Here’s a cool picture of one.

10. Make a three pocket electric gadget protector. I found this set of directions on . Love that site! Looks like a cool addition for a daypack or purse. Here's a pic of the project:

11. Journal, photo album and school book covers. Say what? I found this neat online project for a jean covered journal held closed with a funky belt. Really fun. Tried to snag a pic and give them credit, but they preferred to keep everything in house. You cansee the whole thing with this link.

12. Hot or cold rice pack. I’ve always just dumped my rice in an old pillow case and tied a knot in the top. But these look cute, if you have the extra time. The one pictured in this link got me thinking about all those old floral jeans from the eighties getting a new life, but really, any kind of old denim will do.

13. Turn pieces of them into a jacket. Here’s a link to a project I found online for a crazy quilt style one. This is very similar to the type of quilt I mentioned above.

14. A little too out there? Try out this waist coat made from recycled denim. I can really see it with a crisp white shirt. Actually, it looks like a big vest to me, but what do I know about waist coats? Either way, it's pretty cool. Here are the instructions.

15. Sassy, rough edged skirt with urban style. I like this one because it's really a bit out of the ordinary and has tons of attitude. link to the instructions . A bit of trouble snagging a pic of this one, but you can see it on the link.

16. A wheelchair tote. This is too cool. Know someone who could use one to stay organized? link to a set of directions.

17. Coffee cozies. Love these! As with some of the other projects, you can really put your own spin on them. I found several blog posts on doing your own. This first one. The second? Slightly different with a button closure. Still cute though. If I had my sewing machine out of storage, I'd seriously be looking into making a few of these for Christmas package tuck-ins.

18. Custom camera bag. set of directions for one. Personal verdict? Pretty neat idea.

19. Unusual covered gift box. I thought this one was particularly out of the norm. Should make a fun package for a teen present, don’t you think? Here's a link.

20. Reusable lunch sack. I think you could be as individual here as with some of the jazz up your jeans ideas listed above (patches, airbrushing, crystals). It's made from a pant leg. How cool!

21. Picture frame. Not the most formal project idea ever, but a fun idea that would be great for a teen room bulletin board . no sew photo frame made from a jeans pocket.

22. Blue jean table. Pretty darned unusual, I must say. This is another item that is shown with more of a children’s room look. But I think you could pull this off with leather accents in a wild west art gallery or with silver studs and tears for a more urban feel. A bit quirky, but if you like that sort of thing . . .

23. Christmas stockings. Here’s a set of directions for making them out of old blue jeans . Use whatever trim and lining ideas you want. Definitely not for those Victorian style holiday planners.

24. Knee pads for gardening. Here's a link to a set of directions for one. You might need to use an old denim skirt or jumper for this one, but I still think it has merit, if you happen to have the time.

25. Beer cozies. Here's a link to a blog post for homemade deep pocket cold beverage cozies. There aren't detailed directions, but there are pictures from several angles. So if you sew, you can probably get the idea.

At least 10 Uses For Old Clothes

10/24 Just found this after a small ditty in a newspaper article...
Denim Insulation!
Bonded Logic:
http://www.bondedlogic.com/
They use Denim from textile factories and remake it into regular bat insulation! WOW. I would have used it in my latest construction project. Will next year in my upstairs renovations.

From Thrifty Fun.com
Welding Gauntlets From Jeans
I use the legs from an old pair of denim pants for welding gauntlets to cover my arms while welding. After cutting the legs off the pants, sew some elastic banding on both ends. that holds the gauntlet in place at the wrist and at the upper arm.
This protects the arms from welding splatter, and UV rays while welding. (Note - these are used in conjunction with welding gloves - OR the welding gloves can be sewn to the lower portion of your gauntlet instead of installing elastic there.)
Rex Smith

T-shirt Quilts (I have several patterns that people can use as ideas, if they're so inclined. Email me at onedndylyon @ aol.com for pictures. Leslie)
There is a pattern for making quilts out of tee shirts that have a special meaning. Maybe for the Sports enthusiast in the family for graduation. A tee shirt quilt made from all their sports teams shirts.
Donna

Weaving Pot holders
You can cut the sleeves from t-shirts into rings and use the rings instead of purchased loops for weaving pot holders. Great colors! You can also do this with the tops of worn socks.
jlxian

Denim Quilt
I have also made a Quilt out of my Hubby's old jeans! He never throws away a thing "it'll make a good rag someday" so when the pile became overwhelming I cut up the legs, stitched together with batting and a sheet and had a heavy warm quilt!
I also have made Pillows out of old, beloved Shirts from my kids. They work real well as throw pillows on their beds. Just stitch up the openings and stuff! too simple and they love them!
Terry R

T-shirt Pillows and Jeans Bags
I've made pillows out of old tees, they are so warm and comfy. Also, cut diagonally down the shirt from the collar to the bottom hem and sew for a simple dress up skirt, an adult tee shirt makes a child's size. Another fun thing is to make bags from old jeans and pants cut off the legs where they meet hem the remaining piece at the bottom and tie hobby rope to the belt loops of sew on straps from the jean leg. You can also make small bags from the bottom of the pant leg. Just cut about 20 cm from bottom of one leg, and hem the raw edges together, you can add handles also.
Hope you can use some of those ideas! E

From Associated Content.com
Draft Blockers
For those of us who live in old houses or apartment buildings, rattling windows can mean winter drafts. Old t-shirts rolled into tubes can help block some of the cold, drafty air in the crevices.

Wall Art
Let’s say you like the design on the front (or back) of your t-shirt - but it no longer fits you. Or maybe there’s a stain or hole elsewhere on the tee? If the design is nifty enough to be decorative, you can frame it. I actually stole this idea from department stores that display their t-shirt stock in perfect squares, folded and pinned around a piece of wood or plastic. Just wrap the t-shirt around the “backboard” of a poster frame, and stretch it to eliminate wrinkles. It should work with or without glass.

Tool Box Towel If you keep a tool box, large or small, it’s possible that you occasionally handle greasy or oily tools. You can use an old t-shirt instead of wasting paper towels or buying a package of rags.

Drawer Sachets
As a fabric, cotton does breathe. So you can trim pieces of an old tee into squares, sprinkle a little lavender or potpourri inside, and tie it up the bundles with string. As long as you don’t pick anything too potent, these cheap sachets are a nice way to keep your clothing smelling fresh inside dresser drawers.

The Sauce Shirt
Every time I cook pasta, it seems like I get some sauce on my shirt during the preparation process. Instead of wearing an apron (I hate aprons), I keep one t-shirt that I use for messy cooking enterprises. Then, I don’t have to worry about fussily using a stain-stick on my “good” clothes

From Frugal.Families.com
Denim
I could make a custom journal for myself or as a gift by covering a composition notebook with the jean fabric. One of the pockets could go on the front as a cute way to hold a pen.
I could use the jean material for a rag rug. Earlier, I wrote about doing this with t-shirts. Although the materials are different weights, they might go nicely together for a sort of americana, blue-jeans and apple pie sort of look.
I could sew up a cute denim purse for my niece. I could cut off the legs and sew up the bottom part above the tear, and then add a shoulder strap or little handle from some of the leg material.
I could make an apron by cutting the legs, opening up the fabric and putting a fabric belt through the belt loops.
The legs could be knotted and used for doggie pull toys for my friend's dog.

T-shirts
Dusting and polishing cloths: This one may be a little obvious for the truly frugal, but sometimes we can forget the obvious. The soft t-shirt material is wonderful for dusting and polishing. Just the other day, I saw Martha on TV polishing silver. She was using expensive cotton cloths to get up all of that yucky tarnish. Why? It would probably have been less expensive to buy brand new t-shirts and cut them up, let alone use old ones.

Old Towels
Repair: Simply sew a running stitch above the unraveling edge. Then turn that uneven edge into a nice fringe. Tada--new towels. Since I am unskilled in sewing, I asked a good friend to use her machine and sew the new hem for me. She even went ahead and did a pretty zigzag stitch in a contrasting color.

Washcloths: Cut the towels into squares, round the edges and sew around for brand new washcloths. This works especially well when there is a hole in the towel that you can cut around.

Diaper Wipes: This is one of my favorite things to do with old towels, probably because I have two little ones in diapers at the moment. I cut the towels up into squares and use them as homemade diaper wipes. No sewing needed. I simply wet them with a little water and go. I wouldn't recommend this for big messes, but for wet diaper changes or for an infant, the homemade diaper clothes work just fine.

Cleaning cloths: For cleaning clothes, you can cut the towels into whatever size works best for you (I like small dish towel size). Again, there is no sewing needed, although you could put a hem around them to make them last longer. I use these homemade cleaning cloths in my kitchen, in place of paper towels for everything from drying an apple to wiping down the kitchen counters and the sink.

Dusting cloths: soft, well-worn towels are perfect for dusting cloths. They seems to grab dust with ease and absorb just the right amount of furniture polish. No sewing needed on these. If they unravel too much, simply cut of the edges as needed.
Beach towels: Sew together two or three to make great beach towels. You can trim any ratty edges and still have enough material to wrap around a wet child or use on the hot sand.

Old Clothes in General
Reconstructing old wool coats into new coats for children, sofa pillows or even cloth handbags and clutches.
Old dresses usually have enough fabric to make a new dress for a child or a Halloween costume.
Cotton dresses can also be used to sew a small set of curtains for a bathroom or back door.

Sew the scraps into small squares and stuff with dried beans for bean bags. Or, turn the scraps into fabric Christmas ornaments, contrast collars for children's shirts, hair bands, or a cloth belt.

Men's plaid shirts can find new life as cotton handkerchiefs.
Save several plaid shirts to create a set of coordinated table napkins.
Men's cotton shirts make wonderful plush toys, lampshade covers, and summer quilts.
Cut with pinking shears, they also make terrific toppers for home canned jams.
Heavy wool fabric can be cut into strips, and turned into braided rag rugs. I have a circa 1890 braided rug that was made out of old civil war uniforms, which has outlasted every other rug I have ever owned.
Turn mismatched socks in sock monkeys and sock puppets.
When the fabric has been used every possible way you can imagine, it's time to turn them into animal bedding or rags. Shredded fabric works well for hamster and rat cages.
Old, worn out coats make great dog blankets.
Strips of old fabric can be used to tie climbing vines onto trellises or for staking your vegetable plants.
Threadbare cotton squares are terrific for straining jellies.