I remember the day I found out via my adult girl-child’s single arched eyebrow that the answer to the question “Do I wear mom jeans?” was an unspoken yet emphatic yes. Sigh. Old me + old denim = mom jeans.
My drawers are still well stocked with mom jeans, but as a result of a Marie Kondo inspired purge of clothes that have done their part to keep me clothed but are now destined for the textile recycling bin at our transfer station, there is also a pile of beautifully and honestly aged and faded mom jeans lurking on the bedroom floor. Old denim, particularly denim with stretch, is difficult to recycle. It’s much better to reimagine old denim.
All that blissfully soft worn in old denim looks less like a pile of sad jeans and more like a pile of creative opportunity. Giving it a chance to get recycled into a raw material again is appealing. But so is the idea of blowing the dust off my sewing machine and renovating it into something new for my home. (Something that does not look like it started as mom jeans.)
Inspiration does not always come when we need it. The jeans are still waiting patiently, all potentialled up with no where to go. So I went out and poked in the corners of the internet to soak up some DIY ideas and hopefully find a spark to turn those jeans into a perfect decorative accent for our house.
Denim pouf from Michele Made Me.
There’s a lot of denim projects compilation lists, and this sassy little recycled denim pouf tutorial by Michele Made Me makes nearly every one. With good reason. Form + function + style = timeless awesomeness. The hand done topstitching is very on trend.
Strip quilt with tutorial by amnartist on Instructibles.com
Amnartist has a fabulous tutorial for turning old denim into a strip quilt. Quilting is a beautiful zen way to relax. Love the pockets for stowing snacks or tiny special treasures.
Denim sunburst rug from the OhohDecor Blog.
Blogger and DIY addict Amarylis cleverly uses the shape of jeans legs to make a sunburst rug that has the same country charm as a Dresden plate quilt square. The appeal of this beauty is it can definitely survive repeated launderings. In fact, it will only give it better patina.
This has also caught my imagination: Vlogger Izzy Meimsaab’s smart video about how to turn your old jeans into flat material panels.
So what will I do with those mom jeans? Not quite sure, but tiny idea seeds are germinating in my brain. What happens next? You’ll have to wait and see…
2 comments
I love old denim! I’ve been saving denim to make a rag rug. I’ve made crocheted rugs but I’m anxious to try twining on a loom. I’ve bought the loom so now it’s just doing it! Check out this denim rug http://thecountryfarmhome.blogspot.com/2013/01/denim-rag-rug-on-farmhouse-table.html
Glad to know I’m not the only one with a pile of denim waiting to be re-purposed. 🙂
I’ll be turning mine into a denim and flannel quilt. I hope. One day.