From Trash To Treasures: Recycling Jeans to create new items

Have you ever wonder what you could do with an old pair of Jeans. Old or discarded denim jeans provide a good source of fabric for recycling. Denim is a thick cotton fabric which is hard wearing and rugged. Most jeans get discarded because they no longer fit or have gone out of style or have tons of holes in them, however there is plenty of life left in the fabric itself.

Even very old or worn jeans can be useful, it is unlikely that a pair of jeans will be completely without any salvageable pieces of fabric. Pockets, zips and buttons are all useful and can make interesting embellishments on other projects.

How to make a skirt out of an old pair of jeans

One of the most popular ways of recycling jeans is to turn them into a skirt. This is easy to do and is an excellent project for a novice sewer. This is also a good way to encourage teenagers to get interested in sewing. The ability to chop up old clothes and to put their stamp of individuality onto a garment may well be the introduction to a lifelong interest in creative sewing. Denim skirts long and short, plain and fancy are straightforward to make using a few basic sewing skills.

SavvySeams.com - detailed instructions including step by step photographs explaining how to make a skirt from a pair of jeans.

Bags

The top of a pair of jeans lends itself to bag making. Many interesting styles of bags can be made making a useful feature of the jeans pockets. These bags can be embellished in a variety of ways, including embroidery and even needlefelting.

LoveToSew.com - Full instructions to sew a denim bag, including step by step photographs

QuiltPox.com - Step by step instructions to sew a small denim purse
Organizers

The legs of jeans are a perfect size for making organizers. Different lengths can be cut to create a range of pocket sizes. This can be a good way to use up lengths of legs left over from other projects.

TheCreativeLife.tv - illustrated step by step instructions to make a kitchen organizer

WhiteSewing.com - printable pdf instructions to make an organizer. Uses jeans pockets
Many other types of garments are suitable for recycling and repurposing. T-shirts, woolen sweaters and anything with interesting vintage fabrics can make interesting sewing and needlework projects.

The ideas are endless when recycling jeans. Happy sewing!

Read more at Suite101: Recycle and Repurpose Old Jeans: Using Free Online Sewing Projects Sew Denim Skirts and Organizers http://www.suite101.com/content/recycle-and-repurpose-old-jeans-a29576#ixzz1G2fjGGjC