Thrifty Thursday: Reusing Denim

I have 4 kids, 3 boys and a girl. The two younger boys wear holes through their blue jeans before they even outgrow them. Sure, you can cut those jeans into shorts, but what do you do with the legs you cut off? There are only so many pairs of cut off shorts that you need though, so what else can you do with those remaining pairs that aren't worthy of the donation pile?

Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

QUILT: Cut the good parts of the denim clothing into four inch squares. Sew together to form a quilt. I did this and made a "rag" quilt. I sewed the quilt and left the denim seams on the outside of the quilt. Washed and dried for a little fraying and bam .. one Christmas gift was finished.

PURSE: Turn the jeans (I used shorts) to the inside and sew just below the bottom at the beginning of the legs. I sewed a few times for extra reinforcing. Sew on a strap using the waistband from another pair of jeans. Lace a belt or use ribbon through the beltloops to draw closed. I also put a strip of Velcro on the inside of mine to keep shut.

PILLOWS: I made "butt" pillows for our van the same basic way the purse is made. Except you need to close the entire top with Velcro. Put a ready made pillow form in and you can unvelcro for easy cleaning. Just toss in the washer. I used an old pillow as the pillow form and had no cost at all for my pillows.

APRON: Use a pair of overalls for this project. Cut the seams of the legs apart and then sew both of the front legs together and then both of the back legs together. Slip over you head for a great apron. You can also use as a great overall dress. Quick and easy.

NECK ROLL PILLOW: Cut off one of the legs at the crotch. Cut the other end off at the length you want the pillow to be, so you're left with a 'tube' of denim open at both ends. At this point you could use some fabric paints to add designs. Then wash the fabric a couple of times and put them through the dryer. This will help make the ends frayed in a more natural (and easier!) way than doing it by hand. Once it's done, all you have to do is stuff the tube, and tie off each end with ribbon, kind of like a Tootsie Roll! If you're using cotton stuffing - stuff it good and full, because it will settle with use. You can even stuff it with what's left of your jeans, if you don't mind it being harder than an average pillow.

Here are a few other projects you might like:

Denim Diary for Girls
Braided Denim Rug
Denim Christmas Stocking

Here are a couple blue jean projects I made for Kaboose this year!

Denim iPod Holder
Denim Bible Cover

To see some other great frugal tips, visit Thrifty Thursday. Have a great Thursday!

~ Amanda