Eight ways to upcycle old jeans

Sadly, one of my favourite pairs of jeans has reached the point of no return. Theres no amount of stitching I can do to repair the holes - since the fabric has lost its stretch (they were stretch denim) and now when I wear them they are so baggy I feel like I am wearing a nappy.

But I am still not prepared to throw them away, and want to recycle the fabric.

I have done some research to see what I can do, and these below took my fancy. The hard part is choosing which project to start first!

^{My old jeans ready for new creative projects}

A fitted mask

When I wear a mask, my glasses fog up. This looks like a great solution to clear vision and not having to find my way by feel when I am in public. And, of course, it is the perfect item to embellish with some sashiko stitching.

^{via: la creative mama}

Sashiko Coaster

Because you can never have too many coasters.

Denim Oven Mit

Mr Zen and I have been doing a lot of camping lately, which means cooking over an open fire. These are a great idea for holding the handles of hot cast iron pans.

^{via: Merriment Design}

Recycled Denim Tote

I never seem to have enough bags to put things in. I love the idea of making a dedicated tote to put my special art books in when I transport them to my workshops. And of course, the pocket is a blank canvas that is perfect for some zen stitching.

^{via: Trash to Couture}

Fold Over Clutch

I just fell in love with the simplicity of this design.

^{via: Nina's Ideas}

A braided rug

I've always wanted to make one of these….. and living in a house with floorboards makes it cold under foot in winter. To make a rug of this size you will need approximately 55 pairs of jeans. This could mean my rug will be a work in progress for many years!

^{via: Megan Nielsen}

A coiled crochet rug

Another version of a rug, but using crochet to connect the pieces…. this could be too much fun! And I like that consistently using the same coloured thread to crochet keeps all the colours looking uniform.

^{via: My Poppet}

Recycled denim coaster

And here’s an idea to use up those pesky hems and seams that are too tough to include in other projects.

^{via: My Recycled Bags}