I've never really worked with old blue jeans, but here are some quick ideas, not jean specific:

belts
small teddy bears
throw pillows
quilting material


I knew a person who cut jeans into strips and then used ginormous needles to knit them into scarves.

Another cut strip idea. Weave them into a throw rug. Maybe mix in some ribbons or something colorful.

Sew them into envelope shapes and write to long, lost friends.

purses, skirts, groc bags, quilts, wall pockets, hats, corsets, etc...have fun!
jennifer

take the really old ones that you don't like so much, and use it to patch up the newer ones that are getting a few holes in them because you love them too much and wear them all the time.

that's what i'm working on right now!!

Not exactly a reconstruction, but this is what happens to my summer cutoffs - I stretch them like a canvas and paint them.
www.artchicken.com/4recycledblues.htm

if your brave, really messed up jeans make great micro mini skirts, use discarded parts to patch any naughty bits.....or don't!

Add fabric to the sides to make bell bottoms....or add fabric and other details to the front to make hipper bell bottoms.

I recovered an old couch with about 30 pairs one summer. Made an awesome cape out of them, leaving pockets in tact as much as possible and adding velco to keep the pockets closed.

Split the legs open and sew the two of them together and it holds a sleeping bag.

I use two layers of jean in all of my bellydance belts, and one layer on all of my bras. Gives a nice heft to them without being stiff.

If you have four-legged friends they make great dog beds. Just make them into a large pillow & stuff them with cedar shavings and/or anyything fluffy... ;)

ok miss jaz
take all 10 pairs and bust out a full-length falmenco skirt with at least 8 rows of big wide ruffles
keep all the edges raw wherever possible
place rips tears and paint splatters in prime spots
build the whole thing SOLID so you can live in it for the next 5 years
get some bleach out and splatter it on those too dark denim spots
watch out! not too much bleach.....
wash it 3 times in an industrial machine to really fray the seams
toss it in the dryer as final treatment
wear it often
and wash it no more than once a month to keep it distressing.......
xxes
v
e
l
v
e
t

well, that's what i would do....

I dye my old denim and then use it to applique on reconstructed denim skirts and jackets - right now i'm doing roses - but i've done skulls and hears - leave the edges raw .. i'll post some pix in the gallery - Ruby :)

Hi Everyone, I'm new here, but old Jean's is my game!
Here's some things I've made from old blue jeans...

**fabric bowls (with fusible web and timtex)
**rag quilts... made with and without batting
**pocket quilt- made with a back pockets as the focus of each block- it doubles as a curtain for my son's closet - the pockets hold little treasures- no batting in that... it weighs a ton already
**wristlet purses... cut a piece 8" by 11 or 12- put a zipper on the two 8" ends and stitch up the sides with a 1/2 inch seam- wrong sides together-- -wash to fray - piece a cord in the seam before sewing... they go together in minutes! And hold sooo much!!!
**patchwork diaper bag- the commercial ones weren't sturdy enough- been using this one for 3 years with no repairs!!!
** giant tote bag... crazy patchwork on muslin foundation with raw edges too.. it's sooo fuzzy!
** small pocket purses- cut the pocket out of the jeans with a 1/2 inch seam allowance around the edge... sew (with zipper foot- right agains the pocket) to another piece with extra length for flap add button and long cord - makes a small two pocket bag that can be worn across the chest

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, I'll take some pics and add them to the tribe!
Would you believe I hadn't worn blue jeans in 11 years... bought my first pair since then just last month.

OH, just a tip... if you want the raw edge frayed look, don't use stretch jeans... they won't give you the fuzzy good frayed look.

i had a student [i teach fashion students in LA] who made herself a pair of jeans with other jeans patch pockets all over them... upside down, rotated... inside seam, along the back leg, etc... it was a great pair of jeans!

I love making bags and purses out of old jeans and decorating them with fabric paint. I made a bunch of them for burning mas as gifts, and they went over really well.

I also once made what was essentially a wide belt out of a pair of jeans and then sewed bunch of neck ties along the bottom to make a massive fringe. It's a great belly dancing skirt and took almost no time at all to make.


::smiles:: old jeans are fun :)

-- gift bags for wine bottles, add some ribbon or something as a tie (even sleeves of old shirts and sweaters would work).
-- yoga mat bags. Each leg might be just about right.

I made a coat! it was supposed to be a fitted coat, long and flared at the bottom. I'm very round..so it just looks ..i dunno..square...? I did have to piece sections within the overall pattern...left edges raw.. It's fun to wear! Not the warmest garment. I suggest lining if you make a coat for winter wear! (I'll post a pic in my gallery)
I have a corset cut from old jeans...somewhere....I should really make that!
My roomie is Miggipyn..she uses denim for everything!! Rockin' skirts! a

Noticing there are WAY too many ugly pants in the world, I decided to take them out of their misery by giving them new life! Take a look at my pics.... I've built a clothing line based on restyling...mostly jeans into handbags (we've done just about 200 in the past year). A fair amount of them were done with kid sizes, but we're moving back into adult sizes as the hadbag world is pushing Bigger is Better! We're also getting ready to release some designs with Overalls....can you say Backpack? =) Will post as soon as it's ready! We've also done the patchwork belts, wallets, and adding denim to our restyled service shirts!

Enjoy the restyling and best of luck!

Also check out: www.bluecollarlabel.com =)

ugh, i was just trying to hem my jeans last night and my machine kept jamming. i couldn't get the tension right-- and i just got my machine tuned up and i changed the needle to a heavy-duty one.

ok, i know that this isn't really on topic-- but it's along the same lines: got any tips on how to make sewing jeans a bit easier?

I took the pockets off of several old pairs of jeans and sewed them back to back then stuffed them with catnip. They cats chewed and scratched them to thier hearts content and they are virtually indestructable. With the rest of the jeans I removed the seams and used the pieces to make raw edge quilts. No batting needed as they are so heavy and the more they are washed the softer they get. I have even opened up several pairs and sewn them together and covered a wall in my sons room. You know how teenagers like to draw on thier jeans with ink pens, he had more canvas than he knew what to do with. I also make bags for my husbands tools so they don't get banged up in the trick or lose small parts. Jeans, the ultimate in versatile material, lol.

Betty