I've kept a box of old blue jeans, worn jeans, didn't fit jeans for a long time (15 years?) in my closet, always with the hopes of reusing them somehow.
My father was a creative inventor, and always used one thing to make another. So that must be where I've gotten the need to remake, repurpose, recycle, upcycle - everything I no long can use or want.
In this day and age, it seems our society is much more open to wearing or using things that have come from something else. So because it is a common, popular thing, maybe not a fad, I am pleased that I have kept this box of blue jeans so long.
I have four stacks of possibilities from these jeans: Stack 1 is skirts for myself. Stack 2 is just back pockets. Stack 3 is a quilt. Stack 4 is a wreath. It is stack 4 that this post is about today.
I am not one to follow a pattern, so I just put this wreath together by trial and error and crafting and sewing experience. Here are the photos from the process.
Time to make the wreath - approximately 4-5 hours. I cut a lot of pieces in advance, and used my personal reflection time in the morning to work on it. Plum Deluxe tea accompanied me while reviewing my prayer requests and during this quiet, reflectful time.
Amount of blue jeans - very hard to say. I started with the double side seam and then cut 8-10 inch strips of the jeans I wasn't using for Stack 1, 2, or 3 as noted above.
Wreath shape - I used a green wired wreath with four rows that I purchased at Dollar General for less than $2.00. Here you can see the wire wreath and the rows.
My original goal was to use the thick side seam pieces, which were waste product of the blue jeans I was taking apart. As I started to tie each piece around the wire on all four rows, I really liked the way the knot looked so I focused on tying and knotting, then pushing the strands of the knot down in between the rows so only the knot was visible. Here you can see the knots, but keep in mind that last outside row and the last inside row will show the strands. You'll be able to see this more in the pictures that follow.
As I added more ties and knotted them tight, I pushed them up against each other so the green wire didn't show. Some edge seam pieces were so thick that I removed them, and at that point, I realized how nice it looked with other pieces of denim as well.
The picture on the left is my completed wreath on the "knotty" side. The picture on the right is the reverse side with the "shaggy" side. I trimmed some of the ties once it was complete, and you can use your own judgment on how long you want them to be. I absolutely love the idea of it being reversible - one pattern on one side, and another on the reverse! Also, if you hang this on a window or door where people can see both sides, there won't be an "unsightly" back to it.
Next, I'll have to make some flowers out of shirts I plan to remake from my stash, wear to where. During spring, summer, and fall, I'll be hanging this on my rustic barn door in my yard. Now that I have gotten this curious project out of the way, maybe I can focus on Stack 1, Stack 2 and Stack 3. And maybe, just maybe, I'll post some pictures of those wear to where projects too.
What are you doing with your previously worn jeans?
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you find a blessing in your day!
My father was a creative inventor, and always used one thing to make another. So that must be where I've gotten the need to remake, repurpose, recycle, upcycle - everything I no long can use or want.
In this day and age, it seems our society is much more open to wearing or using things that have come from something else. So because it is a common, popular thing, maybe not a fad, I am pleased that I have kept this box of blue jeans so long.
I have four stacks of possibilities from these jeans: Stack 1 is skirts for myself. Stack 2 is just back pockets. Stack 3 is a quilt. Stack 4 is a wreath. It is stack 4 that this post is about today.
I am not one to follow a pattern, so I just put this wreath together by trial and error and crafting and sewing experience. Here are the photos from the process.
Time to make the wreath - approximately 4-5 hours. I cut a lot of pieces in advance, and used my personal reflection time in the morning to work on it. Plum Deluxe tea accompanied me while reviewing my prayer requests and during this quiet, reflectful time.
Amount of blue jeans - very hard to say. I started with the double side seam and then cut 8-10 inch strips of the jeans I wasn't using for Stack 1, 2, or 3 as noted above.
Wreath shape - I used a green wired wreath with four rows that I purchased at Dollar General for less than $2.00. Here you can see the wire wreath and the rows.
My original goal was to use the thick side seam pieces, which were waste product of the blue jeans I was taking apart. As I started to tie each piece around the wire on all four rows, I really liked the way the knot looked so I focused on tying and knotting, then pushing the strands of the knot down in between the rows so only the knot was visible. Here you can see the knots, but keep in mind that last outside row and the last inside row will show the strands. You'll be able to see this more in the pictures that follow.
As I added more ties and knotted them tight, I pushed them up against each other so the green wire didn't show. Some edge seam pieces were so thick that I removed them, and at that point, I realized how nice it looked with other pieces of denim as well.
The picture on the left is my completed wreath on the "knotty" side. The picture on the right is the reverse side with the "shaggy" side. I trimmed some of the ties once it was complete, and you can use your own judgment on how long you want them to be. I absolutely love the idea of it being reversible - one pattern on one side, and another on the reverse! Also, if you hang this on a window or door where people can see both sides, there won't be an "unsightly" back to it.
Next, I'll have to make some flowers out of shirts I plan to remake from my stash, wear to where. During spring, summer, and fall, I'll be hanging this on my rustic barn door in my yard. Now that I have gotten this curious project out of the way, maybe I can focus on Stack 1, Stack 2 and Stack 3. And maybe, just maybe, I'll post some pictures of those wear to where projects too.
What are you doing with your previously worn jeans?
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you find a blessing in your day!