Great Ways to Recycle Your Old Denim Jeans

Stop! Don't throw away those old denim jeans! Denim is a great fabric for recycling projects, and everyone who's ever owned a pair of jeans can attest to the durability of the fabric. Since it always seems like one part of the jeans wears out faster than the rest, there's almost always recycle-worthy denim left on the jeans once they've reached the point where you can't (or won't let your hubby / boyfriend / kids) wear them any more. Do your part for the environment, and be "green" by recycling your old denim jeans.

Recycled Denim Project #1
Denim Rag Quilt

Here's what I do: Whenever I have a pair of jeans I no longer want or can't wear anymore, I analyze them for wearability. If I think that they are in good shape, with nothing wrong with them, I might donate them to a thrift store, but more likely, they have a problem: maybe a pocket ripped off, the knees are worn out, or they have a stain. In that case, I fold them in half and roll them up, then place them in a designated bag with other pairs of bygone blue jeans. Then I wait. I've been saving my current batch of denim for three years, because that's how long it took me to get close enough to my goal of making a denim quilt for my bed. If you have smaller projects in mind, you won't have to wait nearly as long.

For my quilt, I cut off the hems of all of the jeans, then I cut along the seams up the legs. I cut across the back of the jeans about 1 inch under the pocket and in the front around the zipper about 1 inch all around. You could take out the stitches, but it takes a long time for a relatively small amount of fabric, so to me, it's not worth the effort. I haven't figured out a way to reuse the seams, so if you think of something let me know.

With the denim fabric I now have, I cut 8 inch squares. You can use smaller or larger squares depending on your project and the size of your jeans. We worked it out that I would need 144 denim squares of this size to finish my almost queen-sized quilt, but a smaller quilt will need less, a larger quilt, more. Since I realized that I was going to be a little bit short on denim, I put an add on Craigslist in the wanted section and ended up having 14 pairs donated to me. So, if you don't want to wait, you can try that or you can buy jeans at your local thrift store. Whatever you do, don't buy new jeans for this project, because that's just defeating the purpose!

Still, even with all this denim for my quilt, I have a ton of fabric leftover. I have at least a dozen pairs of denim pockets, plus all the zippers and waistbands, so I had to find some other projects. Here's what I came up with.

Recycled Denim Pockets Project #2

Denim Book Cover

Here's a great no sew recycled denim project that I can't wait to try! Sure, I'm not in school anymore, but I bet this would be a great way to personalize a journal. All you need is fabric glue, old denim jeans made out of stretch denim, and a denim pocket. Too cute!

Recycled Denim Project #3
Recycled Denim Bracelet

Okay, this bracelet isn't my favorite, but there are definitely possibilities with this project, and everybody has their own style. A great way to use up all the long piece I have leftover from cutting my denim into squares.

Recycled Denim Project #4

Fringed Denim Purse

Again, not my favorite look, but what can I say? This project is designed for a teenaged girl and I'm a 30-year-old adult. Still, I can definitely see ways of turning this into a stylish project for an adult: I'd add my own strap instead of using the denim hem and I'd use glass beads instead of plastic.

Recycled Denim Project #5

The Denim Scatter Rug

Now this is cool! This will be great to do with all the smaller pieces of denim I have from making my denim quilt. You'll need a large piece of denim to serve as the backing fabric for your rug and a bunch of 2 x 3 inch denim rectangles. This project looks like it might take a while, especially cutting all those rectangles, but I bet it frays beautifully and just might last forever. Now that's a good project!

Recycled Denim Pockets Project #6

Denim Locker Organizer

This is a fun thing for your locker. You just need your old denim jeans and magnets to create this easy project. Here's another variation on the idea from Etsy.

Recycled Denim Pockets Project #7

The Denim 'Pocket' Book

This is a great way to use up those denim pocket, but it looks pretty hard to sew to me. I'm just a beginner seamstress though, so I'm sure someone with more patience / advanced skills could have a go at it. A good way to use both pockets and leftover zippers.

Recycled Denim Project #8

The Denim Pocket Purse

This is my favorite project of the bunch so far, and It think that's because I love the addition of the cute ribbon to the purse. I can see this as a really cute present for a young girl, but I can imagine using a purse like myself when I don't want to be carrying much, like if I'm heading out on the town for the night. You'd probably get a lot of compliments on this purse.

Recycled Denim Project #9

The Bum Bag

I have to confess: I hate these purses made out of old denim jeans. I don't know if it's just that I've seen so many of them, or what, but I can't stand the idea of sewing across the crotch of an old pair of jeans to make a purse. I'm all about recycling, but for whatever reason, this project always bugs me. Still, for those of you not as weird about these purses as me, here's a great way to make your own.

Recycled Denim Project #10

The Denim Pocket Pouch

Okay, so this is just some pictures of some cute recycled denim projects, but I'm sure it will inspire you to create your own denim pocket pouch. I know I feel inspired to go create something cool!

Recycled Denim Project #11

The Recycled Denim Dress with Pockets

Now this dress is just amazing. It's way beyond the scope of my sewing ability, but if you are an advanced seamstress, you should totally design your own version of this dress. I love it!