How to Make a Beautiful Denim Quilt from Old Jeans

Did you know that the average American owns seven pairs of jeans? And odds are some of those jeans aren’t wearable. But if you just can’t bear to get rid of your jeans, you can turn them into a denim quilt.

Denim quilts are a fantastic way to reuse your old jeans, especially if you can’t wear them anymore. If you want to refresh your denim collection, you should make a denim quilt.

A NEW WAY TO QUILT?

 

Image Source: Pixabay

If you’re a denim fanatic, you probably have a vast collection of jeans and other denim items in your closet. And some of those items might even be a bit too worn out to wear.

Luckily, you don’t have to purge your old jeans once you can’t wear them. Instead, you can turn them into a denim quilt.

That’s right. You can repurpose your old denim into a new blanket. Anyone can make a denim quilt, and it’s pretty easy to do.

Of course, you need sewing supplies, but it doesn’t take an expert to turn old blue jeans into a refurbished denim quilt.

WHAT IS A DENIM QUILT?

A quilt is a type of blanket that has different squares or other shapes sewn together to form a blanket. You can use almost any fabric to make a quilt. So, a denim quilt is a quilt where denim is one of the main fabrics.

A denim quilt is the perfect project for anyone who loves denim.

WHY SHOULD YOU USE DENIM FOR A QUILT?

If you’re a long-time jeans wearer, odds are you have at least one pair of jeans you never wear but refuse to part with. Like other clothes, jeans can hold a special place in our hearts. It can be hard to get rid of something with such fond memories.

Reusing denim for a quilt can keep those memories alive while freeing up space in your closet for new jeans.

Aside from the sentimental benefits, denim has some advantageous attributes. First, denim is durable and long-lasting. Also, denim doesn’t snag like some other fabrics.

Making a denim quilt from your old jeans can save you money on fabric, too. You may need to buy some new denim to fill out your quilt, but you don’t have to start from scratch.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

 

Image Source: unsplash

It’s the phrase we’ve all heard many times. Reduce, reuse, and recycle. If you have many pairs of old jeans, making a denim quilt is an excellent way to cut down on waste.

You don’t have to feel guilty about tossing your unwearable jeans, and you can make a new quilt in the process.

What’s more, making a denim quilt is surprisingly easy. You can do it at home, and you can find any tools you need at a craft store or online.

HANDY AT HOME

If you’re looking for a new hobby, quilting could be for you. But even if you just want to do a one-off craft project, making a denim quilt is great.

You don’t need a ton of supplies to get started, and you may even have most of the supplies already. All you need to make a denim quilt is denim, a sewing machine, a needle, and thread.

Of course, you can go a little crazy with other fabric and accessories. But a simple denim quilt is easy, even for beginners.

OLD JEANS, NEW QUILT

There are many reasons why you should consider using old jeans to make a denim quilt. First, as we already mentioned, you can save money on fabric.

Second, you probably know that denim can be very soft and comfortable. While it may not be the perfect fabric for a blanket, it’s close.

And like it or not, we make a lot of waste. Turning your old jeans into a new quilt can reduce your waste in a couple of ways. You won’t have to toss your jeans, and you also won’t have to buy extra fabric.

Another reason for using jeans to make a denim quilt is that you can make a quilt that’s unique to you. No one else has worn the same pair of jeans just like you have.

When making a denim quilt, you can even combine the denim with other fabrics. You can also cut your denim into different shapes to create a one-of-a-kind quilt.

HOW TO MAKE A DENIM QUILT

 

Image Source: unsplash

So you want to bring new life to your favorite pair of old jeans. They’re tearing at the seams, or maybe they just don’t fit you anymore.

Instead of tossing or donating your jeans, you decide to use them for a denim quilt. You need another blanket anyway, so it makes sense to kill two birds with one stone.

But you’ve never used denim to make a quilt before, and you need some guidance. Making a denim quilt is pretty straightforward, but there are some things you can do to make things easy on yourself.

Whether you’ve made quilts before or not, here are some tips and tricks for how to make a denim quilt.

PREP YOUR DENIM

It may sound obvious, but you don’t want to use denim that’s dirty or too worn down. Before you start making your denim quilt, you should wash the jeans and other denim items you plan to use.

Next, it’s time to cut up your old jeans. You can rip the seams apart, but that can be time-consuming and not necessarily worth it.

Instead, you can cut close to the seams to get as much of the fabric as you can. You can toss the seams or save them to add as decoration later.

After that, take a look at what you have. Make sure the denim isn’t too thin or stretched out. While thinner areas aren’t the end of the world, you want to be strategic with where you place them in the quilt.

Finally, you’re ready to cut the denim into squares or shapes for your quilt. You can make all of the pieces square. However, long strips can be easier to work with.

If you use squares, they have to be pretty small, but strips can be longer. And you can get a little creative with how you place the strips for a unique design.

YOUR OWN DESIGN

Once you prepare and cut your denim, it’s time to start designing your denim quilt. If you decide to go with squares, you can match them up.

Matching up the squares will help you see how your quilt will fit together and if there are any gaps.

If you don’t want to design your own quilt, you can find a pattern online.

GET CREATIVE

Now, you can get creative with how you place the squares of different washes. If you have different washes, you can make the squares go light to dark. Or you can mix and match.

The same is true for working with long strips.

At this point, you can also add in some squares of other fabrics. If you want a big quilt and don’t have much denim, adding other fabrics can help you reach your desired size. Other fabrics can also add some color or texture to your quilt.

REMEMBER THIS

Unless you’ve sewn denim before, you probably don’t know that denim requires some special care. You can’t just sew denim like you would any other fabric.

According to The Spruce Crafts, you should use a denim needle rather than a regular needle. You should also use either cotton thread or special jeans thread.

They also recommend against hand sewing a denim quilt. Denim’s thickness can make hand sewing more time-consuming and frustrating.

Instead, you should use a sewing machine. You can set the machine to sew about 10 to 12 stitches per inch. And if your sewing machine has a walking foot, that can help keep the quilt from moving around.

SEW, SEW, SEW

Now, it’s finally time to sew! So grab your sewing machine, needle, and thread. Get your quilt set up and ready to put together.

Make sure you have the time and space to work on your quilt. Depending on the size, you may need more space and time. If you don’t have much of either, you can sew the quilt in spurts. Just be sure to take a picture of your design to remind you where each patch will go.

THE FINISHING TOUCH

If you want to make the ends of your quilt look polished, consider binding them. Binding the quilt is where you sew strips around the edge of your quilt.

You should use new denim or other fabric for this because old denim usually isn’t long enough. But regardless of your fabric choice, binding your quilt can keep the ends from fraying. It will look like new for much longer.

JEANS, RENEWED

 

Image Source: Pixabay

We’ve all had our favorite pair of jeans or a beloved jean jacket. And sadly, they’ve probably worn down. You may not even be able to wear your favorite jeans anymore.

But all hope isn’t lost for your prized denim. Instead of tossing your unusable jeans, turn them into a denim quilt.

You can bring new life to your old jeans, and you can still feel their softness against your legs or arms. Only this time, it’s because you’re under a quilt, rather than wearing your jeans.

Do you have a favorite pair of jeans? Would you ever turn them into a denim quilt? Let us know in the comments!