Making a Quilt From Blue Jeans

Making a quilt is a fun and useful way to recycle denim.

Everyone has a pair or two of worn out blue jeans hanging in their closet that they no longer wear. A fun way to put your old denim to use is to transform them into your very own quilt. Not only will you make more space in your closet, but you will also give new life and new purpose to your blue jeans by turning them into something that's both functional and fashionable.

Shapes

While many quilt patterns utilize a variety of shapes, it's a good idea to employ simple square and rectangular shapes when assembling a quilt pattern out of blue jeans, as denim is a heavy and thick material that can be difficult to cut and sew. However, using simple shapes doesn't mean that your quilt will be boring. A fun way to add a bit of flair to your quilt is to cut out squares that include pockets, buttons or side seams. Embroidery is also a good way to personalize your quilt and soften the harshness of so many denim squares.

Fabrics

The fabric that you choose for your quilt is extremely important, as you will want to avoid material that will make your quilt too hot and heavy or simply not visually appealing. Thin pieces of denim, such as the knees of your blue jeans, won't match the rest of your quilt and will be extremely noticeable. It would also be a good idea to avoid stretchy denim, as it will be extremely difficult to sew. When choosing the contrasting and backing fabric for your quilt, a patterned flannel, such as plaid or calico, makes both a lightweight and complementary choice.

Sizes

Before cutting or sewing together your quilt pieces, decide how large you want both your shapes and your quilt to be. While you can choose any size, a typical quilt square tends to be between 3 and 5 inches, with an extra 1/4 inch added to the sides of the squares for the seams. Once you determine the size of your quilt squares, you can determine how many pieces you will need to cut out to create your desired quilt size.

Patterns

There are a number of interesting patterns that you can utilize when making your blue jeans quilt. While a simple pattern of columns and rows is always pretty, you might also choose to sew your quilt shapes together in a random pattern until you can cut a large enough quilt top out of the sewn together material. Another interesting way to pattern your quilt is to alternate the shades of denim that you're sewing together. If you're feeling particularly creative, you might even want to take advantage of different colored denim, such as red or purple, when creating your quilt pattern.

Sewing

There are a few denim specific sewing techniques that will make assembling your blue jeans quilt much easier. It's important to sew your quilt together with a heavy duty cotton or jeans thread so that your finished quilt will be more durable. Many needles won't be sturdy or sharp enough to go through the heavy layer of denim material so you'll also need to use a heavy duty denim needle when sewing your quilt. It's also a good idea to iron your denim as flat as possible before you start sewing your quilt together. Not only will flattening your denim make it easier for the needle to go through, but it will also make handling and assembling your quilt much less difficult.

References

• The Family Homestead: Blue Jean Quilt Project
• DawnPages: Working With Denim In A Quilt