New Uses for Old Jeans

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

31 Dec 2006 11:40 AM

Saturday morning, I stole an hour away to go thrift store shopping. They were having a sale, and Henry really needs some 6-9 month clothes. On the way out of the store and into my car, I heard a tear. Uh-oh.

I am wearing my favorite jeans. The ones that are so soft and comfortable, that I continued to wear them, even with a hole in the knee. I had to wear a knee brace anyway, so the hole didn't make too much of a difference (rationalization). This latest rip, though, was in the back, just under the pocket. Yikes. Fortunately, the tear happened as I was already getting into the car, so I was saved any embarrassment.

On the way home, I had to face the reality that the jeans were just no longer wearable. Nor could I donate them, for the same obvious reason. So I started brainstorming on some new uses for my old jeans. Here are some of the ideas that rattled around in my brain:

I could make a custom journal for myself or as a gift by covering a composition notebook with the jean fabric. One of the pockets could go on the front as a cute way to hold a pen.

I could use the jean material for a rag rug. Earlier, I wrote about doing this with t-shirts. Although the materials are different weights, they might go nicely together for a sort of americana, blue-jeans and apple pie sort of look.

I could sew up a cute denim purse for my niece. I could cut off the legs and sew up the bottom part above the tear, and then add a shoulder strap or little handle from some of the leg material.

I could make an apron by cutting the legs, opening up the fabric and putting a fabric belt through the belt loops.

The legs could be knotted and used for doggie pull toys for my friend's dog.

Do you have another other ideas for using old jeans?

Related Articles:

Reuse Those Rags: Make A Rug

New Uses for Old T-Shirts

New Uses for Old Towels

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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