Gifts You Can Make from Old Denim Jeans

Don't Throw Out Your Old Jeans, Give Them New Life with These Creative Homemade Gift Ideas!

I would guess that most people have at least a few pair of old jeans lying around. Whether they're worn out, or you lost weight and they're too big, or your kids have outgrown yet another pair of jeans, most of us have some old jeans we don't know what to do with.

If you have some basic sewing skills, and a little bit of time, you can make some wonderful gifts! Chances are after checking these ideas out, you'll come up with a few of your own.

If you don't have any old jeans or denim around your home, you can get them for super cheap at your local thrift store, or garage sales, flea markets. or just ask friends or family. They'll most likely be happy to get rid of them and even happier if they happened to get a great gift back!

Denim is the perfect fabric for many items because it's heavy, durable and thick.

Ideas To Make Gifts From Denim Jeans:

Pillow: Cut the legs into a tube, stuff with cotton, and sew the ends shut. Make a smaller version for a travel pillow, or a larger version to decorate a living room or bedroom. Add decorative touches like buttons, or use the back pocket of the jeans for an interesting effect.

Purse: Cut the legs below the crotch, sew each leg shut and thread a rope or ribbon through the belt loops for a handle. This can be used as a hip and unusual handbag, or as a shopping bag for the environmentalist. Various size jeans will create different sized bags. Pick a plain cotton rope as a handle for the eco-friendly person, or use a decorative, glittery rope for the fashionista.

Potholders: Line denim squares with fleece, quilt batting or more layers of denim to create a thick potholder. Quilt together. Hem the edges, or seam with tape or ribbon. You can add rick-rack and other decorative designs, too. This is the perfect gift for the chef or baker in your family.

Pouch: Cut a tube from the legs and sew one side together to create a pouch. Hem the open top edge for a neater appearance. You can sew on a ribbon handle, zipper, button closure or other embellishments. Use smaller pants for smaller pouches. Fill with things like marbles or blocks for a young child's gift.

Organizer: The legs of the jeans can be cut into squares or rectangles, and then sewn together to create an organizer for jewelry, pencils or more. This one requires a little more creativity and skill because you'll have to design little pockets, but the denim fabric is the perfect weight for this type of project if you have the sewing experience.

Coin purse: The back pocket of jeans makes the perfect coin purse. Just cut closely around the pocket for an instant pouch. Add a zipper or button closure if desired. You can decorate with buttons, ribbons, fabric paint or beads. This is a great gift for a young girl.

Bean bags: Cut small squares from the legs of the jeans, and then sew together at the edges (leaving a small opening). Pour beans or rice into the opening, making sure you don't stuff the beanbag too full. Sew closed (you'll probably have to sew it closed by hand, just as you'd sew closed a pillow). Bean bags make great toys for kids. They can try tossing them into bowls or bins as a game!

There are lots of ways to give denim jeans a new life, especially if you've got some sewing skills. With a little creativity and ingenuity, you can end up with some fun and unique gifts!

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