WOYWW: Upcycling Edition!

I have moved my base of operations into the dining room for the past few days.

When I got my sewing machine back in March, I started putting aside some clothing from my Goodwill pile, figuring I could use some of the remnants for various projects once I developed some skill with the machine.

A couple of days ago (skill be damned), I pulled out a pair of old blue jeans, and thought it would be fun to make as many different things from as many different parts of them as I could.

It’s amazing how far a pair of jeans can go!

First I made a cuff bracelet from the waistband, sewing a length of lace along the top. Then I made a little ring from two of the belt loops, sewing on a button as a “jewel”.

The whole time I worked on these projects, I felt as though my grandmother (who was a long-time and talented seamstress) was looking down on me from heaven saying something along the lines of, “Good grief, girl, what on EARTH are you doing with that sewing machine?!”

And I’m pretty sure the sewing machine was cursing me just a little as I worked to sink my needle through the incredibly thick layers of denim at the waistband. I used a combination of machine sewing, hand sewing, and fabric glue to make the bracelet and ring happen!

I made some bookmarks, embellished with flowered ribbon, from the rest of the waistband:

I also made a couple of cute pocket magnets from the back pockets:

All you have to do is cut the pockets out, embellish, and put an adhesive magnet strip on the back. For one, I added a few adhesive metallic dots, and for the other, I glued on little diamond rhinestones in the shape of a heart. (I spent a decade in Texas; we have no problem with “denim and diamonds” in the Lone Star state!)

I’m using some strips of denim, along with other ribbons and fabrics, to make some sewn strips fabric paper (in the same style I made with strips of paper alone back in May).  This paper (you can see the beginnings of it in the very first photo in today's post) is likely destined for postcards and ATCs.

Finally, I sewed together a placement, using fabric from the pant legs, but my thus-far substandard sewing skills forbid that I share that part of the project with you!

It’s really kind of fun to just grab a pair of pants (mine had a hole that made them pretty much beyond repair from my perspective, but you could also nab a pair from a second-hand shop), and think of all the projects you can make from them. It didn’t occur to me until this morning to look online for some additional ideas, so I am looking forward to seeing what others have done. I have one more pair of jeans set aside to “play” with!

To see other folks’ worktables and projects across the globe, check out Julia’s Stamping Ground web site for links to WOYWW participants’ blogs.

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Be sure to check out a new e-course by Moira Richardson of Crafty Moira. Beginning July 15, she is going to challenge us to stop buying new supplies for 30 days while we “bust our stash” by art journaling with only those materials we have hoarded already!

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Enjoy a creative week!