Thanks for the feedback!

Denim quilts are fun to make, they look great, and they last forever (OK – At least 30 years). But it takes a lot of blue jeans to make even a small denim quilt and the finished product is very, very heavy – and it’s even heavier when wet, which is why I always let the dry cleaners handle it. They have the machinery and the muscle toget the job done right.

Anyway -I like using larger hooks and larger yarns, so I finally found someone who makes larger size wooden crochet hooks and am now planning to use those. I just got my order yesterday and started my project (a grocery tote) using plarn cut 3″ wide. Because the yarn and the hook are large, the project is going fairly quickly – I’m hoping to have it completed by the end of next week.

You have such a great thing going! We can save the environment and have fun crocheting at the same time. Talk about a win-win situation!

Monica

I have been crocheting for a couple of years now, and just learned how to knit, so I’m anxious to try making a bag for myself.

To Kimber – I’ve been making quilts out of old blue jeans since I was 19 (I’m now in my 50s). Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way:

1 – The denim will be forgiving because it stretches a bit.

2 – Trying to applique with or onto denim will make you want to commit suicide after a while. Stick with piecing.

3 – Since denim is a fairly thick fabric, stick with pieces at least 2 1/2 – 3 inches on a side. Trying to work with very small pieces will evoke the same reactions as item #2 above.

4 – Stick with machine sewing, using a #14 needle and cotton thread. Double or triple stich the seams.

5 – Use another sturdy fabric for the backing. Courduroy is perfect, flannel and cotton sheets not so good. Pick a nice thin batting because the quilt will already be quite heavy.

6 – Trying to quilt denim will also evoke the same reaction as #2. Stick with hand tying. I use cotton embroidery floss, all 6 strands at once.

7 – Stick with a simple binding. I have always had good results using a back-over-front binding. In my opinion, front-over-back is too plain – nothing but denim.

8 – Wash only when absolutely necessary, and let the dry cleaners handle it – It’s a nightmare to try to wash and dry.

Having said all that, I still have the very first quilt I made all those years ago and it’s still in great shape. I had to take it apart once and replace the batting, but other than that, it’s held up wonderfully. That first quilt was made of simple rectangles of varying sizes, but I’ve also made a couple of Lone Star quilts, an octagon, and a huge king-sized monster that could hardly be lifted. This last quilt was a gift to a large (and very strong) man who absolutely adored it.

Because jeans are made with so many “odd-shaped” pieces, you’ll find that it takes an average of 11 average sized pairs of jeans to make a simple, twin-sized quilt. The completed quilt will weigh about 8-10 pounds. Larger quilts will weigh more.

Good luck on your endeavor!

I currently have two giant trash bags FULL of old jeans my mom collected from friends at work. I plan to make patchwork quilts and roll pillows for my four sons. Any helpful hints or suggestions for a project of this magnitude? I’m really afraid I’ll bend a thousand sewing machine needles…

Thanks so much for kick-starting my creativity!
Kimber

Thanks!