On a recent dumpster diving trip, we came across several discarded pairs of jeans. They seemed perfectly good and sported no rips, stains or funky smells. Since these 43 X 30s were out of our size range, they went right to the thrift store’s drop box.
Spotting these seemingly still-good jeans being discarded brought up a question: what can you do with old jeans that you just can’t wear any longer? Actually, a lot of things. Denim is a sturdy and long-lasting material. Most of the suggestions below require some level of craftiness, but with a little time and effort you can give those old jeans new life. Bonus: recycling jeans to make stuff is a fantastic way to save money and increase your green factor. Next time we see some old jeans going to waste, we’re snagging ‘em.
1. Make draft stoppers for your doors. Use a leg of the jeans, fill it with stuffing or old rags, and sew up both ends.
2. Make heating pads for your aches and pains or cold winter beds. Cut off one half of a jeans leg, sew up one end, and fill it with rice or dry corn. Sew up the other end of the leg, then microwave whenever you need a quick dose of heat therapy.
3. Cut the material into strips and use the strips to weave, knit, or crochet a sturdy throw rug.
4. Sew lots of rear jeans pockets to a large sheet of fabric. Hang it on the wall to make a handy hanging organizer.
5. Cut several pairs of old jeans into four-inch squares, then make a jeans quilt.
6. Cut the legs off, sew up the leg openings, and use the top part of the jeans as a clothespin holder.
7. Use the same method (and add a strap) to make a purse.
8. Use the good parts of old jeans to patch up tears on newer jeans.
9. Make pot holders from squares of denim with quilt batting or layers of other old clothes to absorb heat.
10. Make a freaky scarecrow for Halloween. Take an old flannel shirt and a pair of jeans, stuff them with straw, and top with a rubber mask. (The scariest Halloween prank ever: put a scarecrow out on your front porch about two weeks before Halloween so everyone in the neighborhood gets used to it. Then, on Halloween, replace the scarecrow with you dressed in the same clothes. Jump out at unsuspecting visitors and be prepared to watch them freak the heck out.)
11. Make a coffee cup cozy to keep your latte from burning your hands without using one of those nasty styrofoam bands.
12. Protect your precious gadgets with a recycled denim gadget caddy.
13. Make a comfy blue jean bean bag chair.
14. Make a unique denim bulletin board.
15. Send your kids off to school with a reusable denim lunch bag. (You can personalize it in case your kids aren’t keen on the big primary color buttons.)
16. Use the back pockets from old jeans to make pockets to go on your fridge. Use the pockets to hold notes, coupons, or other little odds and ends.
17. Sew up some entertaining toys for your dogs.
18. Make placemats for your dinner table. Put a rear pocket on each one for holding silverware and a cloth napkin.
19. Replace your old holiday stockings with new (recycled) denim stockings. Santa will be very impressed.
20. Use one of the rear pockets to create an interesting photo frame.
21. Fashion a craft bucket for holding all of those crafting supplies. You can also use this concept for making a workshop tool holder to keep the tools for a particular project close at hand.
22. Cut open and piece together the legs from several pairs of jeans to make a sturdy slipcover for your sofa.
23. If you live in the UK, you can send your old jeans in to this place, where they will be reborn as sandals.
24. Create a custom diary cover for a young girl, or use the same technique to cover your own address book or organizer.
25. Contact your local Habitat for Humanity chapter for information on donating jeans to be used as environmentally friendly home insulation.