Up-Cycle Jeans into a Fabulous Quilt!
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- Опубліковано 20 сер 2024
- In an effort to make better use of the ruler and templates I already own, I wanted to find a way to use the hexi template from Daisy and Grace. Jason also had some jeans that were no longer wearable, and after a brief brain block, a plan came together. I'm thrilled with the result. There are 225 hexis in this project and only three of them are made up of bits and pieces!
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Cracks me up that you started out being concerned which way your final fold went and ended up putting in extra seams to maximize scrap use. It turned out fantastic! Well done!
Hi Janet - Right!?!?! You noticed that too!! 🤣Obsessive at the beginning (for about 2 seconds), then on to the path of least resistance. Because finished is better than perfect! Thanks for watching.
I just found you! I love how you explain the process and show your mistakes, like a real quilter! I’m making one of these quilts now. I had so much trouble joining the pieces by machine. I decided to hand sew them together like English paper piecing while watching TV. It goes very quickly,I’m basically just tacking them together, then I go to my machine and do a fancy stitch right away over the hand stitching. Works great, and no more picking out messy stitches.
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Thanks so much Shari! I love that you are enjoying the hand stitching process and it is giving you good results. Thanks for watching.
I found your channel today from Cathy Martin at Catbrid quilts. I'm so glad I have! I watched your video on spray basting and I loved it! Then, this one popped up under it and you've given me hope to use up all my jeans! I'm going to explain below but I'm a bit long winded.
I have a PILE of jeans I've saved over the last 20 years and got the June Tailor circle template to make the magic circle quilt well before the MSQC came out with theirs. I finally started cutting out the circles from my family's used jeans about 2 years ago and it was a chore but I got started. Some I used a rotary cutter on & some I traced & used scissors. I can't remember now which I prefer. I realized I could get over 20 out of a pair of my husband's jeans and still a good number out of a pair of kid's jeans. I decided to make a quilt 90 inches square for my bed! The centers are mostly from t-shirts we tie-dyed and wore a long time ago. I also added batting to each square to make it extra warm & heavy. So I'm at the finish line now and I've got half of it together & making progress on the second half. Like you, I've found putting together 9 patch blocks much easier than doing rows and it has gone quicker. The edges are unfinished & left to fray so that has made it easier using the denim to fold over the inside parts. The kicker is, I will never make another one of these again but I still have a large plastic tote full of denim I don't want to throw away but couldn't find a use for. I did make a couple of cat safe throw pillows using the potato chip block that used a lot of denim. Now, you've given me hope of using it up. Rotary cutting around a hexagon template is so much easier than a circle! And your method of construction is so sweet! And this will use up my scraps! Its a win, win, win! I'm so excited! And this time I'm going to leave out the batting. I'm totally going to add this project to my list even though I didn't need another one. This will be my side scrap busting project for sure. Thank you souch for sharing your experience and creativity! I subscribed. Have a great day!
Hello hello and welcome! Cathy was so kind to include me in her video today. She is such an inspiration. I always feel like I've just had a coffee catch up with a friend after watching one of her videos! I'm so glad to hear that you have persisted to finish your denim quilt. I will definitely revisit this hexi denim quilt. I'm so thrilled with the way it turned out. I've even saved some of Jason's old dockers work trousers. They are a heavy cotton and I can't bear to throw them out. So the next one might have some navy and beige heavy cotton as well! Thanks for watching.
Geez I have tons of denim and didn’t know what to do with it! I just happen to have this template also, imagine that ! Made me happy
Hi Brenda! Glad I could help and inspire! I hope you enjoy this process.
I love this quilt Michelle. Using old denim jeans is one of my favourite ways to up-cycle fabric. I’ve made lots of bags but I really want to try a quilt now that I’ve seen this. Thank you for showing this project
Thanks for watching Frances! I'm hooked, I think, and already saving pieces for another quilt!
Lovely quilt Michelle. Perfect for a picnic rug. I made one many years ago using cardboard templates and sewed the hexies together in rows. I really like your flower idea. Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without!
Hi Patricia! Great mantra! I love the idea of repurposing something that still has some life in it. I've already started collecting for the next quilt.
Really excellent tutorial. I watched Jenny and the girls from MO Star do this, but I can see from watching you that there is a lot more technique that is needed to get this right.
Love your quilt design, too. Fun, colorful, and useful. Tks.
Thanks Sharon - it is a fun project and not that complicated. It did take a minute to figure out the best way to iron and clip before sewing, but it wasn't too difficult. I hope you give this a try.
Great idea for using denim! 🥰Lovely Memory quilt.
Thanks Linda - I was thrilled with the way it turned out and have already starting collecting for a second one.
Hi Michelle! Your quilt is great! I love the Daisy & Grace hexagon templates - they're so rewarding and fun to use! I've already made a sewing machine cover, a Christmas tree skirt, and I have an ongoing quilt project - so far I have around 200 blocks finished, and occasionally I pause another project to make a few more. I don't know when I'll stop - I guess when I feel the quilt is big enough. I'm not using denim, just regular quilting cotton, so I do put batting in mine, and this project is great for using those odd little cuts from bigger projects. I too just sew mine with a straight stich, and then use a 3-step zigzag to sew them together. I use the Magic pins with the silicone heads instead of clips and that's been working well for me because I can iron the block with the pins still in.
Hi Beth - I think I saw one of the Missouri Star ladies make a tree skirt as well and it was amazing. Did you use a specific pattern? My project has 225 blocks, so you might be getting close with 200 already! Is the whole thing scrappy? I'll bet it's amazing. Hope you are well.
@@bitspiecesquilting Hi Michelle! I didn't use a pattern for my tree skirt. I Just made a big hexagon shape with the blocks, I believe with 5 blocks on each side, if you get what I'm describing. I just left the middle block out for the tree trunk, and kept one side open to slide it under the tree. I just used Christmas fabric that I had on hand. I made it at the last minute last year, and it actually turned out great. For the quilt, yes I think I'm getting close. (I counted the blocks today and I have 187 finished.) I initially used a layer cake that I've had for years, and cut it into 5" squares for the centers. Once I ran out of that I just used scraps that coordinated. The backing is the same for all the blocks, just a dark green batik wide backing that I had never used on anything, so I had a lot. I haven't sewn the blocks together yet, and I might use your flower layout for inspiration, and put one of the dark green blocks turned over in the centers.
Wow Beth! It sounds like you have a lot more experience with this template than I do! Be sure to let us know if you have any other tips. And the tree skirt sounds really great - I think your approach is similar to Natalie from Missouri Star. I'll bet it looked great.
I really love the Olympic fabric! The quilt is amazing.
Thanks Kathleen! It was fun to work on and I'm already saving jeans for another one!
Really, really like this idea. Thanks Michelle for all the tips and tricks!
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching.
I like turning the center piece over to make it look like a flower. I wonder if I can get my grandsons jeans that they have outgrown 😅. This would make a great campfire quilt for cool evening camping trips. Guess I need to go buy this specialty ruler as a Mother’s Day present to myself 😂.
Hi Jean - I'm sure your grandsons would love to have their old jeans turned into quilts!!! If you don't have the template, there are lots of other great demin quilt ideas out there. Thanks for watching!
Hurray I just found a multi size hexagon ruler in my ruler stash no need to buy another ruler.
I have a big stack of jeans and i might have that ruler too. Great idea. Thanks so much for all the tips
Hi Cynthia! I hope you will give it a try! I love how this turned out and I've started saving pieces for the next one (including some corduroy and some old Dockers). Thanks for watching.
Great idea, beautiful quilt! Thanks for sharing. ❤👍from Somerset UK
Thanks Elizabeth! Thanks for watching.
Thank you for this video. I bought these templates several years ago & then lost interest when I saw so many people hand sewing them together. Now I know I can do this too!
You can totally do this! I'm not a hand sewing fan, and this looks great with the machine zig zag. Thanks for watching.
Denim quilts are my favorite❤ yours is absolutely gorgeous on both sides.
I don’t have this particular template but I do have a couple of others I use occasionally. I like to sew my denim together, fold it over the printed fabric then sew it down at 1/4” and 3/8” leaving the edges raw. The 3/8” seam isn’t necessary but I like the way it looks and feel like it provides an extra barrier to keep the denim from fraying too far. I like a soft little fray … not a full on rag edge.
Hi Cynthia - thanks for these insights. I'm keen to understand how the corners work with the extra layers of fabric folded over. The soft frayed edges are wonderful once they get there!
@@bitspiecesquilting I do usually cut away some fabric in the corners so they lay nice. Often I hand stitch those corners down but sometimes I just don’t worry about it … depends on my mood and how much I plan to wash it. I have also used tiny scraps of fusible interfacing on the corners if I’m worried about fraying there compromising the structure. It probably isn’t necessary though because the two rows of stitching going over the corners keep them from moving and if twill doesn’t move, it doesn’t fray much.
To determine how much to cut off, I lay the sides down flat, pin then I pinch up the corner to find the correct angle and cut just a smidge above so I have about 1/16th inch overlap. On light denim, I can actually turn 1/16th inch under but I rarely do because I don’t mind how my hand stitches look on the front of the quilt.
Oh and I do backstitch at every intersection when sewing my denim together. It is just extra security because of the weight. So if I cut the fabric on my corners right on the edge with no overlap, it’s probably not going to come apart. I’m really OCD about things like that. My mom sewed many of my clothes when I was small but she didn’t finish seams. There is nothing worse than having your dress come apart at the seams in the middle of recess🤦🏼♀️
Oh yikes! That will teach you to avoid shortcuts! 😜
I love that! Personally, I don’t think I would take it to the beach. I’m not a beach girl Sand gets into everything I can imagine it getting into those little seams.
The back does look like a beautiful rock garden
Thanks Sylvia - I love that interpretation!
I love this quilt! Looks like I need to go buy that template so I can get started on a new denim quilt. I'm thinking I might flip some flowers over randomly so there will be denim flowers on front as well as back. What fun this is!
Thanks so much Linda! I hope you enjoy making theses. I like the idea of flipping some of the flowers, but you might want to lay it out first.... it might work (depending on your colours and the amount of contrast), or you might find the flowers get a bit burred. I found in mine that next time I might stay away from fabrics that are similar in colour to the denim I'm using (i.e. blue fabric, in my case). Just for consideration. Thanks for watching!
I love your idea! I have those templates and just made one baby quilt. In watching your video, I spied the Curly W, Washington Nationals fabric! I am a native (now living in Annapolis) and love our Nats! So glad to find your channel. 😊
Hi JoJo and welcome! We lived in DC for 4.5 years and spent a good amount of time at Nats Stadium. Although Jason is a pretty big Caps fan. And we loved Annapolis! We saw a number of bands at the Ram's Head - great venue. Thanks for watching!
I wouldn’t have thought of changing the denim and fabric, either. Thank you for the suggestion, both of you ladies!
Hi Jeanne - it's amazing how the simplest solutions are right there but still impossible to see. I'm so grateful to Leah for jumping in with the insights.
Beautiful quilt.
Thanks Peggy!
Love your fresh idea. Another thought would be to use the denim on the back and fold over the full amount of fabric but do a raw edge.
Hi Ann - I'll give that a try, but I'm still trying to imagine how the corners would work, even with a raw edge - the denim is really think and I worry that even two or three layers would be tough for most machines....hummmm....🤔
Adorable! I've made one quilt with my son's jeans using tips from @createwithclaudia. I am looking forward to using your technique to make a jean hexi quilt. Such a great idea !! Thank you!!
Thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I'll be sure to look up Claudia's ideas as well.
Love Denim. ❤️ I am so right handed too. We think alike. My first ever quilt was made for my eldest child when he was three. It was our park quilt qnd made from my old college jeans and cotton shirts cut in squares, an old wool blanket for batting and a queen size sheet. It was tied. He used it until he was a junior and it was totaled. 😂. That is where I started in 1983. 🎶💐💖🫂
Hi Carla - what a great quilt history and I'll bet any photos of that quilt will trigger amazing memories for your son. There is nothing more special than knowing a quilt was loved and used! Thanks for watching.
I really like this idea and keeping it as a car quilt is a great idea! I'm looking forward to seeing the progress and future tips and suggestions❣️ I also watch Cathy Martins UA-cam videos. Thanks for sharing
Obviously, I hadn't watched the entire video when I posted my comment. I absolutely love how it turned out and can't wait to gather some jeans to make one!
Love the idea of switching the two pieces. The pockets and surroundings make great potholders or potholder backs. The seams can be used to make bows. Just use the straps like ribbon. I wondered if you could use 1/2 inch seams and raw edge seams the hex's?
Those would be cute placements when arranged in flowers.
Thanks so much Marsha!
Thanks Marsha! It's a great feeling to save the denim from landfill! I've already started collecting for a second one, including some corduroy and some heavy cotton canvas (from Dockers). Everyone we know will be getting car quilts for Christmas!! 😜
Love your design for putting it all together and the way you did it so it is double sided. I'm currently making one that is all quilting cotton. It has a piece of cotton batting between the layers but it is a much smaller size so I'm doing it by hand. I figured I'd just make it into flowers and then decide how to lay it out, but it will take me a lot longer to make!
Hi Patsy - your project sounds beautiful! So delicate and I'm impressed that you are hand sewing all those pieces. I hope you are enjoying it. Thanks for watching.
For a blanket to keep in the car, I think some really low loft polyester batting the same size as the denim might be a good idea. Yes, denim is a heavy cloth, but it is also cotton. Once damp, the fabric sucks heat out of you (in the car, in the winter, dampness happens). Polyester will maintain its insulation properties while wet, so the “blanket” would be more effective.
Hi Nikki - excellent point! And definitely something to consider for future projects. Hopefully this one will get lots of use at the beach or as a picnic blanket instead! Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the tips on putting together 2 by 2.
Hi Val - I'm always looking for a way to speed up construction while still enjoying the process. Thanks for watching!
Great idea! I have tons of denim waiting to be used. Thanks for sharing! :)
Hi Katy! I hope you will give this idea a try - especially if you have these templates. I've already started collecting for my next one (including some corduroy)! Thanks for watching.
Clever idea Leah?? and Michelle. I'm not a hexi fan though. I have been saving up jeans and might make myself a purse. But I did find a good video for a jean quilt from Kristen of Scrap Fabric Love that I may do. She's Canadian and lives in Scotland. Like Michelle I have a tall hubby so I can get plenty of use out of his jeans.
Hi Kelley! Thanks for the tip on Kristen's channel - I haven't seen her videos before and she has some great ones. The denim placemats look really interesting as well. Thanks for watching.
I think it’s going to be great. I would put a thin batting only because I like the weight. I have so many jeans, and the great template as well.
I'm glad you're going to give this a try Cindy! Maybe make a couple to see if you like the added batting. My quilt (no batting) is really heavy already and I'm glad I didn't add any batting. Have fun making these!
Ingenious!
Thanks Marq! It turned out really well and I've started collecting for a second one.
I did a fake cathedral window with denim and bits of fabric denim quilts are great
Hi Sylvia - I'll be the cathedral windows looked spectacular!! This is my first denim quilt and I think I'm hooked!
This looks like fun- and i have the template, now i need to go empty my drawer of jeans that don’t fit… should be lots!
Hi Sonya! Use the ones the have unsightly holes first and hold out hope for the rest! 😜 Thanks for watching.
I would glue it down with Roxanne’s basting glue or Elmers glue. Sewable and washable. Thank you for a great idea.
Thanks Manuela. I found I didn't need glue, but a washable glue is a great idea to help where needed. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for showing this beautiful quilt today. I have just finished a Hunter’s Star and am looking for a new project. I have been saving old jeans that I have cut apart already and have a good size stash for the outer part. But my garden needs weeding and a tidying up now that it is warmer so…..
Hi Susan - so many fun things to do now that the spring has arrived! I love a Hunter's Star pattern - they are beautiful. I hope you give this a try. Thanks for watching.
Great idea. Darn, I might have to put it on my to do list.
Hi Diann - if you have these templates, I highly recommend!
Thank you for sharing this information on the temple and a new pattern I can use
Thanks for watching Earlene. I hope you give this a try.
@@bitspiecesquilting I’m going to as soon as possible
Beautiful ❤❤
Don't throw away old denim!! It has a use!
Great Quilt! 😊
Thanks Rene! I enjoyed it so much that I'm saving pieces for another one already!
I really love this, ordered this template and am going to tackle my tubs of jeans!
Hi Linda! A tub of jeans!!! Think of the potential!!! I hope you enjoy making these and let us know if you come up with any other ideas. Thanks for watching.
Job well done!
Thanks Terry!
I started cutting these out today!
Yay!!! Enjoy! Thanks for watching Susan.
Fantastic tutorial! I really enjoyed this a lot! I have several pairs of old jeans that I can use! I was going to use the circle type block, but I may use this instead. I do have these templates.
Hi Sherry - I hope you give this a try! Thanks so much for watching.
I love this QAYG hexagon temple. I didn't like cutting the larger/outer piece because there is not much to hold onto and was afraid of cutting myself. To solve that I just put the smaller/inner template inside then I don't have to have my fingers so close to the edge near the blade.
Hi Danna - great idea to make the template easier to use! It is a fun template and I'm glad I've found a way to make a fun project.
I love that quilt! Do you think you could do the same thing with pieces of minky? I have a bunch of offcuts from backings and was wondering what to do with them.
Hi Betty - I've never worked with minky before, but can you imagine how amazing a bunch of minky centres would be - wow!! Try one block and see what happens. I imagine your biggest challenge would be to get the backing fabric wrapped around and secured in a way that you can sew it. But maybe it won't be that difficult???
Very interesting
Thanks Sherrie! It was fun to make and felt great to find another use for the old jeans. Thanks for watching.
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Thanks!😊
This quilt looks brilliant. Another option might have been to turn over or switch alternate "flowers" to make your pattern more obvious on both sides. Or did you already try and discount that option? I have only used scrap denim in a boro inspired quilt but am very tempted to give this a go. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Jeanie - I love the ideas of flipping the flowers, but I think the spacer pieces might be more difficult to lay down in that case. Unless those were all made with the same colour - something like black with a sharp contrast....humm? I'm already saving more pieces, so definitely worth a try for the next one. Thanks for watching.
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Thanks Colette!
Such a cute quilt! I think I might try this one since I have a storage bin full of cut-up jeans. Did you try a layout where every other flower is face up? That way, both sides would have flowers.
Hi Elaine - I didn't try an alternate layout because I think the fill in pieces would be hard to place to make the flowers stand out. Perhaps if they were the same strong colour (or neutral colour) the flowers would stand out on both sides - it would be worth a try. Thanks for watching.
Great idea! But I did think about the larger denim pieces…why not only fold over once, stitch down once and from the top and rage the edge? The corners might have to have a v cut…
Hi Kimberly - others have suggested a raw edge and it is definitely worth a try. I am still a bit worried about how may layers will end up in the corners. I am far too lazy to cut the extra fabric away, so wouldn't do that. But I'm saving more denim for a future quilt and will this other approach a try. Thanks for watching.
Well, I would like to make the Denim of the large hex ruler, and fabrics prints for the top Hex and raw stitch or Zig-Zag around the print.
Hi Vicki - others have suggested using the raw edge technique and it is worth a try. I do still wonder how many layers would be in each corner and how that would impact sewing them together. But definitely worth a try. Thanks for watching.
What size are both hexagons? I’d like to make my own shapes with my hexagon ruler.
Hi Lisa! The inner template is 2.5 inches along each side. The widest width is 5 inches and the height is 4 3/8. The outer template is 3.5 inches along each side, the widest width is 6 7/8 and the height is 5 7/8. Thanks for watching.
Do you have a pattern for putting this together
Hi Earlene - I don't have a pattern. It was a bit of trial and error, but I ended up making 25 of the "flowers" and then laying out the filler pieces, and then sewing it together in "rows" of three (because the flowers cover across three rows). Does that make sense? I'll give some thought to trying to write up clear instructions - especially if I make another one.
Thank you
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Thanks Anita!