Sewing new things from old jeans is really fun: I'll show you sewing patterns, jeans upcycling ideas, tutorials, tips and tricks that you can use to upgrade your discarded jeans.
The most important things at a glance
- In this post, you'll learn which jeans are suitable for upcycling
- I'll show you which tools you need
- You'll learn why jeans are such a valuable raw material and far too good to throw away!
- I'll provide you with ideas for what you can make out of jeans
- And I'll share things you might not have known about jeans yet
- In the tutorial, I'll show you how to sew a bag from your old jeans - without it looking like old jeans
- As a bonus, I'll show you how you can sew a little pouch from jeans pockets
Sewing new things from old jeans: What does upcycling mean?
I love jeans! That makes me all the more happy that I can sew my own jeans using my Wide Leg Jeans sewing pattern. But at some point, even the coolest and most robust pair of jeans comes to an end. Then, of course, they shouldn't be thrown away, but rather serve as the foundation for 1,001 sewing ideas. An ingenious pattern for discarded jeans, for example, is my XXL-Quietschvergnügt shopping bag. Here you can find the free Quietschvergnügt tutorial for sewing a shopping bag.
Jeans upcycling is the keyword! But what does that word actually mean?
Upcycling is a portmanteau of upgrading (“Up”) and recycling (“Recycling”).
Upcycling goes one step further than recycling: The discarded jeans are not only repurposed, but also given an upgrade through upcycling.
This creates many positive side effects: Reusing existing material not only reduces the need for newly produced items and materials. It also has a gentle impact on our limited resources, reducing energy consumption as well as air and water pollution.
So: Let's get to jeans upcycling! I have tons of ideas for you on what new things you can conjure up from your old jeans: from shopping bags to a self-sewn bucket hat - from decorative little things, self-sewn school cones, binder covers made from old jeans, jeans upcycling pencil cases, gifts, or large home accessories like patchwork quilts, self-sewn pillows or storage baskets (do you also know my free tutorial on how to sew a hanging organizer?) or baskets from mini to maxi... everything is possible!
You can also find a tutorial for a jeans upcycling fanny pack here on the blog – even with a free sewing pattern!
READING TIP: Sewing an advent calendar from an old pair of jeans
Why should I sew new things from old jeans?
Old jeans are far too precious to throw away, because denim fabrics are particularly durable, even if the jeans have already been worn and washed countless times. And it is just super fun to sew little things from old denim scraps and jeans.
Signs of wear and washing are even desired—that's exactly what gives denim its special charm! The cool thing is that denim fabric hardly loses any stability, even from heavy use.
What I personally find especially nice: Jeans tell stories. You often remember exactly when you wore that one pair of jeans, whether it was packed for a specific vacation. Sometimes even small holes or mended spots (I show you how that works in my post "repairing jeans") remind you of climbing trips or other adventures.
Accessories or garments made of denim therefore have an immediate value due to the material, both as a fabric and as a keepsake—and they look simply mega cool, too. A fantastic side effect: A lot of energy and water is consumed in the production of denim fabrics. That's why you are definitely doing something good for climate protection when you give your old jeans a new life!
What do I need to know before I start?
First off, a bit of smarty-pants knowledge for your next quiz: Jeans is the name for a style of pants.
The fabric your old jeans are made of is actually called: denim.
It is the term for a hard-wearing and durable cotton fabric in a twill weave that is processed into denim clothing.
The term denim comes from "de Nimes" – this type of "serge de Nimes" (fabric from Nimes) was invented in this French city and was intended for workwear. Denim became world-famous through its use in the American jeans of Levi Strauss.
Real denim has a fabric weight between 300 and 500 g/m² – particularly thick denim even up to 700 g/m². For comparison: Jersey fabrics are usually around 200 g/m². Just because a pair of pants is blue and has a jeans cut, it's by no means denim jeans! ;)
Reading tip: If you want to know more about fabrics, read my post Which fabric for what?
What fabrics can I combine with denim?
The possibilities are endless! The question is perhaps more: With what not? Jeans actually go with everything. Whether floral patterns or plaids, cork fabrics or faux leather, Tyvek, leather, leopard print—everything is possible. More on handling fabrics.
It's best to just try out which combination really fuels your sewing passion.
Here are a few perfect combination partners for denim.
Non-elastic fabrics are especially well-suited:
- Cotton woven fabric* (e.g., chambray fabrics* or Kokka fabrics*)
- Linen fabrics*
- Corduroy fabrics*
- Canvas*
- Decorative fabrics*
- Tyvek*
- SnapPap*
- Faux leather*
- Felt*
- Coated cotton/Oilskin*
Don't know Tyvek? Then you should definitely read my blog post about this cool paper fabric!
You can find beautiful fabrics and materials for this bag project in Simone's highly acclaimed Etsy shop*, which I have already recommended several times here on the blog. There you will also find wonderful sewing kits with all the accessories.*
What can I sew from old jeans?
The question is really: what can't I sew from old jeans? Because there are no limits. You can sew small items, home textiles, accessories, or even new garments.
Denim is an all-around fabric that looks modern and is super flexible and versatile. Wall organizers for a teenager's room, denim patchwork pillows for the living room, shoppers, or hair accessories (for example, sewing scrunchies from denim), yes, you can even make gift tags from old jeans – everything is possible and never goes out of style.
Really great, of course: sewing cosmetic bags from old jeans:
And you can also make completely new garments yourself from discarded jeans. And the great thing is that you can decide how complex your project should be.
To start, you can simply sew a sewing basket from a cut-off pant leg.
You can also sew a storage basket suitable for beginners – it really doesn't get easier than that. But sewing a pencil case is also a great idea for utilizing denim scraps:
A particularly lovely idea for old jeans: sewing rice pouches. That can even look quite elegant:
Or you can treat your old jeans as a raw material supplier and create your own fabric from several old pairs. There are no limits to your creativity, and you can become a fabric designer. You can freely decide how large your self-designed fabric should be.
Here is my list of jeans upcycling ideas for you:
- Sew a storage basket
- Sew a pouch
- Sew a hanging organizer
- Sew a gift bag
- Sew a shoe bag
- Sew a Furoshiki bag
- Sew a rice pouch
- Sew patchwork from receipts
- Sew coasters
- Sew a mug rug
- Sew a mini wallet
- Sew a sewing basket
- Sew a scrunchie
- Sew a pincushion
- Sew a bib
- Sew placemats
- Sew retro placemats
- Sew a cosmetic bag
- Sew a toiletry bag
- Sew a Boxy Bag
- Sew a notebook pencil case
- Sew a sleeping bag pencil case
- Sew a twisted pencil case
- Sew a pencil case
- Sew fabric tags
- Sew round potholders
- Sew an oven mitt
- Sew a pillow with jeans and buttons
- Sew makeup remover pads
- Sew a soap bag
- Sew hand warmers
- Sew a tea cup pouch
- Sew a binder cover
I sewed a practical shopper bag from my self-designed upcycled denim fabric. Here, I'll show you how it's done.
What do I need for my jeans upcycling projects?
- discarded jeans
- fusible interfacing (optional)
- matching and durable thread, for example jeans sewing thread*
- sewing machine
- sewing supplies
- sewing pattern (optional)
- patchwork ruler*
- rotary cutter*
- sturdy scissors* (see below)
Learn more about: Stabilizing fabrics
What is the best way to cut denim fabrics?
Not all denim is the same, as we established earlier. Sometimes you deal with lighter denim fabrics that are super easy to process with fabric scissors.
However, you may have also noticed that there are jeans that stubbornly resist being cut. Especially around the seams (and you occasionally have to get through those if you want to get to the "fancier denim pieces"), it can be quite a struggle.
For this purpose, I use my special scissors for heavy textiles*. They serve me well not only with wool, boiled wool, sweatshirt fabric, or canvas – but also with denim. In my post Everything about sewing scissors, you can find out more about these practical scissors (and their sharp siblings).
For denim fabrics that I cut with a ruler, I use a rotary cutter and a patchwork ruler. Then I can measure exactly how big the fabric pieces should be while cutting.
My beloved 28mm rotary cutter* often fails here. Instead, I use the 45mm rotary cutter, which handles thick fabrics much better. My latest discovery: The 45mm rotary cutter from Olfa for left- and right-handers*. Tried it once and fell in love immediately. You can leave the blade completely exposed or only on the right or left. The blade is released with a simple click closure and can be replaced very easily. So if you are looking for a really high-performance rotary cutter, I can only recommend taking a look at this one.
Which jeans are suitable for upcycling?
Jeans without stretch are best because the finished sewn pieces are more stable and won't bag out.
Nowadays, especially women's jeans have high stretch contents - which means: elastane or polyester are included.
But jeans without stretch and with a particularly high cotton content are more suitable – i.e., classic men's or unisex jeans – these jeans are particularly well-suited for repurposing – because they hold their shape.
So it is best to take jeans in adult sizes with a maximum of 1% elastane, then you get the maximum fabric yield with minimal tendency to bag out. ;)
Also, men's jeans usually have a bit more material – so don't hesitate to check out flea markets or clothing stores for used men's jeans.
The good thing about old and used jeans is that they are pre-washed and retain their color. So you don't have to worry about them bleeding or staining. You can bring even more cool effects to your old jeans by washing or rubbing them further. Just give it a try!
What kind of sewing machine do I need to sew new things out of old jeans?
As we just heard, denim fabrics belong to the thicker fabric types – which means: your sewing machine should not have problems processing thicker fabrics.
Top tip: A small hint that your machine does not cope so well with thicker fabric is if your sewing machine is very light.
Entirely unsuitable are, for example, children's sewing machines – they warp very quickly when they have to sew over thick areas. Machines in the mid-price segment with good motors handle denim fabric easily.
If you notice that your sewing machine needle is constantly bending when you sew thicker fabrics like denim, then the motor of your sewing machine is too weak. It doesn't manage to drive the needle through the fabric without problems...
There are even extra sewing machines for thick fabrics - e.g., the Heavy Duty from* Singer. Many sewing fans who often have denim under the needle eventually get such a special jeans sewing machine.
But in my opinion, a decent all-rounder sewing machine is absolutely sufficient for denim sewing work. Such a special machine makes sense if you want to sew a lot of bags made of denim or leather - then you can certainly think about such an investment.
Can I also sew jeans projects with an overlock?
You can! The overlock is particularly well-suited for joining the fabric pieces in the first place – i.e., for setting the connecting seams, especially when you are creating new clothing items.
The advantage: You can work very quickly and trim and finish the open fabric edges in one go.
You should never skip finishing the open denim fabric edges with jeans. Especially if your old jeans contain no elastane, the fabric edges fray very easily. You can also use this effect as a decorative element in all kinds of projects – but it should not happen with your connecting seams.
However, you should definitely secure the seam again on the inside with a straight stitch. Overlock machines where you can adjust the presser foot pressure – i.e., set it for thicker fabrics – are particularly well-suited.
Check the operating manual of your overlock to see which setting is right for this. Because that is different for every machine. Simpler models without this function usually cannot handle thicker and coarser fabrics as well.
Which sewing machine needle is suitable for old jeans?
There are special jeans sewing needles that are particularly well-suited for sewing jeans.
Denim fabrics are usually coarser and firmer, and you sometimes have to sew through several layers, which is why jeans needles are also a bit thicker (90 to 110) and have a slightly pointier tip than universal needles.
But it doesn't necessarily have to be a jeans needle: A thicker universal needle with a thickness of at least 90 also works.
I have also had good experiences with leather needles. This is because sturdy leather needles have an even sharper tip than jeans needles and are made to work their way well through thicker fabrics.
Sewing machine needles usually only have one problem with the thicker fell seams on jeans and, in the worst case, can break. Here it is recommended to just sew very slowly, if in doubt use the handwheel to sew over the spot, or also get help from a "hump jumper" tool to get over the tricky spot.
You can easily make such a "hump jumper" yourself by simply taking a piece of felt to help the presser foot over the tricky spot. I show you how to do this in my post Sewing over thick areas.
It is not a good idea to just sew over a thick seam with momentum and, ideally, also pull hard on the fabric – that is more likely to go wrong! ;)
Which sewing thread is suitable for old jeans?
You actually don't need any special sewing thread. Normal all-purpose polyester thread is stable and tear-resistant enough.
Cotton thread, however, is not as suitable and tears more easily. For the connecting seams, I would choose a color that comes close to the jeans color. For decorative or visible seams, a thread in a contrasting color can look nice, or why not try neon? Gütermann has a great neon thread set* that can be wonderfully used for jeans projects.
For classic topstitching and fell seams, so-called "jeans sewing thread" or "extra strong thread" is very suitable. It is important to know that sewing thread becomes thicker and stronger as the number decreases. E.g., leather thread has a weight of 40, 30, or even 20 - a particularly thick and stable thread. A denim thread usually has a weight of 50.
One more word about jeans sewing thread: This is a particularly stable thread that comes in typical jeans colors. Because I like to sew my own pants, I bought myself a pack of jeans sewing thread* in various colors. I use the thick, tear-resistant jeans threads for topstitching. As bobbin thread, I use "normal" sewing thread in weight 120 in the fabric color.
Pants to the stove: Potholders from old jeans
You can also brilliantly sew potholders from old jeans.
Here I used the sewing pattern for our popular owl potholders. You can easily download and print this as a freebie. You can find the pattern and instructions in the post Sew owl potholders.
By the way, you can also sew an oven mitt from old jeans with our pattern freebie!
YouTube Video Sewing new things from old jeans: Pouch from a jeans pocket
Conclusion
Old becomes new: Making something new out of old jeans is a mega cool idea! Especially in the mix with other fabrics, discarded denim fabric develops its very own charm.
Joining several jeans colors into a larger piece of fabric, which you can then use for a larger project, is also great. How about, for example, sewing a Japanese bag – from self-patchworked denim fabric?
These bag projects made from upcycled denim have really inspired me to start using up my denim scraps and sewing new things from old jeans again. For example, you could sew a fanny pack from an old pair of jeans. You can also sew beautiful DIY binder covers from worn-out jeans.
Please let me know in the comments below this post if you would like to see more tutorials like this here on SewSimple. :)
Happy simple sewing
your Sabine
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