My latest crafting passion is upcycling denim jeans. I’ve been wanting to do this for awhile now but didn’t have a sewing machine capable of handling the thicker fabric. I also don’t have much in sewing skills but I’ve never let me stop that before. 🙂 I recently purchased a used, almost vintage, Bernina sewing machine and really love it. It was a great buy, sold to me by a woman I met at a weekly craft group I attend who really just wanted it to go to someone who would use it and enjoy it. Well, I’ve done that and more. I’ve been playing around with the machine a lot and came up with this fun, thrifty and eco-friendly hot pad.
My final hot pads are approximately 9″ by 9.5″ and use inseams from four or five different jeans. Please note, my instructions are not designed to be presented as a professional pattern. I am a beginner sewer and therefore just explaining the steps I used to make the hot pads.
Prepping inseams: Turn the jeans inside out and cut out the inseams leaving 1/4″ of fabric from the inseam. Save the rest of the jeans for another project. Press the raw edges together with an iron. Seal the raw edges of the inseam with a zigzag stitch along the edge using a matching thread. I did two rows of stitching, all the way down and then back up over the same stitches to really seal in the ends and prevent fraying. Trim any loose ends. I used Coats and Clark all purpose thread color #4660 Denim. This color seems to blend in fairly well with most jeans. Once the seams are sealed, cut into 10″ strips and press again to completely flatten and straighten out any curves.
Supplies:
12-13, 10″ inseam strips from four or five different jeans with different colored threads prepped as mentioned above.
2, 10″ by 10″ denim squares. If necessary, sew two smaller scrap pieces together to use on the backside of the hot pad.
10″ by 10″ batting/insulation. I used pieces of an old, damaged, felted 100% wool sweater sewn together to form a 10″ by 10″ square but you may also use quilt batting, old mattress cover, a few layered t-shirts sewn together, or anything that will give enough thickness to insulate from heat.
Contrasting thread, I used a golden brown.
Steps:
First, line your prepped inseams side by side on one of the 10″ by 10″ denim squares. I used clips to hold in place. With a matching thread, run a quick stitch across one end to secure them to the denim square. Then using a straight stitch, stitch down the middle of each seam.
Second, layer your second piece of denim square with wrong side facing, then the batting/insulation, then the top piece with the attached seams, right side up. Your batting/insulation should be sandwiched between the two denim pieces with the right sides facing out. Clip together. Trim any pieces that are too long. Make sure all edges are flush.
Third, using zigzag stitch and a contrasting thread, sew around the perimeter of the hot pad securing all three layers. I went around three times I believe.
Last, Enjoy!
Note on the jeans I use to upcycle: I buy thrift store damaged/clearance items and rarely pay more than 99 cents per pair. I use all types of denim, most have a mix of cotton, spandex and some with polyester. If my project requires it, I will add interfacing to prevent stretching. My goal is to use as much of the jeans as possible including the inseams, hems, waistbands, zippers and pockets.
Crochet By Darleen Hopkins 