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Found a way to reuse old denim scraps that actually turned out great

I had a pile of jean legs leftover from hemming projects, maybe 15 pairs worth, sitting in a bin for almost a year. Finally tried cutting them into strips and weaving them into a patchwork tote bag last week, and it held up better than I expected. Has anyone else found a good use for those awkward leftover pieces?

3 comments

3 Comments

bettys5125d ago

Oh yeah that's such a good idea, I've been saving my old denim scraps for a while now too and never thought of weaving them into a bag! I bet if you cut them into really thin strips and braided them first, you could even make a cool rug or placemats for a rustic look.

paigem4525d agoTop Commenter

Braiding the strips first before weaving is a nice idea but denim doesn't really bend that well once it's braided tightly, might be too stiff for a rug. Just straight weaving the strips flat works way better for something you'd actually walk on.

troyreed16d ago

Betty has a good point about cutting them thin, but here's the thing nobody's talking about - the way the seams and hems on denim create natural pockets and texture if you leave them intact. @bettys51, if you keep the original hems from the pant legs as edges on your bag or rug, you get that raw, unfinished look that hides all your stitched seams. Toss in some of the rivets from the old pockets as little accents and suddenly you've got something that looks like it came from a boutique, not a pile of old jeans. Weaving the strips flat like paigem45 said gives you a floppy, soft bag that's actually usable. Braiding might be overthinking it for a functional piece.