Here's a Quilt I Made From My Husband's Old Jeans

Shelly
by Shelly
2 Materials

My husband had a stack of old jeans that were just taking up space so I decided to make them into a quilt. This is an I Spy quilt, all the fabrics are different, no repeats. It's also a rag quilt because the edges are frayed. I have a more detailed tutorial on my website. HangryFork.com

I cut pairs of jeans open along the seams. I used a pasta bowl and sharpie to trace circles onto the inside of old jeans.

I cut out the circles using a nice sharp pair of scissors.

I figured out what size square would fit inside the circle and made a templete out of a manila file.

I marked the square on the wrong side of half the denim circles. I sewed circles into rows.

Before I sewed the rows together, I used a ruler to join the square markings on half the rows. This is my sewing line.

I then joined all the rows together. I pressed the seams open like you see below.

Before I started this sewing project I ordered I Spy pre cut fabric squares from ebay.

I pinned the fabric squares to the denim. I did this on the ironing board and slid an acrylic ruler under the quilt to avoid pinning to the ironing board cover.

Then, I stitched down the flaps using the presser foot edge as my guide. I did the stitching in long rows. I did all the horizontal stitching and then did the vertical stitching. It goes surprisingly fast.

This is what the quilt looked like at this stage.

Next, I attached the binding. My daughter picked out this funky yellow fabric.

I carefully clipped the seam allowance and tossed the quilt in the washing machine. I washed it twice, cleaning out the lint from the washing machine in between cycles. When the quilt was in the dryer, there was a TON of lint and I cleaned out the dryer vent several times while the quilt was drying.

DIY home decor using vintage fabric

Suggested materials:
  • Denim   (My closet)
  • Cotton Squares   (eBay)
Shelly
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Pamela King Pamela King on May 27, 2023

    I have to say you made this look so simple. I completely understood the instructions. I want to give this a try. I wish you had shared a picture of the other side. I think I have niece or nephew who would love to receive such a blanket. Additionally I so love a reason to visit a thrift store. Great job.

  • San86625583 San86625583 on Sep 16, 2023

    wish I had seen your project first. I tried my own and made so many mistakes it still isn't finished. I keep putting it off. But yours looks great. Is it heavy? Mine sure is and if I ever finish it, it'll be perfect for camping.

  • J Dow J Dow on Nov 15, 2023

    Do you sell these?

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  • Christina Reams Christina Reams on Nov 03, 2023

    My mother had made this same pattern and did it all with hand stitches, no machine, so very beautiful.

    • Shelly Shelly on Nov 03, 2023

      That’s amazing! Your mom must have strong fingers. I know I couldn’t make this quilt by hand. That’s awesome!

  • J Dow J Dow on Nov 13, 2023

    THAT is one of the neatest quilts I’ve seen!!

    LOVE IT! I don’t sew but this is inspirational!

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