FOUR WAYS WITH... DENIM
PLACEMATS Update some plain placemats by simply cutting the back pockets off a pair of old jeans and sewing them on to create cute cutlery holders.
KEY RING Find a scrap of old denim and cut out 2 identical shapes of your choice; we chose a heart measuring 12cm long by 12cm wide. Place shapes on top of one another, right sides out. Cut off a belt loop from an old pair of jeans and insert between fabric pieces at the point where you want to attach your keys, leaving the loop protruding. Sew around shape and attach key ring to loop.
HEART CUSHION Cut the inner leg seam of a pair of jeans all the way down. Open up the leg so the outside seam is in the middle. Create a paper template of a heart about 42cm wide by 36cm long. Using the template, cut out 2 hearts from the denim (with the seam running down the centre of each heart).
Place hearts together, right sides facing out. Sew around heart, 1.5cm in from the edge, but leave a small gap for the stuffing. Stuff cushion with filling then sew up gap.
RE-COVER A STOOL A great way to revamp an old or tired-looking stool is to re-cover it. Cut the inner leg seam of a pair of jeans all the way down. Place the widest part of the denim over the stool, ensuring there is enough fabric to wrap under the stool. Cut off any excess denim and slowly start staple-gunning the denim to the underside of the stool, making neat pleats where necessary. Fold over the edge of the denim before stapling for a nice finish.