Giving old jeans a new life

The soft, well-worn denim in pairs of used jeans is reworked in a variety of sewing projects for colder days indoors

old, worn or unwanted denim jeans are given a new lease of life when transformed into various useful and simple-to-make items. Tough and hard-wearing, the material is ideal for repurposing, and the odd tear or fading only adds to its character. In this way, the seat of a pair of jeans can be made into a sturdy tote bag, brightened with a scarf threaded through the belt loops. Two legs stitched together and filled with stuffing become an effective draught excluder, and a single leg makes an unusual vase cover. A cut-off hem can also be turned into a key ring decorated with tiny beads.

DRAUGHT EXCLUDER Materials

• Pair of straight-leg jeans • Sharp scissors • Cotton thread • Scraps of old fabric or wadding for filling

To make

Both legs are cut off a pair of jeans at thigh height. The ankle hems are then carefully cut off. One of the legs is turned inside out and pulled over the other leg, like a sheath, so the right sides are together, to make a single tube of double-layer denim. Care is taken to make sure the ankles are at the same end and the legs neatly lined up with side seams touching. The ankle ends are then pinned together, with the end of the trouser leg left open. Leaving a ½in (1cm) seam allowance, the ankles are sewn to each other using running stitch. The inner leg can then be pulled out, making the tube twice as long. Keeping the join seam in the middle, the tube is measured against the door, wrong side facing out, to gauge the correct length. One end is sewn up, and the tube is then turned the right way out and pressed. It is filled with scraps of fabric and the open end folded in to the desired length. The opening is closed using hand stitch for a neat finish.