I save everything, including old pants! Here’s how to make recycled denim bins before you send your drawers to the Salvation Army.
Skills Required: Beginner. It helps if you’ve sewn before, but this recycled denim project is also a great starter idea. There is a lot of room for error, but you’re pretty much guaranteed success!
I’m obsessed with keeping weird stuff that are left over from projects. Funky buttons, uneven fabric scraps, pieces of string . . . sense a trend?
Pants aren’t my thing so when I had some old jeans to make some skirts out of, I couldn’t part with the legs.
My mind raced with ideas and getting rid of good material was not gonna happen. If you have an old pair hanging around, here’s the perfect upcycled clothing project: recycled denim bins!
Recycled Denim Bins
You’ll need:
- A pant leg, any size or length
- Needle & thread
- Scissors
Take the pant leg and lay it flat. Use the scissors to clean up the edges. Then turn the leg inside out so that the seams are on the outside.
Now one very awesome thing about this project is you don’t need to know how to sew. I’m pretty awful at it, and still rocked this.
Thread your needle and create a little knot at the end. Hand stitch about 1/2 inch above one of the edges of the leg. Secure with another knot and cut the excess thread.
Turn the leg sideways and hold the corner in your palm. Flatten the corner so that it’s in the shape of a triangle.
Stitch right across about 1/2 inch from the last stitch. Do this on both sides.
When you turn the pant leg right side out, the corners should look puckered like this. Or close to it.
The beauty of using fabric is the bin will be slouchy and will cover any imperfections.
Lay your pant leg flat again. From the top, fold over the unfinished edge twice, tucking so that your bin has a nice rolled up look.
Fill it with your favorite things and display it on your desktop or shelf! I love the slouchy effect of the camo bin and the cute compact look of the jean one.
This is an awesome project for a group of teenage girls. I did one with my niece and laid out buttons, flowers and beads for her to decorate the bin, which added that touch of personalization.
You can also bust out the fabric markers and create monogram ones! Be creative and make it your own.
If you enjoyed making these recycled denim bins, you might also enjoy these other projects:
Patricia B
Sunday 19th of October 2014
Awesome idea! Thanks for sharing! Love it!