Advice needed: Jean Quilt or not..
 

Hubby finally went thru my late MIL clothing.. alot are going to be given away to friends and family and the rest will be given to goodwill.. Ive kept her Tshirts and will be making a Tshirt quilts out of them..

However here is my dilemma..

there are A LOT of jeans that i can make a fairly large jean quilt possibly a rag quilt but I have never made a JEAN anything.. How hard is it? will every other word be a profanity as im working on it?!?!?!? I love the idea of making it out of moms jeans but I really dont want to take on a project that im so going to regret. AND feel guilty for ruining a good pair of jeans that someone could of made better use. I know people out there would buy them if I donated them at goodwill..

ADVICE AND HELP NEEDED PLEASE....

any comment you have would be great.. thanks..

I agree with LeslieFost.

denim quilts are not difficult- and they make wonderful raggy quilts! people love them because they are heavy-warm- and there is just a timeless-ness about recycled denim.
my mom (who lived in a lighthouse for a number of years) used to make 15-20 denim patchwork quilts every winter- then sell them in the lighthouse gift shop in the summer -tourist season-
people would snatch them up quick!
she used cotton batting in them (liked them --meaty) with squares- of denim top and bottom- 1//2"seams- double stitched. she made mostly twins- use a good new sharp (or denim) needle- and good strong thread- they are no more difficult than any other cotton fabric.

Don't be afraid of making a jean quilt, i would use the largest square you can, and save some labels to see if you would want an embellishment. I would use a medium-heavier weight cotton, like a thinner duck cloth for the backing. If a quilt made out of her jeans will bring happy memories, I say yes, go ahead and do it.

keep the jeans and at least cut them up...and decide after that.

jean quilts are super warm!

It's not hard to make a denim rag quilt. I made a denim/flannel rag quilt last year for my nephew's half brother. I did not use any type of batting - the denim makes it heavy enough. I kept the flannel (and fringe) to the front and the denim to the back. Layer a flannel square on top of a denim square, right sides OUT. Then sew an "X" on the square to keep the layers together. If you wanted, you could sew anything in the square, but an "X" is the easiest. Watch out for seams - I accidentally left a few seams in the denim squares and they were hard to sew over. Word of warning - make sure you have good tools. It's a pain to cut the fringe, but if you've got good scissors or snips it's not too bad - just time consuming. I had better luck with scissors than the spring-loaded snips, but I know many people prefer the snips. Also, plan on spending a few hours (and dollars :-)) at the laundry mat to "fluff" the fringe because a lot of lint is produced and could hurt your washer/drier. I put one quarter in the dryer at a time and emptied the lint trap each quarter. Just take a book or some handwork with you.

But like a prior poster said, if the jeans don't have special meaning and you're not into making a rag quilt, it's okay to pass them onto Goodwill.

My only caution is that jeans quilts are very very heavy. They can be very difficult to make due to the weight- but otherwise they are pretty easy. Also, a bed size quilt can trap a small child (not literally trap, but really weigh them down). I love the look of them (especially if you leave the pockets on them) but their weight has made me decide to skip them- a regular quilt already hurts my shoulders/neck.

Very heavy and aggrivating to work with. The idea sounds good but in my opinion too much trouble. Cut one pair up and make a pillow and give the rest to Goodwill.

Use a size 14 needle when piecing. Large pieces and an uncomplicated pattern should make it go easier. I would definitely use a lightweight batting.

Thanks for your comments.. I have the big rag die for the go so the 'raggie-ness' wont be an issue.. I guess Im just worried about the level of thickness and how difficult it is to sew thru.. I have a pfaff 7570 and its not wimpy but Ive never tackled a jean project before.. And if I do this hubby would be thrilled if I used his moms jeans.. he loves the jean quilts and if it was out of his moms jean it would be a double bonus.. I guess Im afraid to screw it up...

I made 2 denim quilts 20 yrs ago for my sons and they are still using them. I didn't think they were hard to make.
I have replaced the bindings a couple times.

Jeans are very heavy. You might have too heavy a quilt on your hands.

Recently I saw a jean rug. It was made with layers of denim and then sewn in parallel lines about 3/4" apart and cut through all but the backing giving a chenille look. Really heavy duty and pretty too.

ali

I would try just ONE layer with the Accuquilt Go die. I made a rag quilt using 2 layers of flannel and one layer of cotton and cut all three layers at once and it was difficult to turn the crank and I had issues with the fabric being stuck down in the areas that cuts the "rag" part. I don't know that you would be able to cut more than one denim block at a time. Just a thought!!!

Jean quilt
 

My youngest son went through his jeans before he left for college and had 2 bags of jeans for GoodWill. I'm like....hmmmmm maybe I can make him a jean quilt for his birthday in November. That gave me a few months plus he really didn't need it until then. I believe I cut 6 inch squares for the jeans and only used flannel for the back. I broke a few needles but it was worth it. I even left the pockets in some of them to add fun to the quilt. I didn't put the X in the squares and it turned out just fine. It is super heavy, but he seams to really like it. The spring loaded scissors are a must for cutting the edges. I cut as I went along so it wasn't such a huge job to cut everything at the end. A mindless job while watching tv. Attached is a picture showing the front and the back! I also made a couple pillows because I had extra fabric left.

Consider making a lap quilt. Small in size and yet ever so warm. I keep one in our truck because my dh is always hot and I get cold. It is awesome.
I also agree with the other post, cut them up, get rid of the waste and just put aside for another day. This way you won't be sorry later.

That is a awesome quilt! I am sure yr son loves it and you for making it for him! Very awesome!

Not all jean quilts have the ragged seams. And as far as the weight - where do you live? What temperature do you keep your house at night in the winter? What may seem too heavy in the south with a high house temperature at night may be just a heavenly weight in a colder climate where you prefer to keep a colder house temperature at night and sleep bundled up under quilts and blankets. Also, usually it is just women who think a quilt gets too heavy. Men seem strong enough to never notice the weight of their quilts or blankets.

It's not hard to make a denim rag quilt. The most time-consuming thing is the ragging after you have pieced it. I've made 4 of them and they are quite easy. Men seem to like them a lot.

I don't use a batting in them. Just the quilting cotton and the denim. I cut them in 6" or 8" squares. There is a really good video on HGTV/Simply Quilts.

I agree with the spring scissors.

Consider making a lap quilt. Small in size and yet ever so warm. I keep one in our truck because my dh is always hot and I get cold. It is awesome.
I also agree with the other post, cut them up, get rid of the waste and just put aside for another day. This way you won't be sorry later.

Jeans make wonderful rag quilts however be sure and clean your machine often as they are very linty. I use washed flannel for the backing with no batting as the quilts are already so heavy and warm .

I've made 2 types of denim quilts. One was made from the widest strips I could cut from jeans without getting any worn places like the knees. Then I took a large square and sewed the strips around it, kind of log cabin style, sewing strips end-to-end to get length when needed. Use a jeans needle in your machine. I used a 1/2 inch seam, and I pressed it open instead of to 1 side to avoid too much thickness. I backed with flannel, and the batting was thin cotton/poly. Simple straight line quilting, and bound in flannel. This was about 45 x 45, a baby quilt for my niece. I would do one like this again, turned out to be very cozy and durable. If you look at my profile, I have a picture of it in my quilt album.

The second one was a circle jeans quilt. I didn't really like the way that one turned out. It was okay, just not very cuddly, more stiff, a good "throw on the ground" blanket.

I made sure to use regular cotton jeans, not the newer blends that have stretch.

My Denim Rag Quilt
 

I love jeans quilt I get them at yardsales and made a few ragquilts and even a crazyquilt look great

http://www.straw.com/equilters/libra...gallbaros.html

This one's on my bucket list. I love jean quilts, my daughter loves jean purses. Jeans make better throws than quilts because they can get heavy when they are big. Because they're so durable they're great for keeping in the car. Mom used to just cut 5" squares, sew them together, back them and tie them rather than trying to quilt them. If you sew the squares together in strips then offset the seams when sewing the strips together it's not quite as bulky.

I totally agree with Skittl1321 on the heaviness of a quilt. I made a denim rag quilt for my son when he was about 8 or so and it was really, really easy to make - almost no profanity. However, to this day he will not use it and he just turned 13 cause he said he feels like it will kill him at night from the weight. Some people might like that and it's very durable but really, really heavy.

THIS IS IT>> THIS IS THE QUILT I WILL MAKE FROM MOMS CLOTHING !!!!!

thank you soooo much.. I can use her jeans for the circles and her 'cotton' shirts to make the squares.. It will be made up entirely of moms clothing..

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH... !!!!!!!!!!

You have lifted a weight off my shoulders.. I cant thank you enough...

So Whatcha think???

OMGosh this was soooooooo easy. !!!!!! This was a sample run.. I used scrap fabrics on hand for the sqs..
I used my GO to cut out 5inch circles..E-A-S-Y !!!!! and I used a 3.5 fussy cut template to mark the lines in the circle- Worked great !!! and I used my 3.5 go die for the sqs.. well they still seem a lil big so I may have to cut them down to 3 1/4- Im still tweaking that part... I used denim thread and a denim needle and my sewing machine sewed thru it like butter.YAY!!!!..

This sample doesn't have batting - I and really thinking about putting Warm & natural as its not heavy at all but then again the picture below is only 4 sqs sewn together.. hmmmm.. more tweaking Iguess..

Sooooooooo?? Whatcha think??
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Jeans quilts are great, and not so hard to make. Find yourself a good pattern on the web, an easy one, and make sure you use a needle meant for either denim or leather. Good heavy thread is essential as well. Then make something SMALL. Smaller than a lap quilt. Just put some squares together. By the time you've put enough pieces together, you will know if this is something you'd like to continue doing, or something that is just not for you. In that case, you have cut up a maximum of 2 pairs of jeans, no big deal. Then take the rest to Goodwill, or wherever, and say a fond goodbye to them. So try it, start small, if you don't like it, don't force yourself. I like making them, and I know quilters who cringe at the mere thought of making them. Which camp are you in? This is a personal decision. Don't let nostalgia, or the fact that you have a "bunch of jeans on hand" or your husband's desire for a quilt from his Mom's jeans (surely you can find something else of hers to quilt! How about a photo memory quilt?) But whatever you do, don't force yourself to make some big jeans quilt if you discover it's not your "thing". Life is too short for that negativity and "stuff", and putting all that effort into something you don't want to do, and then you'll spend the rest of your life looking at the quilt you hated to make. SO not worth it! But if you discover making that small piece is fun, well, then you've discovered a new, fun form of your craft! It's a win/win situation, and I like those situations. Good Luck with your decision!

I found the biggest challenge with a jean quilt was cutting it out. You have the GO system so it might make it easier. I made my Neice a queen 9-patch for her 18th birthday. I use flannel for the batting and cotton for the backing, and it was still heavy. That was 10 yrs ago, and she told me at Christmas, it was still going strong. I was just thinking of making one for my son, and have started gathering up jeans. Good Luck and enjoy the journey, they are not that bad to do.

That is great ! And besides the good wills and thrift shops are over stocked with clothing at least aroung here they are. Even the free stores aren't always accepting clothing . You will be happy with the quilt I am sure of it. I have a stack I am saving for a quilt of rug havn't decided. My boys have small jean quilts made probly 15 years ago ,they still use them.

Your sample is lovely....glad you have hit on a denim project you like. I am a lover of all things denim and recycled...look forward to seeing your finished quilt.

Great. I like the kitties framed in the block.

So long as you use a strong, jeans needle you should be OK. They are the ones that are sized 90 or 100 and I think I saw some 110s at my LQS which I think would be ideal (if I am not imagining that I saw them). Why not give it a go and if you find it too tough you can always donate then?

I love it!!! I am going to save my DH old jeans and flannel shirts (when he retired he retired his suits,dress shirts and ties), he even wears them on holidays as he feels he has earned the right to dress the way he wants. He will not let me make a tie quilt as he LOVES his ties, so this will be a great idea. I wish I would have done this to the wool suits that I have donated as he "outgrew" them. This is a great way for my 4 R's "recycle, reuse, regift, repurpose" commitment that I try to live by.

I'd pass. Make the T-shirt quilt and if still wanting to use the jeans maybe make a rug by weaving or crochetting.