Jeans Rug Gift for a Friend
 

Almost every Saturday my husband and i drive almost an hour from home for a fantastic fish dinner (yes, it’s that good!). We have done this for many years and have become good friends with the owner of the restaurant.

I am one of those people who saves worn out jeans for some unknown, future purpose 😊 one day i got to thinking that over the years we have worn out a lot of jeans in our weekly travels to this restaurant - so why not take some of those jeans and make a rug for the owner? This is what i came up with and she loved it! Thought i would share...

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That is really nice of you! The rug is great.

Thank you - it was really fun to do and i love making things for people! Cant wait until i retire in a few years and can do it more often because my time will then belong to me!

nicely done

Very thoughtful of you. BrendaK

What a great idea! I love it!

Too pretty to walk on. What a thoughtful gift.

I like this! I make rugs for my farm house mud room from old jeans using the rag quilt technique. They last a long time through multiple washings. This is a pic of a dirty one..i just wash them with MrOk's farm jeans. [ATTACH=CONFIG]620139[/ATTACH]


If I may, I'd like to steal your idea. What do you use for a backing? I'm thinking you could use a QAYG method with denim pieces on the back. Do you use a filler (batting)?

Great use of the jeans for a rug. Yes, please share technique of making one. Your stitches are so straight and admired.

Love the story of the fish dinner and friendship.

I like your rugs too!!!

No problem oksewglad - i am honored!

You are correct - this is a QAYG. I have done them with both front & back jeans, and then this one where i have rotated home dec fabric for a pop of color in alternating strips and the binding.

This is a pattern that i just worked out as i went along. At first i didnt use any batting, but i think i like a little batting better so as not to feel those bumpy seams so much!

I cut the jeans about 6” to 6 1/2” wide by whatever length you can manage to get out of a leg. If using batting - cut that about 1/2” less in the width as the jeans you are using (6” jeans = 5 1/2” batting, etc). I use front and backs of jeans depending on which side looks the best!

The assembly isnt rocket science - and you undoubtedly have your own QAYG method - but if not here is a basic run-through... its up to you whether you start at the center and work out to either side - or just start at an end.

I apologize in advance here, sometimes instructions are better with photos instead of just text! If you think photos might be better i will try to work some up!

The first strip gets: 6” jean strip face down (for back). Then 5 1/2” batting centered on the first jean strip. Add a 6” jean strip (face up) for top. This first strip is a traditional quilt sandwich.

If i start my rug from the center and work my way out from there i will usually baste the edges of the first rectangle all the way around about an 1/8” from the edge just to keep that first piece a little more manageable. If not working from the center out i usually dont bother to baste.

Here is the QAYG - you need two 6” strips here (one for front/one for back). You will be sewing 4 layers of jeans together here - so probably need a jeans needle and reduce foot pressure - and go slow!

Here are your 4 layers... remember that your first rectangle (the quilt sandwich) already now has right side showing on both sides.

For back and front strips you will now add them placed placed right sides together to each of the front and back sides.them You now have four jeans strips in a stack - pin or wonder clip together.

Now sew the stack 1/4” in from one edge. Once sewn, flip both of the new strips away from your first strip revealing a new row! Place your 5 1/2” batting inside butted up against your seam so you have a “sandwich” - then add two more jean strips and repeat the previous process until you have as many strips as you want for a rug. Sometimes i add a couple rows of topstitching to each strip as assembled, sometimes not.

A few details... I dont trim the sides until i am done adding strips. Once you have trimmed your long sides, you will need to add binding - i add binding to each of the long sides first. I cut binding anywhere from 2 1/2” to 3” - this is for double fold binding - you have to kinda use your judgement based on how thick your edges are. I usually use some kind of home dec fabric for binding because jeans are just too hard for me to work with in a binding application (makes me cranky!) but you may be more successful! I add each side of binding as an individual piece - so cut 4 pieces (so no mitered corners on this). I add long sides first and short ends last just cuz its easier for me to work with that way!

If using home dec fabric in binding and/or in a rotation in the rug itself i try to pick a fabric that might allow me to isolate some element of that design to make a gift tag. I use Steam a Seam Lite and fuse a fabric to the back that i can write on - once fused then i cut out my chosen element (like the flower). It just makes the gift a little more special!

Let me know if you have questions or if i have left something out! I think i have worked on this description for about an hour already but it probably could still use further tweaking! 😊