Turn Old Levi’s Jeans Into a Unique Rug

As we consume resources and dig ever-bigger landfills, it only makes sense to recycle. However, recycling does not just mean taking your cans, bottles and paper refuse to the recycling center. Nearly everything you own can be recycled in very creative ways. One interesting idea for recycling old Levi’s jeans is to convert them into a unique throw rug.

Initial Preparations
The first thing you will need is several pairs of old jeans. You will also need an additional piece of material to serve as a base. The material should be smooth and flat, but it should not be too slippery when placed on the floor. An old towel works very well. Other materials and equipment that is required is as follows:

• Sewing machine with a denim needle
• Fabric shears
• Iron
• One pack of double-fold bias tape
• Measuring tape
• Several straight pins

Make the Cuts
Before you begin, you will want to wash and dry the jeans with fabric softener so that the rug will be soft and plush. When the jeans are dry, cut off the legs at the inseam. Next, you can cut away all of the seams and pockets. The last step in the cutting stage is to cut all of the material into six-inch squares.

Sewing the Rug
Once you have cut all of your jeans into six-inch squares, you can discard the scrap material. The exact dimensions of the rug are up to you, but they must all fit on the base material you have chosen.

Begin by taking two of the squares and pinning them together with the outside of the material facing up. Pin one side of each patch together so that the edge they share has a half-inch seam. The two squares should then be immediately sewn.

After sewing the two pieces of material together, pin a third square to the edge of one of the first squares. Now sew the third square to the first two squares. Continue this process until all of the squares are connected into a larger square or a rectangle.

Finishing Steps
After you have your single piece of patchwork denim, it is time to attach the base. The base should first be cut to match the size of your denim. Now, you can place the base onto the bottom of the denim and wrap the double-fold bias tape around the outside edges. Stitch the bias tape to the base material and the denim. Finally, iron the bias tape to create a flat edge. Your new rug is now complete.