DIY Denim Throw Pillows: How to upcycle Old Jeans

I love Denim! I love the blue color tones of denim and I also love the classic, laid back feeling of denim. How about you? If you also share my love for Denim then I hope that you’ll find today’s post inspiring.  I have sewn up a couple of stylish denim throw pillows and today I’m going to share my step by step guide so that you too can make your own Denim pillows.

*Disclaimer: This blog post contains Affiliated links which means that I earn a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Step 1 – Gather up old denim jeans and Supplies

 I have been collecting my two boy’s old jeans for quite some time now.  If their old jeans had holes or were too worn out to donate, then I placed them in a special pile.  Once my pile grew to about 8 pairs of jeans, I knew that I had to get crafty and put them to use.

To make my two 20 X 20 throw pillows I used 8 pairs of boys jeans ranging in sizes from about 9 to 14. So that should give you an estimate about how many pairs or jeans will be needed to make these pillows.

Here are the items you will need for this project:

-Old denim jeans or fabric – Suggested Options

–Sewing Machine – Suggested Options

-Sewing Scissors – Suggested Options

-Level or Cardboard Template – Suggested Options

-Grey or black Sharpie Marker – Suggested Options

-20 X 20 Pillow Insert (Preferably Down) – Suggested Options

 

Step 2. Cut Denim into long strips

The easiest way to cut your denim up in to long strips is to first cut off the legs of the jeans just below the back pockets and then cut off the side seams from the legs. 

For each pant leg you will get two pieces of long fabric. (I also cut out all of the back pockets thinking that maybe one day I could come up with another project for them.)

 Next, using a level and a grey sharpie marker I traced out the level onto the denim fabric and then cut it out. If you don’t have a level then make yourself a template using cardboard. Your strips will need to be 2 1/4 inches wide and 22 inches long.  

Note: You can adjust the width if you prefer to, but the length needs to be 22 inches to fit a 20 X20 Pillow insert

 Each pillow took about 24 strips plus one un-cut pant leg. I left out two pant legs that I did not cut into strips and I will explain more about the reason why here in a bit.

Step 3. Sew the denim strips together

One by one, sew the strips of fabric together. Be careful to sew all the seams on the same side.

I found that I really like the more muted color that is on the back side of the denim. So I alternated the different variants  of denim colors as I sewed the pieces together.

Once I had sewn all 24 pieces together I then added the one big piece from the pant leg that I did not cut into strips as mentioned above. This larger piece will not be noticeable in the end.

Here is what one of the pillows looked like once I was done sewing the pieces together. To make two pillows I made two of these.

Step 4. Wash Denim in Washing Machine

Okay, now this step may concern you a bit, as it did me, but  I wanted to wash my fabric before I sewed it into pillows to allow it to fray up a big…… Eeeek! This is how it came out of the washing machine. Yikes!

But I figured it’s better to let it fray up and do its thing now, and not after it has been sewn into pillows.

From here I just cut off all of the tangled up strings, let it air dry, and then I had to re-sew a few of my seems that came undone.

I was also debating between which side of the fabric I wanted to be seen on my pillow. I had the choice between the clean side that I ended up picking, or the side with the frayed edges that I think would also have looked cute.

Also, I should share that I cut out this “Lucky You” tag from a pair of Lucky brand Jeans and sewed it onto my fabric. I just thought it was a fun touch.

Step 5. Sew into Pillow Cover using my Envelope Method

This Envelope method is how I sew most all of my throw pillows. I like this envelope method because it doesn’t require any buttons, zippers, or velcro,  which makes it easy for beginner sewers as well.

Envelope Method

-Lay your fabric down with the correct side facing up.

-Place pillow Insert in the middle of the fabric and fold sides over. Fold the side with the bigger “Pant leg” section second.

-Mark where it folds over at the top and at the bottom with a pin or marker.

-Remove pillow

-Make sure that the square measures 22 X 22 inches or close to.

-Now sew down each of the two raw sides of the square making sure to catch all of the layers.

(If these instructions are too confusing, then hopefully this postwill be more helpful)

 After the sides are sewn, inside it out and insert your pillow insert. 

Using a feather down pillow insert is more flattering than a polyfilled insert, plus a down pillow is more forgiving if your cover has any sewing flaws in it. Trust me 😉

I really love how my denim pillows turned out.

They look great in our cottage home and add a relaxed casual look.

The Lucky You tag is one of my favorite details on the pillow.

And on the second pillow I had used a strip of denim that had a hole in it. I just made a little patch for the hole prior to sewing the strip on.

Here is what the back side of the pillow looks like. See how that bigger Pant Leg strip is really not noticeable? And I think the raw frayed edge is a great touch as well. 

So I guess I should also mention that I will Not be throwing these pillow covers in the washing machine again. I don’t want them to fray up too much more now that they have been sewn into pillows. I’ll just wash them by hand and lay flat to dry.

I currently have these new denim pillows on my grey denim couch (Ikea Slipcover seen here) and I think that they go so well together.

I also did a little something – something with the denim seems that were leftover. If you look closely you’ll see what I’m talking about in this next picture. 

Yup, I made THIS cute no-cost flower pot out of the leftover scraps.

Another recycled Denim project of mine, are these fun Place Mats that I made, See How HERE.

I especially love how the added pocket is so perfect for holding napkins and silverware. Here is a Fall table setting I created using the denim placemats

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Thanks for stopping by,

Emily