Recycle your torn jeans into pretty roses. These denim roses can be used as hair accessories, clothing adornments or added to craft projects. Their versatility will provide you with hours of creativity! Best of all, these are very simple to make and require only basic sewing skills.
Steps
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Find a strip of denim. Look for an old pair or jeans, an old denim jacket or skirt, or any other denim that isn't worth wearing anymore. To make a strip:
- Decide how large you want the rose to be. The wider the strip, the larger the rose and the taller it will sit; the thinner the strip, the smaller it will be and the more squat it will sit. Don't make the strip too thin or wide though, as it will be unwieldy to work with when it's too tiny or large. For a beginner, around 1-1.5 inches/2.5-3.5cm width is a good start, and about 4 inches (10cm) length.
- Use scissors or tear, whichever is easiest. Torn denim will look more raggedy.
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Begin by holding one end of the denim hem.
- Sit or cup the end of denim in your hand.
- Use your other hand to roll the strip loosely into a coil. You will see as you do this that it begins to resemble a rose fairly quickly.
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Stitch it into place. When the denim strip has been all coiled up, hand-sew the rose firmly. Sew a few small stitches, as needed, tie a knot to finish off and cut off any excess thread. That's it!
- To use the denim roses: These can be glued to a hair elastic or barrette/clip, sewn onto clothing, scarves, bags (purse straps are a good place), belts, etc. or they can be incorporated into craft projects. Just be sure to use the right glue for fabric and the surface you're gluing the roses to.
Tips
- To make the layers look a bit looser towards the end, simply cut the slack a bit as you're rolling. This style will make the "rose" look like it's blooming.
- Your denim bloom can be applied a magnet to the back for a locker/fridge accessory. Or pop it on a safety pin to make an awesome new brooch!
Things You'll Need
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A denim hem (cut from bottom of an old pair of jeans or similar denim), at least one inch/2.5cm wide
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A needle that's good for denim sewing and strong thread
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Scissors
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Fabric glue
