Denim Quilts

One of my favorite types of quilts to make are denim quilts. I particularly like them because they are so cheap. I have let all of my friends and relatives know that when their jeans wear out (hole in the crotch, ripped belt loops, etc.) I would gladly take them off their hands. So, the only fabric I have to buy is the backing. (These are so heavy, you wouldn't really want to put batting in them). I usually use fleece for the back, but I know some people who like to use flannel or corduroy.

To get started, I first cut the hem off of the lower pant leg - this makes it easier to use the rotary cutter.


Next, I cut squares out of the pant legs. I have found that to make my life easy, I just make my squares the width of the ruler. My ruler is 6 inches wide.

I can usually get 6-10 squares per leg. The beauty of pant legs is there is a front and a back that you are cutting simultaneously, so each pile here is actually 2 squares.

Once I have collected enough denim, I lay out the squares either randomly, or in a pattern and sew them together. I like the fringed look with the seams facing out. To accomplish this, after I piece the quilt, I snip the edges about every 1/4 to 1/8 inch. I then add the backing and tie the squares at the corners with yarn.

Here is another one of my finished projects: