Monday, March 14, 2011

Who said Granny's don't look good in Denim?

5 pairs of denim jeans
+ 1 size 15mm crochet hook
+ one tired arm
= a new bath mat for my boys :) Well it is finished.....


I've wanted to make something with the old pairs of jeans in my wardrobe for a little while now....so thinking that I'll probably use about 3 pairs for this bath mat I started cutting them up.


Of course things like this always use more supplies
than you will think they will ;)


So I ended up cutting 5 pairs of old jeans.

Crocheting with cut up jeans, seams and all...
is a little tougher on the arms and wrists than normal crochet,
but you do cover a lot of ground quickly.
................................................
If you are interested, here is what I did.


Starting with the jeans - Use scissors to cut the hem off the bottom of each leg, then cut up the leg in a spiral till you reached the crotch, cut off this piece from the jeans, Roll into ball.
You don't have to worry too much about how straight your cutting is, just do your best to keep it a similar width so that your granny square stays neat and square.
Cut the other leg the same way, sew onto the end of the previous ball with sewing machine (I stitched back and forwards across the join several times and trimmed excess seam) roll onto the ball you have already made, making sure when you join each length the right sides face each other and the seam is on the wrong side.

As you use up each length you can just cut more jeans, and roll them up into balls sew the balls onto the denim yarn end when you are near to crocheting it.

I found working in smaller balls (one or two legs at a time) stopped the yarn from twisting.
Now your denim yarn is ready you can crochet it how ever you like...
I chose a simple granny square as I wanted a square bath mat for the boys.
once it was the right size, mine is 55cm square.
I crocheted a round of dc (UK terms) or sc (US terms)
give it a bit of a tug to make it nice and square and you are finished!
......................................
I hope you are having a creative week
~ Gillian ♥

26 comments:

'Joyce' said...

hullooooooo, here I am. Oh gosh, I had to have another look at it. What an awesome bathmat. Oh that would just feel so good underfoot after a relaxing, splashy bath. Hmmmm, not sure I want to do outdoor cushions with mine now. lol this looks so much nicer. You are one very talented lady! Three cheers for you. Hip hip hooray! I am gushing, but I can't help it. So you used 5 pairs of jeans, hmmmm, I am going to have to get me some more jeans. lol. Thanks so much for sharing and thank you for your lovely, lovely blog.

**Anne** said...

Hi Gillian,
When I saw that denim in your last post, I wondered if you were making a mat of some kind. It's FANTASTIC!!! I would love to make some rugs at some point, your post had given me just the tips I need.
Thanks for sharing and have a lovely week.
Anne xx

frou-frou said...

Granny looks FABULOUS in denim!! Fiona x

Melissa@Vidastyle said...

ooh love this! I have been collecting old sheets to make a rug. Love the idea of using old jeans.

- said...

I'm really impressed with this! What a fantastic job!

Fernanda said...

Oh Gillian it looks so nice! I tried this before but my arms and hand couldn't cope with it... It's hard work, well done!

planettreasures said...

What an amazing project1 Who'd have thought?
Hope you arms are getting a rest now - maybe a soaking in the bath and then you can use your new bath mat!

Anonymous said...

A wonderful result, Gillian.

trudi@maudeandme said...

Great effect! Mat looks fantastic. I know what you mean about a tired arm. I am currently onto my 4th bag using upcycled stretchy fabric, just need to line them now. Need to go get a massage too!

Rynae said...

Whoa that is so incredible seems it would be quite hrd cos denim is a tough and stiff material.

Heldasland said...

Gillian, that mat is so impressive.I wish you had posted this earlier I have just had a sort out and handed 6 pairs of jeans to the charity shop.Just my luck.

Anonymous said...

What an excellent idea for recycling old denim! Love it!

Lynn said...

Oh my goodness! I LOVE this idea! As luck would have it, I happen to have several pairs of jeans! Thanks!

renee said...

What an wonderful idea for a bathmat for boys, well really for anyone! It's so gorgeous. This looks like something I would lust after if I saw it for sale somewhere.

Sandra Foster said...

Gillian this is a very good idea. Just think - it will never wear out but only look better with age. Sandra

Teje Karjalainen said...

Hello Gillian! I'm so happy to meet you! This Jean carpet is the best! I love jeans and blue and grannies! I collect jeans so this is on my list! And with that goes Mia's quilt (Mia's Landliv)! Your crochet squares are really beautiful with great colours!
Sunny wishes! Teje

artfulstampin said...

Just fab! Well done you!

Just-Do said...

What a fun idea!! I don't want to think about your wrists though, this must be a very tough job. The result is absolutely fantastic.

RobynLouise said...

Just popped over from Joyce's blog and am amazed at what you do with a crochet hook!! Love the detail in your cards as well. I'm of to become a follower, even if I only lurk around and look :D.

Hazel said...

Hi Gillian, It's been a while since I've visited your blog - and, wow, what a lot of lovely crochet goodness is here! Gosh, this mat must have been very hard work, but well worth it - super result. Sending you hugs. x

mosteringalisa said...

Love this.....

Terrie said...

Gillian you never cease to amaze me! This is wonderful!x

Gillian said...

Thank you all so much xxx

Allison said...

that looks like such hard work! but in the end you've got the coolest bath mat. i bet your boys love it.

Michelle said...

A scrap buster! Lord knows I have more jeans lying around than will ever have a new life... here's a good start at least =)

Abbi said...

That is very cute! I love making rag rugs but I haven't tried one quite like this yet. Thanks for the great idea!