7 things you can do with your old denim

Each of us has that pile of jeans in our wardrobe that we don't wear anymore. A pair was our favorite of a period and trying it on again now we cannot explain ourselves why. Another one never really fitted us, but we promised to lose weight so we bought it anyway. Nonetheless, it never happened and those jeans are still on the back of the closet. The third pair is not fashionable anymore. The other day I was reading about the Upcycling denim challenge on Outsapop and I was reflecting that denim fabric is almost indestrutible and can be used again and again before being trashed.  So take that pile of jeans, a pair of scissors and give a new life to that old denim. Recycle your jeans, they may become your new favorite spring must have. Get inspired by the ideas below and check out my diy trousers section with a lot of jeans re-styles.

bag made of recycled denim strips pic via ecouterre - a quicker version  this shopper  by avec 10 doits

jeans bag -the 5 pockets istantly become useful bag pockets - tutorial by Make Mine Silk

Three different bags made of recycled denim of increasing difficulty. The istant bag is the one above, you cut your jeans and sew them at the bottom, the tutorial is by Make Mine Silk.

man shirt into skirt by madebylex

Man shirts are often "the chosen victims" of re-fashions. Made by Lex, transformed a man shirt into an easy skirt. Love it.

Lanvin for Acne pic via StylebyKling

Now if we pick the skirt with elastic at the waist as a starting point we can create a lot more styles making little variations. This Lanvin for Acne collection from 2010  it's a great source of inspiration.  The skirt with the frill on one side is feminine and wearable while the dress is the middle has a draped top over the simple skirt.

jeans boots  via inspirefusion

A creative way to reuse jeans? Boots with pockets!

Chanel spring 2013

Girly short dress by Chanel clearly inspired to a pair of jeans; and that pair  could be used to make it!

dip dye your jeans pic via fashionfifth

So you don't like your jeans anymore, why not dye them? The ones above are dip dyed jeans soaken up in a bleach solution.

jeans leg into lunch tote bag via outsapop

Denim shirt refashion by Inspiration&Realisation

The different fabrics sewn together create a new up-to-date look.

DIY idea: the blackboard tee

via printasmile

A used t-shirt which black is not so black anymore due the amount of washes will be the perfect cloth to copy this look. A fabric pen will be your chalk and you're ready to write your motto on your "blackboard tee". Otherwise you can make a real blackboard tee with a fabric called chalk cloth that is a pliable fabric/vinyl where you can write on it with real chalk, erase and write again a message according to your mood of the day.

Una t-shirt il cui nero è ormai scolorito per i troppi lavaggi sarà il  capo perfetto per riprodurre questo look. Un pennarello bianco per la stoffa sarà il vostro gesso e siete pronti per scrivere il vostro motto sulla vostra "t shirt lavagna". Oppure potete realizzare una maglietta che sia una vera lavagna utilizzando il "chalk cloth", una stoffa in vinile che può essere utilizzata come una lavagna vera: potrete scriverci con il gesso, cancellare e riscrivere un messaggio a seconda del mood della giornata.

Versace inspired jeans DIY

 

DIY jeans

Lion head DIY shoes

white altered blouse (a diy in progress)

 

I've been dreaming about a micro studded cloth for a while but the idea of inserting each mini stud by hand was just unrealizable until I found these "beads in a bottle" (doesn't it sound like something came out from Wonderland?). It's a gummy product you can squeeze onto fabric and that makes a ball that looks like a bead.  I found my "micro studding machine"! I picked the metal colors series and I started "to stud" a pair of black jeans. The inspiration is Versace. I decorated them around the lateral seam with the greek fret then I added a spiral on the front.

Ho sempre desiderato possedere un abito decorato con mini borchie ma l'idea di applicarle manualmente una ad una era semplicemente non realizzabile fino a quando ho trovato una ragionevole alternativa: perline in bottiglia (dal nome sembra un oggetto proveniente dal paese delle meraviglie). E' un prodotto viscoso che può essere applicato sulla stoffa e forma una pallina dall'aspetto di una perlina: una perfetta "macchina borchiatrice"! Ho scelto il prodotto in colori metallici affinchè la perlina sembrasse una borchia. L'ispirazione è Versace, ho decorato i pantaloni con una greca intorno alla cucitura laterale e ho aggiunto dei decori sul davanti.

 

a life size view of the pattern I drew, the grid step is 1 cm wide

il disegno della greca, il quadretto è largo 1 cm

 

I drew the pattern onto the trousers with a chalk

ho disegnato la greca sul pantalone con un gessetto

 

the studding machine gun is armed

 la "borchiatrice" armata e carica

 the first studs

le prime borchie

 

the spiral: finished and dried

la spirale finita ed asciutta

If you want to decorate smaller areas rhinestuds are a good alternative to "beads in a bottle". They are small metallic studs that can be ironed onto the fabric, you can buy ready to use decorations or loose ones.

Se volete decorare aree più piccole le borchiette piatte sono una valida alternativa alle "perline in bottiglia" . Si incollano sulla stoffa stirandole e si possono acquistare in merceria interi decori già pronti o sfuse.

A special thanks to Beth Livesay and Stampington for sending me a bag full of these special beads for my fashion experiments. Visit Beth's blog: Couture over Coffee

Un ringraziamento particolare a Beth Livesay e a Stampington per avermi mandato un pacchetto pieno di "perline in bottiglia" per i miei esperimenti di moda. Visitate il blog di Beth: Couture over Coffee.

my stock of liquid beads, still plenty left for my future projects