DIY - Upcycle a Jean Skirt - How to Make a Jean Pillow

Ever wonder what to do with an old pair of jeans or an old jean skirt?  Cleaning out my closet last weekend to make room for my winter clothes, I came across a jean skirt that I hadn’t worn in years.  Since I have recently lost some weight, it no longer fit.  I almost put the skirt in the Goodwill pile but at the last minute thought that it would make a good pillow for my grandson.  All I needed was a pillow form.  Here are the step by step instructions in case you have an old jean skirt or pair of jeans hanging around.

First decide what would make the most interesting front.  I decided to work with one of the pockets on the back. 

 

Next, decide what size the pillow will be.  I decided to go small and opted for a 12” pillow form, which meant I would need a 13” square.

Next I started cutting. 

You’ll see that I had to add strips around the pillow square to make the pillow fit a 12” pillow form.

 

I sewed the pieces together, even topstitching in gold to match the existing seams.

 

Next I had to decide what to do for the back of the pillow.  I could have cut a 13” inch square but decided instead to take advantage of the slit in the back.  I sewed the slit at one end to match the existing slit.

 

The next step was to sew the front and back together.

Finally, the finished pillow. 

Here is my happy grandson with his new pillow.  He thought the pocket would be a good place to keep his phone or even the remote.  Leave it to a kid!

 

This was a quick and easy project.  From now on I will look at my castoffs in a new light.  You never know what you can make!

Have I inspired you to clean out your closet to see what you can do with what you have?  If I have, please feel free to share your project with us.

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time…

DIY - Make an Upcycled Sweater Pillow and Legwarmers

My Latest Project - An Upcycled Sweater Pillow and Legwarmers from an old sweater

I've been wanting to make one of those adorable upcycled sweater pillows that I have been seeing so much of on Pinterest.  In fact, I have been saving an old black sweater that had a hole in it for just that purpose.  The first step is to decide what size pillow will work for your sweater.  I decided that my pillow would be rectangular in shape and bought a 12 x 16 inch pillow form at my local Joanns.

My next step was to cut out the pillow from the sweater.  Normally when making a pillow, you add an inch all around to the size of the pillow form.  But since sweaters are knits and stretch this step is not necessary.  I learned this the hard way!  In fact, depending on the stretch of your sweater, you may need to trim the pieces even more!

I left about a 6" gap at the bottom in order to insert the pillow form.  I rounded the corners of my pillow when sewing because I hate pointy corners.

Next, I zigzagged the edges.  I didn't want any issues with my sweater coming apart.

Once my pillow form was in place and I liked the way it fit (here's where you may have to make adjustments depending on the stretch), I sewed up the gap using regular thread and voila my new pillow!

Next, I cut off the arms.  After taking them in a bit at the one end and zigzagging the cut edge, I have a perfect pair of leg warmers for my daughter!

I want to make more upcycled sweater pillows so plan a trip to my local Goodwill very soon!

Until next time...

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