Quilt Magazine Article
Turn Your Favorite Denims Into Quilts
It’s hard to part with old denims. Now you have a chance to keep them and not throw them away. Even if you can’t wear them any longer, you could convert them into a quilt. Granted, denim is a tough fabric and making a quilt may not be an easy proposition for novices in the art of quilting. You could start with other materials like cotton that are much finer, if you like. However, keeping your old favourite jeans may be temptation enough for you to give denim quilting a chance. Once you know how, it’s not as daunting a task as you imagined it to be. Besides, you’ll have the satisfaction of having accomplished something, more so with your old, favorite, hard-to-part-with jeans.
If your jeans are still in good condition but don’t fit you, you may wish to give them away to someone who’ll have use for them. In that case, you could make do with remnants of denim to make your quilt.
Since denim is difficult to sew, stick with easy designs. Square or rectangular patterns are ideal. You may not be able to lay your hands on denim sufficient to make a quilt. That doesn’t matter. Work with similar material that weighs about the same. Remove all the parts of your jeans that you can’t use. Rip open the seams and cut the fabric into neat squares or rectangles. Squares of around six to ten inches are fine. Rectangles can be of about ten inches by eight inches.
When choosing materials to match denim, corduroy is a good option. Varieties of denim work well too. They don’t have to all be of the same color. In fact, the quilt will be more interesting if it has a chequered effect. So go with different colors, but place them in such a way that they make an attractive pattern. Look in your ‘rag bag’ for thick embroidered or appliquéd material. Cut pieces of the same size and add them in appropriate places. That should make a quilt with a difference!
Having placed your even sized pieces of fabric in the design of your wish, start sewing. Since denim is a thick fabric, you will need a needle that won’t break easily. A thicker needle is the answer. Your haberdasher will advise you on this count. Leave a good margin when you sew, since denim has the tendency to wear away at the seam when washed.
You don’t want a cumbersome quilt so it’s best not to stuff it. However, you can line it with flannel or fleece. If you’re one of those people who can’t do without batting, use cotton, but this will make the quilt quite heavy and bulky.
At the beginning, you may find it tough going but with practice, quilting will become easier. You could use quilted denim fabric in many interesting ways. They make wonderful picnic cloths, besides the traditional bedcovers. Whatever look you fancy, you could achieve with denim. Whether you make pillowcases, cushion covers, scatter rugs, potholders or tablemats, the possibilities with quilted denim are endless.
