No-Sew Jean Projects

Old jeans with more than a few fashionable holes don't have to be thrown away but can be recycled. Denim is a fabric that matches any color and can easily be made into an accessory or become part of your home decor. These no-sew projects are easy and can be finished in minutes.

Jean Shorts/Skirt

The easiest way to recycle old jeans is to turn them into a new piece of clothing. You can use a pair of scissors to deconstruct your jeans into shorts and get rid of those pesky knee holes. Lay the jeans on a flat surface and cut them to the desired length. Fold over a 1-inch cuff at the bottom to hide the cut edge or leave it as is for an unfinished look.

To make a skirt, cut the legs to the desired length and carefully cut the inner leg seams open, creating front and back panels. Glue the panels together on each side with fabric glue, slightly overlapping the panels and leaving a triangle hole in the front and a smaller triangle in the back. Cut out triangles from the cut off legs. Turn the skirt inside out and glue the triangles to the inside of the skirt to cover the holes. Fold and glue the hem to the inside of the skirt.

Doll Dress/Skirt

You can dress up a doll using pieces from a cut pant leg. Lay your doll on top of the pants leg to measure the dress or skirt length and cut. To make the skirt, cut holes in the bottom seam of the cut pant leg. String a ribbon or string through the holes alternating inside and out. Put the skirt on the doll with the ribbon at the waist, cinch and tie.

To make the dress, put a thick rubber band around the doll's chest. Place the pant leg, cut edge on top, on the doll. Tuck the fabric into the rubber band, making a clean line. Put another rubber band over the jean dress at the waist. You can also tie a ribbon at the waist or a leather strap as a belt.

Chair Upholstery

This project can give new life to an old pair of jeans and an old chair. Cut your jeans into squares with or without the seams. Lay the squares wrong side up and glue them together with fabric glue or a glue gun, overlapping them patchwork-style. When dry, remove the chair cushion from its frame and place it on the wrong side of the patchwork. Pull the fabric to the underside of the cushion and glue or staple before placing your new denim cushion back on the chair.

Denim Purse

This project turns your old jeans into a new accessory to wear with your new jeans. Lay the jeans flat and cut the legs a few inches below the zipper. Use a seam ripper to open the inner leg seams and turn the jeans inside out. Glue the bottom together in a straight seam using a glue gun or fabric glue, trim off the excess fabric and turn the bag to the outside. Trim off two pieces of seam from the legs for the handles. Tie one seam to the two front belt loops and the other to the back belt loops. You can use fabric glue to add embellishments on the outside and fabric on the inside of the bag.

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