Recycled Jeans Artist Roll

Artist rolls are fabric containers used to organize and transport pencils, pens, and other art materials. You can buy them in many different sizes and styles, but you can also make your own. This simple version for kids is made with a recycled jeans pocket and is easy enough for beginners to sew. Affiliate links above and below. 

Here's what it looks like when you untie it.  

While this project is intended for kids, I recommend using adult-sized jeans so that you can fit more into your artist roll. Kids' jeans pockets can be really small. 

Recycled Jeans Artist Roll

Materials:

• old jeans
• fabric scissors
• dressmaker's pencil
• sewing machine
• Mod Podge (Fabric)

Steps: 

Remove the pocket from a pair of jeans by cutting as closely to the seams as you can without actually cutting the seams themselves. All seams need to be intact for this project. Cut a strip of denim from one of the legs that is approximately 10" x 2". 

Use a ruler and the dressmaker's pencil to draw a vertical line in the center of the pocket. Draw two more vertical lines to the right and the left, dividing the pocket into four sections. Sew along the marked lines. 

Fold the strip of denim in half lengthwise, with the right sides facing in. Sew along the edge to make a tube. Turn the tube right-side out. I used the safety pin method, but there are other even easier methods you might want to try. 

You can sew the edges of the tube, but I chose to seal mine with Mod Podge.  

Now fill your artist roll and tie it closed. 

You're ready to take your pens and pencils with you wherever you go!

Denim Monogram Ornament

I had to retire a pair of jeans that were too threadbare to wear anymore, so I salvaged what denim I could and made a monogram ornament. I had a wooden T on hand, but have completely run out of C's. So this ornament is for Trevor. Since he doesn't read my blog, I can save it for Christmas and surprise him. Affiliate links below.  

Denim Monogram Ornament

Materials: 

• 4" unfinished wooden monogram
• Folk Art paint (Navy Blue)
• fabric scissors
• denim
• Mod Podge (Fabric)
• jute twine
• holly leaves and berries

Steps: 

Paint the monogram letter navy blue. 

Cut out a piece of denim about a half inch larger than the monogram in all directions. Cut a second piece of denim that is about a quarter inch smaller than the monogram in all directions. Set that second piece aside. 

Place the first piece of fabric upside down on a piece of wax paper. Add a coat of Mod Podge to the monogram, then place it sticky-side-down on the fabric. Press it firmly in place and let it dry for a few minutes. 

Starting with a straight edge (if your letter has one), spread Mod Podge on the edge, then pull the fabric tightly over that space. Use more Mod Podge to secure it to the back. When you get to a curved area, snip the fabric so that you can round the curves without it looking bulky from the front. 

Cut a length of twine for the ornament hanger. Glue it to the back of the ornament. Add a coat of Mod Podge to the back of the ornament and glue the second piece of fabric to it. Not only will it make the back look a bit more finished, but it will help hold the hanger in place. Let the glue dry completely. Then decorate with holly berries and leaves. 

One pair of jeans has enough fabric for a lot of monograms, so go ahead and make a bunch! I only made the one ornament, but I did use another part of the jeans for a different project. I'll show you that tomorrow. 

Patriotic Denim Heart

When I get a hole in the knee of my jeans, I move them from my Wear-in-Public pile to my Only-While-Gardening pile. When I get a hole anywhere north of the knee, I see what I can salvage for a craft. Today's project, a flag-inspired stuffed heart, uses a leg. 

I worked on this for a few minutes here and there over about a week, never spending more than 10 minutes at a time. While it's not my usual style, I like the rustic, handmade look for this project. Embrace imperfection, right?! Affiliate links below. 

Patriotic Denim Heart

Materials:

• denim
• embroidery floss (red, white, and blue)
• embroidery needle
• Wonder Clips
• fiber fill

Steps: 

Make a heart pattern on scratch paper. When you are happy with your pattern, pin it directly to a pant leg, making sure the side seam is out of the way. Cut out the heart. You will have two identical pieces with their right sides already facing out. Do not separate the pieces. Add Wonder Clips around the outside so that they don't shift. 

Cut the hem off the denim pant leg and set it aside. 

Thread a needle with all six strands of red embroidery floss. Remove the clips closest to the point of the heart, leaving the ones nearer the top in place. Flip the back piece of denim backward so it is out of the way. Starting at the point of the heart, use a backstitch to sew a horizontal stripe through ONE piece of denim. Leave a tiny seam allowance on each side of the stripe. Continue moving up the heart until you have red stripes that go from one side to the other on the bottom half of the heart. I have four stripes, but the number you have will depend on the size of your heart and how close together you sew them. If you want it to be flag-accurate, make three stripes. I was winging it; if you want to plan ahead or don't trust that you can sew in a straight-ish line, you can use tailor's chalk pencils to draw guidelines.  

 Here, I'm finishing up my final full-length red stripe. 

Start the next red stripe in the middle of the heart and continue to the right edge. Do the same for the remaining red stripes. As you can see, I left clips on the upper left. You can also see the hem that I cut to length. I eventually pulled out the gold thread since it didn't go with my project. 

Next, using all six strands of white embroidery floss, sew a white stripe between each pair of red stripes. 

Move the clips to the right side. Still using all six strands of the white embroidery floss, sew French knots in the blue field. I ended up with 18 instead of the actual 50 on the flag. (Fun fact: The 18th state is Louisiana, which we visited in 2019.) 

Move the clips back to the left. Fold the hanger (hem) in half and place it at the top between the layers. Thread the needle with blue, then backstitch through all the layers to secure it in place. When the hanger is secure, switch to a whip stitch and sew clockwise around the edge of the heart. Stop at the top row of white stars. Stuff the heart with fiber fill, pushing it into the point.  

Sew the opening closed by continuing the whip stitch until you reach the hanger. Switch back to the backstitch and sew across the hanger once more to reinforce it. 

The edges of the heart will naturally fray. If it's unevenly frayed, you can trim the too-frayed areas or scratch at the not-frayed-enough areas. Have fun sewing!

No-Sew Jeans Pocket Pencil Holder

Remember the jeans I cut apart to make the denim D and the zipper Z? In the spirit of not letting anything go to waste, I turned the pocket into a pencil holder. 

 

It couldn't be easier. I used my left-handed dedicated fabric scissors (righties- try these fabric scissors) to cut out the complete pocket. I also cut out a chunk of the side seam to use as the strap. (Affiliate links here and below.) 

I flipped the pocket over, positioned the strap, and then added some Supertite Multi-Grab to secure the strap. 

Once the glue is dry, it's super strong. Fill the pocket with pencils and anything else you need close at hand and hang it by your desk or anywhere else. It's really easy to grab and go, too. 

Super quick, cute, useful, and a great way to reuse jeans that can't be mended anymore!

Craft Materials Name Art

 More name art! I love name art! 

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Craft Materials Name Art

Materials:

• list of craft materials from A to Z
• materials needed to spell your name (in my case: Crayon, Ink, Newspaper, Denim, Yarn)
• cardstock
• craft glue

Steps:

Use the craft materials list to determine what material to use for each letter in your name. If you have a duplicate letter, you can either do the same thing twice or use a second material that starts with that letter. 

Glue each word to a strip of colorful cardstock. Mount the strips in order on a separate piece of cardstock so that they spell out your name vertically.