How to make Denim Quilts - with directions.

I don't know what it is, but I hate to waste fabric. If there's a way to use it again, I'll try to keep it and make it into something else. Today this is very hip and called upcycling, or recycling, or any number of 'cycling' words. Years ago it was called pack rat syndrome. Because until you found a use for that object, you had to hold on to it, until its use appeared. I do my best to combat this by also being an impulsive clutter purger. Sometimes the results are disastrous.

I grew up a quilter. As soon as I could hold a pencil, I could hold a needle. I hand pieced, hand quilted, or tied. It was all very Little House on the Prairie. I took my baby quilt to my after school sewing classes and fixed it. At the same time, I listened to Phantom of the Opera on my walk man (yes walk man, with audio cassette tapes) that was held together with really large hair ties. There's actually a picture of me doing this in my friend's book. "small folk quilters" by Ingrid Rogler. Look it up and laugh at my geekishness. even then I was a serious looking chipmunk faced girl. (I can say this now..)

One year when my mom went out West to visit friends, she came back talking about the quilts made out of old jeans that she had seen on the family ranch. And that was all it took to begin my love affair with making denim quilts.

So I began collecting old jeans, old flannel shirts, anything that I could cut apart and put into a quilt. My first denim quilt I finished after my grandfather passed away and after being snowed in for two weeks. I could name every piece of fabric in that quilt, tell you who's jeans they had been, where the green paint came from. All of it. And that act of piecing together my family, just after I had lost one of the major pieces was such a comfort to me, such a catharsis, that it has remained part of my life.

Now if you're thinking, Quilting, I could never do that... And if you're thinking about the beautiful intricate appliques that you see in the county fairs, or the really annoying ladies on PBS Saturday mornings, and how they all look a bit stuffy and artificial - both the tv show hosts AND the quilts, then erase your mind.

When it comes to my way of quilting with denim, I am all about ease, and speed, and fudge-work. I don't measure anything. really I don't. I just sew everything together and make it work. This is almost brainless sewing. It doesn't require a lot of thought, just a lot of imagination. And as it's not the 'traditional' or 'archival' way of quilting, then you can do whatever you want!

The more denim you use, the heavier the quilt will be. My first denim quilt I made probably weights about ten pounds. Maybe more. It's very heavy. It's also very warm. (This quilt just above is a close up of my first denim quilt, made in the midst of mourning and being snowed in. It's ALL denim. And very warm, and very heavy.... It's also pictured at the top of the page, on the bed. The fuzzy part is my dog's head in the bottom of the picture. She just wanted to be included.)

So if you're concerned about the physical weight of the quilt, intermingle some flannel with it (old flannel shirts are great for this), corduroy, quilt cottons... Do NOT use old T shirts.

to the right, is I think, my second denim quilt. thhis is a close up it, showing the use of flannel shirts and denim mixed together. It's lighter in weight and warmth but sitll very warm. The pattern is called Roman Coins. This detail is taken from the quilt pictured above.

And of all things, use your imagination. I've appliqued patches on mine. I leave the pockets functional. I've even painted on mine.

If you have basic sewing skills, a reliable sewing machine.... You can have this done in about two to three weeks. The hardest part is the cutting apart the shirts and jeans and rendering them into usable pieces. Other than that, it's just easy straight shot sewing like we learned in sixth grade Home Ec class.

They are also notoriously easy to make. I don't like measuring. I'm typically as unfussy as possible when it comes to quilting. I usually just cut things out and make them fit together. There's no pattern. But when they are laid together, it can be the most beautiful randomness ever.

I am including a link to the directions I wrote on how to make a denim quilt. I submitted it to an online newsletter years ago - Mormonchic.com. The article is still there and viable. There was some less than stellar editing by the people there. But the directions are sound, and there's some great pictures there too. Some of those quilts pictured in the article are mine, some aren't.

http//www.mormonchic.com/crafty/denim_quilt.asp

But if you're one of those people who hates to throw out jeans, or flannel, or fabric, or who doesn't think they can quilt, because it's too complicated, or there's too much measuring, really truly, try a denim quilt. They're forgiving. They wear like iron. They are very warm and heavy - note the more denim you use the heavier the quilt will be, even though it may look thin, it's going to be heavy. very warm quilts. and you don't have to worry about them getting dirty, because they're made from jeans. Toss them in the wash, then in the dryer, NEVER ON A WOODEN DRYING RACK - they'll snap the rack in two almost instantly - and you're good to go.