I Got The Blues

Blue Jeans that is!  

Lots of old worn out ones that no one wants to wear any more.  

I also have scissors.  Real sharp ones!

So snipping and ripping I went.

I ripped them all into 1" to 2" strips.  I did my best to divide them into three different shades of blue.

I sewed a few strips together, so I had three long strips of denim to work with.

I folded each strip in half, wrong sides together, to hide the back side from view.

I sewed the three folded strips together at the top and then started braiding.

I kept adding strips to the braid as I went to keep it from tangling as I went along.

After it was all braided I sewed the three folded ends together.  

I ran this through the sewing machine connecting the braids with a zig zag stitch because I was trying to rush it, but I recommend doing this by hand with it flat on the ground.  It curled up on me and I've been trying to weight it down to flatten it for almost a full day.  I almost had to rip out all the zig zag stitches and re-do it by hand.  I think I finally got it to lay flat.

Here is the end result!

Now I have a nice braided denim rug for my feet to stand on while I wash dishes in the kitchen and our old denim jeans have a whole new life. 

You can use this technique to make a variety of different things.  Rugs, baskets, bags, bowls, cozy's, and more!  It's a great way to use up any old, undesirable fabric scraps you don't know what to do with.