Recycle Denim: Floor mat from Waistbands and inseams

This comfy floor mat is made from recycled waistbands, hem cuffs, and inseams from old jeans. These are often the wasted scraps left after other projects with recycled denim. To see how to efficiently harvest these materials from a pair old pants see this instructable:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Recycle-DenimJeans-into-Reusable-parts-with-no-wa/

This mat is great to take outside as a sitting mat, as a meditation mat, or (with added carpet tape or rubberized backing) an indoor rug. It is thick and dense, making it comfortable on hard ground, and extra durable.

Step 1 Materials

You will Need:

An assortment of waistbands, inseams, and cuffs from old jeans.
For this mat I used eight waistbands, 2 1" wide hem cuffs, and eight inseams.

Leave tags on the waistbands to add an element of design.

Sewing Shears
Sewing Machine with a #16 needle (ofter labeled "leather")
Cotton Thread (use a contrasting color if you like for added aesthetic appeal)
Basic sewing skills

optional:
3"x4" patch of cotton muslin
permanent black fabric marker.

Comments

[peacerunyoga]

This rug is great! You should look into using old yoga mats for the rubber backing...they're so versatile and still useful when no longer viable as a yoga mat.

[passionfly]

good idea!

[lorraine3010]

What great ideas, thank you. I've been making jeans bags and using the seams for garden ties, but can't wait to make a mat. My sewing machine was a bit reluctant to sew on very thick denim, but now I just use the walking foot all the time, no matter what Is sew, and it works great.

[karen608]

Very beautiful & resourceful. I might use for a piano bench or foot stool cover. Sitting on the ground isn't for the less than limber, but reusing old jeans that are usually free or very inexpensive, is such a good idea.

[Very Interesting]

I've been saving these pieces for just the right project. Thank you!

[mslaynie]

Wow, this is such a beautiful, thoughtful gift! I am absolutely amazed at how well the different, unrelated pieces come together into one cohesive piece. You've done a fabulous job on this. I second the suggestion to make these (and other items) for sale. Have you considered selling on Etsy or Artfire? I love the idea of taking something that most people could consider trash and turning it into something beautiful that can be loved again! Thanks for the inspiration!

[passionfly]

thanks ms laynie! I haven't sold on etsy, but I own my own clothing shop in bellingham WA where I sell alot of my handmade items. I also am attracted to making the unwanted beautiful again, and have committed to using only recycled mediums. It is challenging but often inspires unusual designs (like this one) I probably wouldn't have thought of if I wasn't constrained slightly by the size and shape of my materials. Happy crafting!

[mslaynie]

Eek! I just saw this reply.

I totally understand your drive to use recycled media. While sure, it's fun to run out and buy fresh new things to work with, it's also extremely satisfying for me to take something that was destined for the junk heap and turn it into something beautiful, something new, something valuable. It's not just a nod at recycling, it's a repurposing, and it revitalizes not just what I worked on but myself as well.

That's why this totally resonated with me. Of course, I already said that. *laughs* I'm such a goober, forgive me. :D

[passionfly]

there is something primally satisfying about leaving no trace, having no waste. Something I feel like my grandmother tried to teach me, and her mother taught her etc. etc.

[mslaynie]

That's very true. Almost impossible in this society, which makes it that much better when you find ways to improve what you're doing. :D

[R4Man18]

cool idea but if this laura sits on the ground 2 much she is going to ruin her jeans but i guess you will have more materials to work with

[passionfly]

clearly you and I have different ideas about sitting on the ground. lol. that's ok she will ruin her pants by riding her bicycle long before sitting on the ground does anything to them! Then I'll have to fix them with some crazy patches.

[gearhead1951]

ever thought of weaving th' seams only into a mat ?

[passionfly]

I'll bet you could weave the seams, it would be really thick , and you would need to sew or bind the edges somehow. try it out. if it works... make an instructable ;)

[QueenLucy]

Super cute! I feel like a dork knowing how many waistbands and inseams I recently threw out because I didn't know what to do with them. Never again! Thank you!

[passionfly]

you are welcome!

[porcupinemamma]

Nicely done :0)

[treesneedtobehugged]

I would personally pay at least 30 bucks for these rugs. How long did it take to make?

[passionfly]

Not long, about an hour (not counting time spent taking pictures) When I gave it to my friend at her wedding showed, several older women expressed interest in purchasing one. who knows...

[treesneedtobehugged]

You also could get for the rugs manufacturing defects, you could go to thrift stores and see what blue jeans they are throwing out (goodwill has bins of about to be thrown out jeans) and maybe use other materials like polyester, spandex, etc.

[treesneedtobehugged]

Why don't you start a company making these 5 stars and remember to vote for How to Make a Seed Bomb on both the get in the garden contest and pocket sized!

[passionfly]

Thanks Trees! I'll check out "How to Make a Seed Bomb" I have considered making these for sale. This was an experiment with trying to use odds and ends left over from harvesting jeans for larger pieces of denim.