Upcycled Jeans Roundup (and a bit of history!)

I was just looking back at the jean projects I had done and thought it was a good idea to put them all together in one post! Everyone wears jeans. According to Danny Miller, anthropologist and author of Blue Jeans, almost half of every countries' population wears jeans.  These garments were originally designed as work wear for labourers who toiled in mines and farms in the American west during the 19th century.   A Nevadan tailor called Jacob Davis increased their durability with rivets and because they lasted longer, the jeans became popular. Well, Mr. Davis had the opportunity to patent this design, but unfortunately, as it cost a lot to do so, he couldn't. He therefore, called fabric supplier, the San Francisco merchant, Levi Strauss, for help, and the rest is fashion history (although Levi's patent expired in 1908)! 

By the 1950s, jeans were seen as a sign of rebellion - Marlon Brando and James Dean wore jeans in their movies and even off-screen - the horror! Schools took to banning it from the classroom, and by the 1960s, jeans became part of the flower power movement, democracy protests and worn as a sign of support for the working class.

Denim lasts a long time, and in the olden days people expected their jeans to last an extremely long time (maybe even their entire working life!). In fact, Levi's received a complaint from a miner in the early 1900s as to why his pair lasted only 3 years having worn them everyday except Sundays! But in recent years, many throw their jeans after wearing them only a few times, contributing to growing waste problems.  So why not check out some of the refashioning ideas in this post? :-)

My ideas!

1. Jean pocket cutlery holders; 2. Jeans to bangles; 3. Jeans to bangles (part 2)

4. Jeans to bag; 5. Jeans to wristlet; 6. Jeans to tissue holder; 

7.  Reupholstered chair from jeans; 8. Jean Dress Collar to Necklace; 9. Jeans to skirt

Here are my fave finds on the web:

SimpleDIYs shows how you can distress your old jeans without having to go to the store to buy one. She's also got other great tutorials too!

Pam at Threading My Way has made great baskets from jeans!

Awesome jean potholders by Jill at Creating My Way to Success

Mini neck / shoulder purses by Sewing for Utange .

And since Christmas is just around the corner (3 more months, folks!), what about this lovely stocking by Lynn at Nebraska Views!