recycled denim bowl / basket crocheted from old jeans

crochet a recycled denim basket from an old pair of jeans

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​   There is just something about denim.   It could be the indigo color that with its variation, adds a unique element to each piece of fabric.  It could be the durability of this workhorse material. Another appealing aspect is its wide availability, it would be difficult to find a household in the United States that did not have in its possession at least one worn out denim garment, ready to be cut up and repurposed.  I like the fact that everyone has access to an old pair of jeans and the ability to remake them into something new.  I will share exactly how I made this recycled denim basket.  This DIY is doable for almost anyone.  All you need is a basic grasp of crochet and some old jeans and you are on your way.

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If you are wondering what it is like to work with all different types of fabric check out this article about the best and the worst fabrics  to make rag rugs with

    When I started on this project, I intended to create a basket to store small items.  I have a table in my room.  I use this table as a desk for myself, it is also used for my sons covid-19 homeschooling. It gets cluttered very quickly.  I use this bowl to hold small important items, so they don't get lost in the shuffle.  Things like my keys, my wallet, sunglasses are in it so that I never forget anything when I am running out the door.  It's especially handy to have a place to put important items. It allows you to empty your pockets without misplacing anything and feel confident that you can leave the house without forgetting anything.  A bowl or basket of this size is useful for many things.  It is a generous size to keep small toys organized.  I am thinking of making some more for my son.    I like that they are indestructible, but soft.  There is virtually no way for a child to hurt themselves with a crocheted basket.
   I chose to use denim for this project because I have a lot of it and I really love the way it looks.  Because of the natural variations in the indigo color of the denim, it always has a unique appearance.  No two items will ever end up looking exactly the same.

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Want more denim?Make this basket with old jeans & sisal twine

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN WORKING WITH DENIM

Making fabric yarn from denim can take a lot of time.  Cutting strips while avoiding seams and other hardware as well as worn spots and holes can be tedious. 

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Buying denim by the yard would resolve a lot of that hassle, but it is quite expensive and then you are no longer making a recycled or environmentally friendly item.   If using one color of denim from yardage, you do not get the kind of variation in color that you have when you use multiple pairs of old jeans to make a project.

Because you are cutting around so many seams and so much hardware, the fabric strips can be quite short.   There will be frequent joining of new strips as you work up your project.  I join as I go but sewing the strips together into a continuous piece of "yarn" before you start can save a lot of time once you begin crocheting.


Cutting up old denim clothing is very messy.  You will have small particles of fabric in the air and landing everywhere.  You may want to wear a mask, so you don't breathe in the fabric dust. You may want to prepare your strips outside or in an area that is easy to thoroughly vacuum when you finish.  

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denim strips that are cut too thin (narrower than 3/4 of an inch wide tend to break when worked with

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100% cotton denim looks best (in my opinion) but can be difficult to crochet.   Denim that is mixed

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with some spandex to have some stretch is softer in the hands, less likely to break, and more forgiving of mistakes.   I usually end up using a mixture of both 100% cotton and stretchier denim because I am using found clothing to make my strips

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If you are purchasing jeans from the thrift store to make your fabric yarn, start your search in the largest sizes.   The bigger, the better.   You get a lot more workable fabric from a size 40 than you do from a size 26.   Boot cut or straight leg styles are better than skinny jeans when it comes to making long, evenly sized fabric yarn strips

 MATERIALS 

• Scissors or rotary cutter and healing mat
• Denim cut into strips about ¾ of an inch to 1 ¼  wide
• Crochet hook (I used a size P11.5mm) you may want to go up or down a size.  It depends on how tightly or loosely you crochet
• Needle and thread to attach strips to each other

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HOW TO
This bowl was remarkably simple to make.  this will be a short pattern.

I did the entire bowl using only simple single crochet

Because there is no "bad side" on which to hide your knots and ends when you make a basket, I stitch all of my strips together by hand in order to have one continuous length of fabric for the entirety of this project.  I usually stitch together a ball of denim yarn before I begin and add to it as needed

My bowl is about 6 inches tall and 11 inches across at the top and I used 650 grams of denim 

• begin crocheting a square 
• when your square is the size that you want for the base of your basket, you will start working up the sides
• you will decrease at each corner now. put your hook through like you want to begin an ordinary stitch, yarn over and pull hook to front.  DO NOT COMPLETE STITCH.  Instead put your hook through the fabric on the other side of the corner, as if you were doing the next stitch and yarn over.  bring hook to the front of fabric.  Yarn over and draw your yarn through the loops from both stitches on your hook.
• do that at every corner  
• it helps to position your work as you go so that you are crocheting on top of the previous row
• when your sides are the height that you want, tie off and with your needle and thread, hide and secure the end of the yarn

  

  

         
​   What have you made with recycled denim?  Do you think that the benefits of working with denim outweigh the pitfalls?   Do you have any projects planned that will use denim?

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