Monday 28 July 2014

Jeans Pocket Cushion Tutorial...

Jeans Pocket Cushion Tutorial... take a pair of jeans, add some scraps of fabric and you have a one of a kind cushion ~ Threading My Way


Take a pair of old denim jeans, add some co-ordinating  fabric and you have a cushion that costs next to nothing. Here in Australia, we call them cushions. Depending where you live, perhaps you use the term pillow. Today's tutorial will show you how to feature a jean's pocket on the front of a cushion and how to finish the back with a simple envelope enclosure. 

My co-ordinating fabric was once a women's cotton dress. You could just as easily use scraps and small pieces of fabric from your stash.

Materials
  • pair of pre-loved jeans
  • 2" (2.5cm) wide strips of fabric. The number and length will depend on the dimensions the centre of the cushion is cut to.
  • 1 piece of fabric - 14.5" x 14" (37cm x 36cm) for the cushion back
  • 1 piece of fabric - 14.5"x 8" (37cm x 20cm)  for the cushion back
  • 14" x 14" (36cm x 36cm) cushion insert 

Instructions
  • All seams are 3/8" (1cm), unless otherwise indicated.
  • Use a jeans or denim needle.


Centrepiece of the cushion:
  • Cut around one of the back pockets.
  • Trim so the sides are straight. 


Adding strips to the centrepiece:

  • Place the first strip of fabric on the right hand side of the centrepiece, right sides together.
  • Sew seam.
  • Neaten.



  • Open the co-ordinating strip and press if you wish. (I didn't).
  • Topstitch 1/8th" (3mm) from the seam


  • Place the second co-ordinating strip on the bottom of the centrepiece and sew as the first.


  • Repeat till there are four strips around the centrepiece.


  • Trim the co-ordinating fabric as desired. You could leave the edges straight, or cut at different angles as I have.


Adding denim strips:

  • Cut 2" (2.5cm) wide strips of denim from the jean's legs.
  • Layer the denim strips as per the co-ordinating strips, making the strips slightly longer than the co-ordinating fabric.
  • Reduce bulk by trimming any excess fabric next to the seams.


You can see in the photo below that I cut one of the denim strips a little short. That mistake determined the angle I trimmed that side.

  • Trim the denim. I alternated the angle of the denim. ie; If I had a narrow co-ordinating strip at the top, I made the denim wide at the top. Be as creative as you like with how you trim the edges.


Continue adding strips:
  • Continue adding strips till the your piece is large enough to cut a 14.5" (37cm) square for the cushion front. I added two layers of co-ordinating fabric and two layers of denim, plus the centrepiece.

Assemble the cushion:

  • Take the two pieces of fabric for the cushion back. 
  • Hem one long edge of each by turning under 1/4" (.6cm), press, turn under 1/2" (1.3cm) and sew.
  • Place the large back piece on top of the cushion front, right sides together and aligning the top edges.
  • Sew a 3/8" (1cm) seam across the top.
  • Sew a 1/4" (.6cm), seam down both sides.


  • Place the smaller back piece on top, aligning the bottom edge and right side down.
  • Sew across the bottom and the entire length of both sides, with a 3/8" (1cm) seam.
  • Reinforce the side seam where the hems are, by sewing back and forth a couple of times.
  • Neaten all edges with a zig zag or an overlocker (serger).
  • Turn your cushion inside out, push the corners out and add the cushion insert. 


It's a little hard to see with this fabric, but the back is a simple envelope closure. You could, of course, add buttons or a zipper instead.

Jeans Pocket Cushion Tutorial... take a pair of jeans, add some scraps of fabric and you have a one of a kind cushion ~ Threading My Way

This really is a simple cushion to make and gives new life to pre-loved clothes. The jeans were mine, but no longer fitted. The women's dress once belonged to the mother of a friend.

Jeans Pocket Cushion Tutorial... take a pair of jeans, add some scraps of fabric and you have a cushion that cost next to nothing ~ Threading My Way

All I have left of the jeans, is one leg and the front of the top, as I made a second cushion. This one is made with pink polka dot fabric from my stash. I tried many times in different locations, but I couldn't get a photo which showed the polka dots.

Jeans Pocket Cushion Tutorial ~ Threading My Way

I varied the strips on this one and made them 2.5" (6.5cm) wide. The angles are also less exaggerated than the first. I really like them both, but my favourite is the first with the sea shell fabric and the thinner strips.

Jeans Pocket Cushion Tutorial ~ Threading My Way

There you have it - how to easily make your own jeans pocket cushion, from a pair of denim jeans.

These two cushions are my contribution to Refashion Month over at The House of Estrela. This is Magda's third refashioning series, each one jam packed with ideas to refashion and upcycle: July 2013 Refashion Month, January 2014 Refashion Month

This month 19 bloggers are showing how to take pre-loved clothing and turn them into fabulous, one of a kind garments and home decor.

YOU can join in too. There's an awesome giveaway. Someone's going to win 20 sewing patterns from the designers to the right. If you are sewing along, you have an extra opportunity to win 10 patterns, by entering a refashion, created this month, in the Flickr group. Full details at The House of Estrela.

While you're entering the giveaway, have a look around The House of Esrela. You'll find lots of ideas and inspiration for refashioning.

I'll be adding my jeans cushions to two of the ongoing link parties, here at Threading My Way:
If you make a Jeans Pocket Cushion using this tutorial, I'd love you to share pics in the Threading My Way ~ Sewn by YOU Flickr group or leave me a link in the comments.

... Pam

12 comments:

  1. Another hit! Really like the use of the "Wonky Log Cabin" I call it, for making your jean "cushion." Very clever.

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  2. What a great cushion. The pocket is a great place to put a tissue in or even the remote to the TV as long as you don't lean on it and change the channel, lol!!!

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  3. Beautiful cushions Pam! They look fabulous.

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  4. Your pillow turned out really cute!

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  5. This is so cute what a great idea. Great way to use old jeans pocket feature is great.

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  6. Darn I have just chucked out an old pair of jeans!!!

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  7. Thanks for being part of the series again Pam, it is always great to have you. And this is a great idea to use old jeans. Just one or two days before S. was born I started cutting jeans to make them into a quilt. It's such a versatile material to work with.

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  8. I'm in a blog hop and I going to use this, I'm going to try and feed back to you, not to certain how to do to but gonna give it a try Thanks for the tutorial.

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  9. Lovely cushions and great tutorial, Pam! Well written and easy to follow. The pocket is so cute! You could add little secret notes...

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  10. Thanks for the awesome tutorial. The cushion is great, love the denim.

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  11. Love this idea, great tutorial :) thanks for linking up to Creative Mondays... Pinned and featured this week at the hop...

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