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There are more ways to recycle your old jeans than you might imagine. A number of women made quilts out of them because they really do make durable quilts. However, jean quilts are really heavy, along with the fact that denim is thick and hard to sew. Consequently, I had to find another way to recycle our jeans.

One of the most useful things I did was to cut them up into squares and use them to patch old work jeans and overalls. My husband and his father had their favorite work denim and trying to get them to part with them was like pulling teeth.

I also used old jeans to replace worn out pockets and bibs on their work jeans and overalls. They were constantly ripping the pockets or poking a hole in them with a screwdriver or some other kind of tool. The jean scraps were perfect for that.

Our girls loved denim and I made some of the cutest little denim clothes for their dolls. One outfit I made was a denim skirt and matching vest and even a matching little purse. The girls loved them so much I had to buy new denim and make them both identical outfits complete with matching purses. Then I embroidered their initials on the pocket (they were twins) so they could tell them apart.

I couldn't use the denim from the old jeans. Trust me, by the time my husband and his father threw them out, they were rags. The girls wore those outfits nearly every time they came out of the wash. I have to admit, they did turn out nice. I even had three of their friend's mothers ask me for the pattern.

Denim scraps also came in handy in the workshop as drop cloths and surface protectors. The guys were always working on some kind of small motor in there and putting it on a piece of denim helped eliminate a lot of greasy spots on the shelves. They kept a big pile of all size denim squares in the workshop to wipe off grease and clean tools.

I guess one of the best uses I made of the recycled denim was two aprons for my husband and his father to wear in the stable. Anyone who has ever been around horses knows how you can really get filthy rubbing against them. Plus the guys were always leaning over the stalls, wearing out the bib of their overalls. The aprons worked great and they wore them for all kinds of chores like painting or loading firewood. They wore them in the workshop too.

As a Christian, I hate to waste anything. Jesus gave us an example to follow when after feeding the multitude, He had the disciples gather up the leftovers, "that nothing would be lost."

Therefore, denim is too nice to simply throw away. There are so many other things you can use it for. There are a number of ways to recycle jeans. Put your mind to it and I'm sure you'll come up with some brilliant ideas of your own.

Learn more about this author, Pat Lunsford.
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