Sneak in there to the box full of things you’re going to take to donate to charity and swipe just one pair of those old blue jeans. You’re going to simply adore denim flowers that you can make by cutting up old jeans. And, since the flowers can be used in so many different ways, one pair will give you jewelry, a picture frame embellishment, a belt accent, and much more. Grab the scissors – and the denims – and let’s get started.
There are different ways to make denim flowers but I love the circle method. Cut a circle of denim to be as large in diameter as you want the flower to be. Use something you have around your house – like a glass or vase – as a pattern for the circles. You could also use a stencil or just draw freehand. Cut another circle to be a bit smaller than the first, then cut more circles, and diminish them in size. Cut as many as you want to create the thickness of the flower that you desire.
For each denim disk, use ordinary scissors to fringe the edges. Just cut from the edge, inward, but not all the way to the center. Do this all the way around, spacing the slits evenly apart. Stack the circles so that the largest one is on the bottom and the smallest is on top.
You can sew the flower if you’ll be making something that will be laundered later. If not, just use hot glue. Stack the fringed circles, and if you’re sewing, stitch through the stack several times. If you want a bead in the center of the flower, sew from under the flower, up, through the bead, and back down. If you’re using hot glue, just glue them all together, then glue the bead in the middle.
There are lots of different designs you can create using the denim circles. For example, instead of fringing the edges, you can use a paint marker or fabric paints to draw on petal shapes. Or, cut the fringe wide, and outline each fringe section with the marker or paint. Create something much different when you use one denim petal on the right side, then flip a blue jean circle over, and use the wrong side, to give the next petal a slightly different color. Instead of gluing one bead in the middle you can sprinkle tiny beads all over the center of the top piece.
Make a pin by simply attaching the metal backing. Create tiny flower earrings by gluing on a piece of fishing twine to hang the flower on the wire, then a piece of denim over it to conceal. Glue or sew the flower onto a long strip of denim, and you can make a beautiful choker. Attach the flowers to headbands, belts, purses, tennis shoes, hats, zipper pulls, and more.