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Learn how to create your own stuffed animal owl using an old pair of jeans. This fun upcycle blue jean craft uses glue to make an adorable no sew denim owl.

We all have that pair of jeans we love. It's a sad day when we have to say good-bye to them when they wear out. Or when your kids' jeans have one simple hole in the knee but are otherwise good. There is no where for them to go but the trash. That's why we love these denim owls. They are a great way make a recycled craft with old jeans.

This no sew craft is great to make with kids and especially a scout troop. Just have an adult handle the hot glue. But the rest can be done quite easily by smaller hands. It'd also be fun to make these using colored denim.

No Sew Denim Owls from Old Jeans

Materials:

Old denim jeans (without holes or rips)

Rice, beans or small aquarium stones

Directions:

Cut the denim pant leg from a pair of old jeans so that it is 12″ in length. We used tapered leg pants for these, but they will work with straight or boot or any leg pants! If you use tapered leg pants (skinny jeans) the wider part is the bottom of the owl.

Turn the pant leg inside out and seal bottom seam with hot glue. Be careful to seal it well so that there are no openings in the seal.

For the top, fold the fabric so you have a 1/2″ hem and seal with hot glue. Leave the top of the fabric open. You are NOT sealing the leg yet. Just creating a hem. Once the hem is completed, turn the pant leg around so it's right side out. You will have an opening still to fill the owl.

Fill the owl with 1 cup of rice or beans. Shake to the bottom to evenly distribute.

Fill the remaining owl cavity with fiber fill, leaving about 1″ of denim at the top.

Spread hot glue across the top and seal shut.

Cut a piece of baker's twine and tie both of the corners to create 2 ears.

Double knot the twine and trim the tails of the twine.

Set aside the owl body. It's time to make some eyes. Use a bottle cap that measures about 1 3/4″ in diameter. Trace the shape onto felt and cut out two circles. This is the outer circle of the eyes.

Snip around the felt circle, about 1/4″ into the circle spaced about 1/2″ apart.

For the inner circle of the eye, use a bottle cap as a guide to cut a circle about 1″ in diameter. Cut on the outside of the circle just like you did on the larger circle. Attach to the center of the outer circle. Glue the two circles together with hot glue.

Attach the googly eyes to the felt eye circles using Fabric Fusion. Then hot glue the full eyes to the front of the denim owl body.

Next embellish the body of the owl. Start with the belly. Cut out a belly by folding a piece of felt in half and cutting the shape shown. It's a long oval with a flat bottom.

Open the felt and you should have a belly to fit your owl. Attach to the body with hot glue.

Cut out two wings from black felt. The wings are a tear drop shape.

Attach the wings to the sides of the body with hot glue.

Cut a small triangle beak and attach with hot glue to the front of the owl between the eyes.

Stand the owls up and pat them on a flat surface to stand on their own and display.

For a small owl:

To make a small owl, cut the denim pant leg 9″ in length and fill the owl with 3/4 cup of rice or beans. All other directions are the same.

Instructions

1. Cut the denim pant leg from a pair of old jeans so that it is 12" in length. We used tapered leg pants for these, but they will work with straight or boot or any leg pants! If you use tapered leg pants (skinny jeans) the wider part is the bottom of the owl.

2. To make a small owl, cut the denim pant leg 9" in length and fill the owl with 3/4 cup of rice or beans. All other directions are the same.

3. For the top, fold the fabric so you have a 1/2" hem and seal with hot glue. Leave the top of the fabric open. You are NOT sealing the leg yet. Just creating a hem. Once the hem is completed, turn the pant leg around so it's right side out. You will have an opening still to fill the owl.

4. Fill the remaining owl cavity with fiber fill, leaving about 1″ of denim at the top.

5. Spread hot glue across the top and seal shut.

6. Cut a piece of baker's twine and tie both of the corners to create 2 ears.

7. Double knot the twine and trim the tails of the twine.

8. Set aside the owl body. It's time to make some eyes. Use a bottle cap that measures about 1 3/4″ in diameter. Trace the shape onto felt and cut out two circles. This is the outer circle of the eyes.

9. Snip around the felt circle, about 1/4″ into the circle spaced about 1/2″ apart.

10. For the inner circle of the eye, use a bottle cap as a guide to cut a circle about 1″ in diameter. Cut on the outside of the circle just like you did on the larger circle. Attach to the center of the outer circle. Glue the two circles together with hot glue.

11. Attach the googly eyes to the felt eye circles using Fabric Fusion. Then hot glue the full eyes to the front of the denim owl body.

12. Next embellish the body of the owl. Start with the belly. Cut out a belly by folding a piece of felt in half and cutting the shape shown. It's a long oval with a flat bottom.

13. Open the felt and you should have a belly to fit your owl. Attach to the body with hot glue.

14. Cut out two wings from black felt. The wings are a tear drop shape.

15. Attach the wings to the sides of the body with hot glue.

16. Cut a small triangle beak and attach with hot glue to the front of the owl between the eyes.

17. Stand the owls up and pat them on a flat surface to stand on their own and display.

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This article may contain affiliate links which support this site at no cost to you. Learn how to create your own stuffed animal owl using an old pair of jeans. This fun upcycle blue jean craft uses glue to make an adorable no sew denim owl.

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This week I was sorting through my used denim stash from past jeans upcycle projects. I have a lot of scraps.

I keep every part of the jeans, and one thing I have a lot of is jeans seams.

All I've used these for so far is for attaching keyrings, like this.

So when I saw a picture of woven seams coasters the other day, I knew I'd found something to make with my seams stash!

I used this tutorial from Simple Things Notebook. All I changed was that I cut 7 strips for both directions of the weave. (The tutorial says to cut 7 for one way and only 5 for the other).

The coasters were very simple and quick to make.

Simply cut the strips of seams.

Stitch one lot of 7 strips together down one side

Then stitch them on the other side too.

Then weave your other 7 strips through between your outer stitching lines.

Stitch around the outside of your outer strips, along the stitch lines already on the seams.

Then Trim the edges just outside of the lines you just stitched.

I'm really happy with how they turned out. I made 4 coasters out of the smaller lengths of blue jean seams that I had.

Then I tried a couple with strips of jeans hems that I had saved. They worked just as well.

And three more with seams from other coloured jeans.

I like the blue jeans ones best myself.

My youngest daughter came home and claimed the blue coloured one. (She didn't seem to mind that I wasn't very good at the colour placing with that one!)

I still have some small seam scraps, and several longer pieces of jeans seams left over. More jeans seams projects will follow!

For now though - I'm going to enjoy using my new denim coasters!

Have you ever made anything with the seams from jeans?

What do you think of these coasters? Worth saving seams for?

I would love if you subscribed to my newsletter to keep up with all the goings on here at Creating my way to Success.

As a thank you all my subscribers, I offer 3 free sewing tutorials!

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Woven Denim Drinks Coaster - a jeans upcycle

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This week I was sorting through my used denim stash from past jeans upcycle projects. I have a lot of scraps. I keep every part of the jeans, and one thing I have a lot of is jeans seams. All I've used these for so far is for attaching keyrings, like this.

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I've done it again people. I created a darling little girl thing that has no place to go and no reason to exist in my world. But I just couldn't resist. I'm calling it my Spring Bling T-shirt. It's a rhinestone shirt with a cute butterfly on it-a perfect way to get excited for spring. I made it using my Silhouette and their designer edition software. Don't have a Silhouette? That's ok. I'll show you how you can still make it.

Awww! Is it cute? I like it. You could make it with a bunny or a flower or anything really.

Spring Bling Rhinestone T-Shirt Tutorial:
Supplies Needed:
Blank t-shirt

Fabric for the butterfly (or whatever image you want to put on your shirt)

Heat 'n' Bond

Iron transfer Rhinestones (or Silhouette Rhinestone Kit)

Designer Software for Silhouette (optional but very helpful)

Prewash your shirt and your fabric. Iron it so it is ready to use.

Attach your Heat 'n' Bond to the back of a small piece of your fabric. Cut out your shape. I used my Silhouette to cut out my butterflies. (Have I mentioned that I LOVE that I can cut fabric with that machine!?) I cut one first, then sized it up a little and cut the other.

Iron your shapes to your shirt:

Now, if you have a Silhouette you can follow the following instructions. I am going to show you how you can use the designer software to create this project. Don't have the designer software? That's part of Silhouette's promotion this month. Use the code PROJECTS to get the Designer Edition Software for just $24.99 (half the normal price). Get it here.

OK, so here's what you can do with this software.

Here's my original image:

I only wanted to work with the butterfly and maybe the bunny, so I deleted the other 2. And I erased the bunny's face:

Now, the bunny is slightly crooked in this image, so, using a handy pivot tool that the designer software includes, I pivoted him so that he is straight up and down:

And then using an even handier tool that the designer edition has, I made him out of rhinestones! (That' just done with the click of a button...see that red button on the top of this picture? It makes anything a rhinestones pattern for you with the designer software.)

Then all I have to do is use a rhinestone kit to do the rest. I am not going to show the step by step for that because this video will show you what to do: Rhinestones Video

If you are not using a Silhouette what you need to do is get your rhinestones and lay your shirt on your ironing board and then lay the rhinestones out on your shirt how you want them. You will then iron them in place (using the instructions on your rhinestone package). It will probably ask you to put a cloth over the shirt and iron for about 15 seconds.

I made the antenna out of rhinestones as well as a little flying trail:

After that I just hand sewed on a cute little bow to add some pop.

And that's it! Now you've got a super cute shirt for spring. You could also do this on a bag or something.

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I've done it again people. I created a darling little girl thing that has no place to go and no reason to exist in my world. But I just couldn't resist. I'm calling it my Spring Bling T-shirt. It's a rhinestone shirt with a cute butterfly on it-a perfect way to get excited for spring.

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Not Carter

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Sep 7, 2020 - Creative courses that will have you making beautiful work in no time. Our classes are comprehensive, fun, and will have you hooked. Currently teaching you how to make raffia baskets, how to make fabric baskets, and how to master the art of slow stitching.

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DIY Recycled Demin Jean Whale Plush Free Sew Patterns | Fabric Art DIY | Whale plush, Diy recycle, Sewing projects for beginners

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May 1, 2019 - DIY Recycled Demin Jean Whale Plush Free Sew Patterns

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Whimsical Pouf - Blues | Square pouf, Floor pillows and poufs, Modern decor accessories

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Dec 17, 2012 - This beautiful square pouf is hand made from recycled materials. In a patchwork pattern of blues and greens it is the perfect addtion to your green design.

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Fabric Christmas crackers

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Tate

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What's the Project? Want to make your own bookmark in about 5 minutes? This cute bookmark is one of the easiest sewing patterns you will find and perfect for a beginning sewer to try. This only takes a scrap of fabric and is a fun project for kids and teens!

I've said it before and I will say it again! I LOVE summertime!

And one of the best parts of summer for me is reading. (And if you love reading too, be sure to check out these fun book recommendations!)

So...to fit with that theme, I've got a VERY quick and easy sewing project for you. It's a bookmark that won't fall out. It should take an experienced sewer about 5 minutes to make. Even a beginner can pull this baby off. I promise! And it's fun to make your own bookmark!

It wraps around the book so that even if your kiddos pick your book up or if fall off your night stand, you won't lose your page! (I need to make more of these!)

And, to make it ever more fun, I made mine reversible. So I can have a different bookmark depending on my mood.

Want to make your own bookmark too? I know you can do it!

Easy Make Your Own Bookmark Sewing Tutorial:
Supplies Needed:

Scraps of fabric

Small piece of elastic (mine was 1/2 inch wide but really, most any width will do)

Bookmark Sewing Instructions:

Cut out 2 pieces of fabric that are about 3 inches wide by 12 inches wide. (Really you can vary this if you want-depending on how big or small you want your bookmark.)

Cut your elastic about 8 inches long.

Sew your fabric with right sides together. Sew up the two long sides:

Insert your elastic at the end and sew it in place.

Do the same on the other end.

And you're done!

Watch for several more SUPER simple sewing tutorials this month!

Need some good reading suggestions to go with that new bookmark? Here are my favorite books!
Top Books for You:
Hope it's a fun project to make your own bookmark.

You Might Also Like:
Quick and Easy Sewing Projects: Easy to Sew Kids Belts:

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Want to make your own bookmark in about 5 minutes? This cute bookmark is one of the easiest sewing patterns you will find and perfect for a beginning sewer to try. This only takes a scrap of fabric and is a fun project for kids and teens!

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Inevitably, the night before a trip as I'm packing up our bags I realize that I have yet again forgotten to procure a better solution for transporting toothbrushes than the trusty ziploc bag. But not this time! In an effort to reduce waste and not have to put a damp toothbrush in a plastic bag (ick) I made a diy toothbrush travel wrap instead! (I didn't know what else to call it, a toothbrush burrito maybe? lol)

This post contains affiliate links. Read more.

Since my usual crafting style is just to wing it and hope for the best, this isn't a comprehensive DIY but more of an intuitive one. More art than science if you know what I mean. But with a little sewing knowledge you shouldn't have any trouble following along.

Or you might be cursing me the whole time. Sorry.

Fabrics

A little note on waste reduction. I'm downright uncomfortable with the amount of waste my family produces. Trying to go zero-waste in a cold turkey sort of way can be totally overwhelming and incredibly time consuming. But I find tackling the problem one item at a time is much more manageable.

I'm hoping to eliminate the need for ziploc bags entirely in our home if I can. First I made a few washable snack bags for the boys, I have beeswax wraps for food, and I purchased a cheese bandana and cucumber hat from a friend which is nothing short of brilliant! Now I'm trying to avoid using plastic while traveling.

(I'd love to hear any of your tips for replacing ziploc bags with more sustainable options! Share them in the comments!)

Taking it a step further, I repurposed a baby bath towel for this project instead of buying brand new terry cloth fabric. The boys have outgrown those little towels but the fabric is still in good shape. I might turn the rest of them into washcloths or hand towels.

Other DIYs you will love:
Quilted Laptop Bag Tutorial
DIY Patchwork Baby Blanket
Zero Waste DIY Produce Bags

I also used a cute cotton print from Stacked Fabric Company as the outer fabric. It's fat quarter sized (18″x21″) which is all you need for this project. I just discovered Stacked and I'm in love! They're Canadian and their fabrics are delightful! I've been using them to make a couple of baby quilts for friends who are expecting. I'll share those in another post sometime. 🙂

DIY Travel Wrap

First I trimmed the fat quarter so it was totally squared up.

Then I placed a mark at the quarter and halfway points along the shorter sides of the fabric. I marked 3/4″ in along the halfway point and the top and connected them with a straight line. Then traced a line from the halfway point to the edge of the fabric at the quarterway point.

Holy moly I don't think that made any sense! Hopefully the photo helps....

Trim away the fabric along these lines and cut out the terry cloth in the same way.

Sew the two fabrics together, right sides together, along all the edges with about 3/8″ - 1/2″ seam allowance. Leave a 3″ gap on either the top or bottom edge so you can turn the fabrics right sides out.

Trim the corners, turn the wrap then topstitch the top and bottom sides only.

Fold up the wider bottom edge to meet (approximately) the halfway point and topstitch down each side to create a pouch.

At this point I probably should have measured and lined things up properly, but I didn't. The toothbrushes won't know the difference.

Here's where things get a little finnicky.

Now you want to create the slots for your toiletries by stitching down the pouch at intervals. We've created excess fabric by tapering the edges of the wrap. That way you'll be able to slide in your toothbrush easily without warping the shape of the wrap.

So first stitch down the very center line.

As you move along to the next lines, make sure you distribute the excess fabric evenly so each slot has a little give to it. Make sense?

See the happy toothbrush!

Using the toothbrush, or another tall toiletry, fold down the top of the wrap to cover it. Mark where the fold should be to comfortably cover your items.

This will create a nice barrier between your various toiletries so nothing is touching! Plus the terry cloth will absorb any moisture.

Topstitch this fold about 1/4″ in.

Add some ribbon to one side of the wrap and you're done!

I've got 3 trips planned in the next 6 weeks, so I'll be putting my toothbrush burrito to good use! I love that it's totally washable and I will never have to reach into a wet ziploc back ever again! Plus this size is big enough to contain the whole family's various toothbrushes and toothpastes!

If you liked this DIY you should also check out this one: Easy Quilted Coffee Cozy Tutorial

Feel free to leave any questions in the comments!

Happy Traveling!

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DIY Toothbrush Travel Wrap | The Yellow Birdhouse

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Inevitably, the night before a trip as I'm packing up our bags I realize that I have yet again forgotten to procure a better solution for transporting toothbrushes than the trusty ziploc bag. But not this time!

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Welcome to all the new readers that are coming over from Erin's blog to check out my tutorial for Mug Rug Madness. Hasn't all the tutorials been awesome??? Well I hope you have fun with mine. I decided to do a tutorial on a smaller version of the placemats I made for the Spicing Up The Kitchen Swap since I just loved them.

Remember you can make this for a quilt block,pillow, quilt or whatever you want just trim the scraps to be the size that you want it to be! It doesn't have to be a Mug Rug.

You will need lots of scraps for this mug rug.

1. Take your first 2 scraps and lay them right sides together with the corner points matching up. Lay the top scrap/fabric at an angle.

2. Sew them together on the diagonal. Trim off access.

3. Sew more strips together but make sure that each time you are laying the points on top of eachother and trimming off the access so it doesn't get really bulky.

4. As you sew the strips together I find it easier to hold the new strip at the corner where it meets the other points to make sure that when I sew the points are all together. Hopefully that makes sense this picture will help.

5. Now you should have strips sewn together in an arch. Make sure you iron it all flat so that when you trim you will get the right measurement. A good stopping point is when the strips are 9" wide.

6. Get your ruler and trim. You need to trim so that you have a straight line at the bottom.

7. Trim so that you have a rectangle. Desired size is 9"x 3".

8. Sew another set of strips together just as you did before don't trim. Lay the trimmed rectangle on top of your strips right sides together. This is the part where I make mine wonky. Before I trim I make sure I lay the trimmed one on top with the centers NOT matching up so that it will be wonky. ( of course you can match them up if you don't like wonkiness). Then I trim at 9" x 3".

9. Now you should have 2 rectangles where the centers do not match up. Sew them together. Right sides together.

There you go! All you do now is Baste and quilt it. I used free motion quilting to help all the seams and some bulk to lay flat.

Then for the binding I cut mine at 2" but it was really tight and I wish I had done 2.75" I will next time.

Now you are all ready to use your mug rug. Make sure you grab your favorite drink, Rootbeer for me, and a snack. Since it is Easter season my favorite candy ever is out right now Cadbury eggs and I devour them!

Don't forget to go to this post to enter the giveaway and you might be the lucky winner of the mug rug I made! Thanks so much Erin for asking me to join in Mug Rug Madness.

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Welcome to all the new readers that are coming over from Erin's blog to check out my tutorial for Mug Rug Madness. Hasn't all the tutorials been awesome??? Well I hope you have fun with mine. I decided to do a tutorial on a smaller version of the placemats I made for the Spicing Up The Kitchen Swap since I just loved them.

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Shoe laces out of shirt and they look lit

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Shoe laces out of shirt and they look lit

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It’s was by jake

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You can take old jeans and turn them into baskets

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Learn how to make an upcycled jeans fabric basket using the hems cut off of jeans. These small diy fabric baskets are perfect for organizing drawers!
My kids always create holes in the knees of their pants during the winter. At first I mend the knees in their jeans, but once it warms up enough I cut the pants and cuff them into shorts.

I've kept all of the bottom parts of the jeans to use for upcycling. You can reuse the hem to make a great diy fabric basket. These little baskets are great for organizing small things and they are small enough to fit in drawers.

The hem is great because you don't have to sew your own hem, and it makes the top stiff enough to hold up the edge. Another thing I like to do with the hem of pants is make little upcycled baby shoes with a free shoe sewing pattern.

I love opening my drawer and seeing these little pant hems holding and organizing stuff. It makes me think about my little kids wearing these pants and growing up.

Do you want more upcycling or organizing ideas? Check these out!

Upcycled Jeans Fabric Basket

supplies

Cut the bottom part of the pants 4 inches from the hem.

Spread out the raw edges of the tube to see what the circumference of the circle is. You might have to guess a little bit. I did a 4 inch diameter circle.

Add seam allowance around the circle size. Cut a piece of canvas or denim fabric to the size of the circle with seam allowance.

I did both canvas and some of the leftover denim.

With right sides together pin the circle to the raw edge of the pants tube.

Sew around the circle. I found that sewing with the circle up was the easiest. Sew really slow so that you can keep adjusting the fabric to prevent tucks. Here's some help with sewing curves.

Finish the raw edges with a serger or a zigzag.

Turn the baskets right side out and poke out the corners.

Fill the baskets with all the things that need to be organized.

If you make an upcycled jeans fabric basket using this tutorial, I'd love to see! Please share it on social media with the hashtag #heatherhandmade and tag me!

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Learn how to make an upcycled jeans fabric basket using the hems cut off of jeans. These small diy fabric baskets are perfect for organizing drawers! My kids always create holes in the knees of their pants during the winter.