Em's Frayed Denim Patchwork Picnic Rug

I have seen a lot of versions of denim rugs and love the one from 'This crazy blessed life'. I had this on the to-do list for a while waiting to get my hands on some jeans. Then the op shop (thrift store) Life Line had a $2 clothing sale so I bought 7 pairs, spending $14. I cut out as many squares as I could with the 7 pairs of jeans. The size was determined from the size of the biggest back pockets. Then after working out the maximum size I could get from the amount of squares I had I lay them out making a front and back and pinned them together. I didn't bother sewing an x across the squares and I think it looks better. It still holds together fine. The next step was to sew it all together leaving about 1.5cm seams, which turned out to be the hardest part. I broke so many denim needles I lost count. I think 4 packets or about 20 needles. This was because I had to sew through 4 layers of denim most of the time and more when going over seams and pockets etc. The corners were the worst and I had to go over all my seams again to make sure it was all held together, especially at the corners. The next step was to snip the seams about 1/2cm apart. It would be handy with spring loaded scissors but I made do, even with a few blisters. My biggest mistake was snipping too close to the thread and cutting it. I therefore had to go over all the seams again for any holes and sew them. The next part was the most exciting, washing and drying. Bits of denim were all over the house while I was making this so I thought I would take the blanket to the laundrymat to wash it so I didn't clog my washing machine up. At this stage (sorry no photos) I was thinking it looked a bit ordinary but after just the wash it frayed and looked fantastic! I gave it a tumble in the dryer too and then went on a picnic!

7 pairs of second hand jeans

Laying out the front and back

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