Up-Cycled Denim Table Runner

     I'm the first to admit I have a problem...I can't seem to throw out all those bits of fabric left over from other projects, including all the legs I've lopped off jeans when making cut-off shorts for my daughters.  But, as you'll see in this post I'm really glad I didn't! 
     It all began when we decided to throw a BBQ themed birthday party for my oldest daughter.  Party planning is a favorite around here, and really gets my creative juices flowing.  So, I began where I always do by pulling out all the items we have around the house and barn that tie into the theme and color scheme and see what I'm missing.  In this case, I needed some sort of tablecloth or runner for the table.  Aha!  I remembered I still had all those scraps of denim!

To begin, I cut all the leg sections into 3 1/2" strips hori-zontally using a rotary cutter and a quilting ruler.  Then I simply cut open the loops of denim at one side seam and laid them flat.  Once I had lots of strips (I used 7 or 8 pairs of jeans' legs, but this depends on how big you want your finished piece), I started the assembly with the help of my youngest who's learning to sew, by making long pieces that had each section sewn together at the short cut edge.  As an aside, be sure you use a heavy duty needle for your sewing machine as the seams will be bulky! I also topstitched each seam with gold topstitching thread for that authentic look.  

     You'll see in the photos that I purposely flipped some of the pieces to the reverse side, and off-set the seams when assembling the long strips to each other.  I really like the random pattern and texture it created.  You may need to trim the assembled strips to equal lengths as the initial strips you cut won't be the same length.  As for finishing the edge of your tablecloth or runner, you can either leave it unfinished and frayed, or cover it with some seam binding (Wright's Notions has a denim-look binding at JoAnn's).  

     









   


     Below you can see the runner on the table...pretty cute, huh?! And the best part, I didn't have to buy anything but the thread and my scrap bin is just a little bit smaller!