Distressed denim hearts

We go through denim jeans in our home at a dizzying rate.

If life gives you heaps of distressed denim... create crafts with them.

My three boys are growing up so fast. And with them their clothing is getting rapidly smaller. I’ll miss the days of comparing their cute little jeans next to my husband’s big man size ones and realizing the amount of growing they still have ahead of them. But I’m not sure I’ll miss the volume of clothing they manage to destroy, mostly in the knees and toes! Although, some jeans could, at a push, be labeled ‘distressed’. We distress our own jeans. ;)

I was putting together some cushions and mending torn jeans at the same time, when a thought struck me! Not all tears are fixable. Not all jeans will fit again. Most of them can’t even be donated. But they can be re-purposed!!! Into decor items, which will forever have the mark of playful boys on them!

This is what transpired over the next couple of hours... with the prerequisite interruptions by hungry boys, cuddle-needy dogs and inquisitive husbands...

A sharp pair of fabric scissors worked perfectly to chop away at outgrown and destroyed denims to cut out a heart shape.

The heart was positioned on a cotton cushion cover. Some heavy duty brown denim upholstery thread came in handy for the sewing component.

Using a regular basic sewing stitch, the denim heart was firmly attached to the cushion cover. Next time I’d use an iron-on backing first to give it extra stability while sewing.

Once stitched all around, it looked as though it lacked a bit of color and so the red embroidery thread got the honor of embellishing the heart. Little x’s for little kisses! Some of my favorite things all in one... hearts, kisses and memories of small sons ruining their jeans!

The cushion was stuffed and plumped up and now sits on the boys’ couch.

I hope it lasts there! It’ll probably be used as a missile, makeshift soccer ball and for various other nefarious deeds. But even if it doesn’t survive, I have many more boy-destroyed jeans in my near future to create new ones.

And no doubt about it... one day, when they’re all gone, living elsewhere, and my nest will be empty of chaos, clean from muddy fingerprints and quiet from noise, I’ll hug these cushions tightly to my chest, probably sob into them a little, and embrace them in lieu of the exuberant little boys that used to climb onto my lap with an abundance of energy, stickiness and dirt.

I’m sure there will be countless more creative uses for wrecked clothing in my future!

Remember to:

Create. Enjoy. Repeat.

Warmly,

Claire

THREE & ME

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