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This is the Guide how it was originally written, with all 27 pics!
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This Guide will walk you step-by-step the making of your very one Denim Quilt! The Quilt in the pics was actually being made during this process, and is up
for auction 12/4/06 - 12/13/06.
Any of the pictures below are clickable, and will enlarge to full size for better detail.
Denim Quilts are fabulous for being used and abused! We take ours to the kids' sporting events, to the beach, use it for cuddling on the couch, or as extra
weight on the bed in the winter - there's no place these can't go! When it's dirty, give it a trip through the washer and dryer, and it's ready to go again!
Starting the Quilt:
When making your denim jean rag quilt, the first step is to decide how big it will be, and what theme the fabric backing will have. For this Quilt, I will be
using jean that were cut into 6.5" x 6.5" squares. The fabric backing will be made of solid color cotton fabric in the eBay colors: red, blue, yellow and
green. It is a good idea to pre-wash your fabric before making the quilt, to remove any bleed that it might have.
My Quilt will be 12 squares across and 15 squares down. This will make the size, when finished, 66" wide x 82.5" long, perfect for a twin bed! I found my squares here on eBay, but you can also collect jeans and cut them into your desired sizes yourself. (I have a rather large collection of jeans in my basement, but will be pressed for time getting this done before Christmas, so chose to purchase them this time.)
The Next Step:
My next step will be to wash the fabric, then cut it into 6.5" squares to match the denim. I also like to include some "fun" squares when making a Quilt, so will have several 6.5" squares that are made up of smaller squares, and several that are made of rectangles.
Fun Squares - From Squares
A 6.5" square made from smaller squares uses 4 smaller squares. Both denim and fabric backing will be cut into 3.75" squares, and will be assembled into a 6.5" square.
Fun Squares - From Rectangles
A 6.5 square made from rectangles uses 2 rectangles. Both denim and fabric backing will be cut into 3.75" x 6.5" pieces, and will be assembled into a 6.5" square.
More on Fun Pieces: I also like to include "fun" extras on the front of the quilt. This could (and usually does) include small pockets, brand labels from jeans, iron-on appliques that match the theme, etc. This is the time to decide what to include on your Quilt, as it will have to be attached before the Quilt is being assembled.
Any time the kids outgrow jeans or other items that have fun labels, I snip off the labels and save them for a Quilt. I also try to save the pockets from smaller pairs of jeans, as they fit on the Quilt much better than adult-sized pockets. I dug through my collection and chose these for the blanket:
These were sewn onto various pieces of material using thread that matches (OK, OK, nearly matches!) the color of the "fun" piece and a basic stitch.
Multi-Piece Squares :
Another really fun addition to the Quilt are the multi-piece squares. Once put together, they are the same size and shape as the solid squares, but they add an excellent visual punch!
We are going to make (4) smaller squares into a large square. We'll be sewing them together sandwich style. (The pic below shows them spread out a little, but you'll sew them together stacked neatly.)
- Choose two pieces of fabric and two of the small squares.
- Place one jean square face down.
- Put one fabric color directly on top of it, but face up.
- Layer the other fabric color face down.
- Finally, put the second jean square on top, face up.
Sew them together, using a 1/2" seam allowance, and a heavy duty triple-stitch. When done, you'll have what looks like this (jean side and fabric side shown):
To assemble the now-rectangles into the large square, place one rectangle jean side down and the other directly on top of it, but jean side up. Try to align the seams of the squares as best as you can. Sew together, again using 1/2" seam allowance. Here is what you should have:
This is the same technique that will be used throughout the remainder of the Quilt. Using the heavy duty triple-stitch will help ensure that your blanket will stand up to most anything that can be thrown at it.
Now that we've got all of our smaller pieces made into 6.5" squares, we'll start the assembling of the Quilt. As we did with the smaller squares, we'll layer the fabric into "sandwiches" for sewing together in this manner: denim square face down, cotton square face up, cotton square face down, denim square face up.
I generally make a stack of these, rotating each "sandwich" about 45 degrees, to make them easier to get apart.
When your stack is ready, start sewing them together, again using a 1/2" seam allowance. I chain stitch them, as it's quicker than removing and trimming the string off each piece one at a time.
I sew them all into pairs, then lay them out on the floor to find a layout that's appealing. This allows plenty of opportunity for variety, as they can be rearranged, flipped and moved however you like! Once I have the layout that I like, I start sewing them together into strips. I often use a small pair of scissors to help guide the fabric through, as it will try scooching around a little, and my knuckles keep getting whacked.
Once the fabric is sewn into strips, sew the strips together into the finished overall Quilt. (Once the pieces are all together, sew the around the outside edge, again using a 1/2" seam allowance and the triple stitch.) When that is done, take a deep breath and relax!! The sewing is done!
Well, now, we've got all the pieces of our Quilt together, and it's one big sewn blanket.
Clipping The Edges:
Now that everything's in one piece, let's start to fray the edges! This is just the MOST fun part!! (OK, OK, so there's a little bit of sarcasm there...) This is the time when I pop a movie in, and sit on the couch with my scissors, the quilt and something to drink.
You'll want to use a very good quality pair of scissors, as the cheap ones are very difficult to work with at this stage. I start at one corner, and work my
way across the row, clipping about 3/4 of way to the seam. I'll do this about every 1/2" along the row. You will very quickly be covered in loose pieces of
thread, so if you have to go someplace, I would recommend putting another shirt on!
When I come to a corner where two pieces are sewn together, I will cut on the diagonal to fray that spot. When I first started making these, I cut out the
corner entirely, but that's a lot of work! This way, it's half the cutting, and these add to the appeal of the frayed edges. If you choose to cut out the
corners, though, that would be completely fine!!
I'll work my way through all of the rows, then rotate the Quilt 90 degrees and go through the "new" rows. (I've found this is the best way for me to keep
from losing where I am in the Quilt snipping. If you have another method that works well for you, use that!) This will take you 4-6 hours to do, and you'll
most likely want a break, since your hand will start aching!
Washing the Quilt:
The first two times you wash your Quilt, it will shed like there's no tomorrow!! I've found it's best to run it through the dryer once, then wash it, dry it,
wash it again and dry it again. It's, unfortunately though, not quite as easy as it sounds!
The first trip through the dryer will remove the loose pieces that resulted from the clipping of the Quilt. Be sure to check your lint screen often, as it
will fill quickly. (I check mine every 5-10 minutes.) Place Quilt in washer for the first trip. If your washer drains into a utility sink (mine does), it's a
great idea to attach something to the hose to catch the pieces that will come loose in the washer. I use an old nylon that's knotted at one end, and held
onto the hose with a rubber band.
Once the washer is done, back into the dryer! Remember to check the lint screen every 5-10 minutes, so it doesn't overfill - that could be a safety hazard. I
usually get it about 50% dry, before it goes back into the washer - what's the point in drying it fully? If your nylon had filled up from the first wash, you
should probably change it. Mine usually don't, though, so I use the same one twice. Then, the dryer again, still checking the lint trap about every 10
minutes.
(This series shows the progression of fraying: after snipping, after dryer, after 1st wash, after dryer, after 2nd wash, after dryer, and after future
washes.)
You will pull a lot of loose pieces out of the lint trap and from the nylon. I kept all that I pulled from this Quilt to give you an idea: it was enough for two paper plates, so a little over half a gallon of lint! You definitely don't want that hanging around your lint trap!! =)
There will be some strays that are still on your Quilt; I find it very helpful to run over the back of it with a lint roller. You may also have a few longer threads that should be clipped off on the front.
After that - voila!! You have a denim rag Quilt! These are excellent gifts, as you KNOW that they won't be a duplicate!! I find it very hard to part with mine after making them, but am consoled by the fact that I can always make another! Hmm... I think I'll do that now!! =)
Thanks for reading all the way through my Guide! I hope you've found it useful!! If there is anything that I am unclear on, or if you have any questions, please message me through eBay!
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