Upcycled denim wall organizer

Denim is the perfect material for upcycling.

It’s all about denim these days, the pure functionality of the textile is genius. It can be upcycled into so many different things and upcycled more than once. If you ask me, it’s a fabric that never dies, only gets reincarnated over and over. Working with denim is very satisfying, I’ve been making many different kinds of aprons and bags with many different uses. An upcycled denim wall organizer seemed like a no brainer for the next project. Here’s how the project came together. It started with a stack of back jean pockets.

Rules for working with denim:

There are no rules when working with denim! Want to leave the edges raw and let them fray? Go ahead. Cut down the middle of a pocket? No problem- it still looks great. That’s pretty much the technique I implemented here. But keep layering in mind. You don’t want too many layers stacked up in places because you won’t be able to sew through them.

How to organized the fabric:

Line up the pockets, try to build the 3 panels all to roughly the same (or close to the same) width.

Sewing machine tips:

Pinning helps, since my seams were just overlapping and there were no seam allowances to use as guides. Any sewing machine will sew over denim. Use a larger needle (90-110) if you can, this will lessen the chance of breaking a needle as you sew. Take your time when sewing over multiple layers and let the machine work it’s way through.

Lay the project out as you go, add bits or strips of denim where and if needed, it will just add character to the look of the project.

You can see me use a zipper foot here so I could sew right along the edge and not over the belt loops. Once again, try not to overwork the sewing machine if you don’t have to.

Squaring up the project

Once everything was sewn together (and washed- see the fraying?) I wanted the whole project to be square so I added denim bits to the corners here and there to square it up.

Finishing up your upcycle denim wall organizer

A random piece of cotton fabric was used for the back. I sewed it to the front pillowcase style- right sides together. Leave a space to turn the project right side out. Then press the edges with an iron and top stitch all the way around.

I added upcycled ribbon pulled off another item of clothing, to the top in five places. Cut the ribbon to 5 equal lengths, space and stitch evenly across the top. Now you have an upcycled denim wall organizer for all of your important items and memories of past favorite jeans, not to mention and in conclusion… THANK YOU for upcycling and doing good for the planet!!