What is Denim?

Webster's says: "a firm durable twilled usually cotton fabric woven with colored warp and white filling threads."

Webster also says, Jeans: "Short for jean fusion, a durable twilled cotton cloth especially for sportswear and work clothes."

"The word “jeans” is thought to have come from a type of material, called “jean” that was round in the 1600’s. The material was named after sailors from Genoa in Italy, because they wore clothes made from it. The word 'denim' probably came from the name of a French material, “serge de nimes” - serge (a kind of material) from Nimes (a town in France)." (http://www.nzgirl.co.nz/articles/2577)

I think jeans are an American pastime. We live in Jeans. Can you imagine life without jeans or denim? I shudder to think.

Some people literally live in Jeans. They wear nothing else. Others are forced to wear other clothing for work, but quickly jump into their Jeans when they get home. I'm lucky because I can choose. When I wear something other than Jeans or Denim and then put on a pair of Jeans, it's like coming home to an old friend. Aahhh.

Jeans are comfortable (If you get the correct size and fit). When I was in high school, the style for Jeans was the tighter the better. If your Jeans weren't at least two sizes too small for you, they were too big. We shrank our Jeans to make them tighter. We would have to lay on the ground and suck in our stomach to zip them. What were we thinking? We should all be paraplegics from the lack of circulation. We really did Jeans and ourselves a disservice. They were meant to be comfortable.

You can work and play in Jeans. You can dress down in Jeans and you can dress up in Jeans. Without Denim I don't think there would be the phenomenon of Jeans. Would there have been another cloth or clothing that we would love as much? I don't think so.

Jeans have always made a fashion statement. And you can do anything in them.

What do Jeans/Denim mean to you?

Denim: An Overview

New crafts with old jeans. Recycle. Reuse.

Jeans are an American icon. They are our favorite article of clothing. Durable. Comfortable. Casual. They make a statement. We live in jeans. We work in jeans. We play in jeans. We dress up in jeans. We go in search of the perfect pair. We all have our favorite pair of jeans and mourn their passing. We hold on to them long after they should be retired.

But don’t throw out your old, worn-out jeans. Give them a second life.

Make a keepsake.

Reuse them until there is not a thread left.

I have been making "new" things out old jeans for years. I make quilts, purses and anything else I can think of (and I can think of a LOT) out of my old jeans, my kids' jeans, and anyone else's jeans I can get a hold of. I have piles and piles of jeans.

On this blog, I'm going to share some fun facts about jeans and simple projects. I'm in the process of proposing a series of craft books with over 100 things to make from old wornout jeans.