Scavenger Chic

Recycled Blue Jean Apron

• By Joan
• October 14, 2016
• 11 Comments

Welcome back.  I have something just a little bit different than my normal pallet wood, painty projects. This project is just as important…we’re talking about keeping the paint off your clothes.

If you’re anything like me, you start to work on a project, you don’t bother to put on junk clothes because you’re only going to do just one little thing and you end up with paint speckled clothes. So when the Junk Revision Challenge came out this month to  use old linens, curtains, etc. or fabric from old clothing to turn into something new to use or decorate, I knew a paint apron was in my future.

I already have a normal, grease splattered, cooking apron but I needed a painting apron.

What better material than an old pair of blue jeans.  This pair was already paint speckled from years of use.  More importantly than being speckled, they were broken.  I’ve had these jeans for years but every time I put them on they seem to get smaller and smaller.  Like I said…broken. 🙂

Whatever size blue jean you normally wear, should be the size you would need for this project.  If you’re making a paint smock for a little one, use their blue jeans.

First step, cut off the leg as high as you can go.

Take this same leg and open up the fabric by cutting midway between the two seams, all the way up.

Hold the jean leg against your body and figure out how long you would like your apron to be. My apron is 25″ long with an extra inch for seam allowances.

Trim off any excess on the wide part of the leg.

Hold the apron up to your body to about where you think it should hit below the neck and mark where the apron hits your waist.

On the skinny part of the leg, which is now the top part of the apron, fold the jeans back in half and cut out a notch from the neck on down to the waist leaving a nice sized bib.

Cut out a pocket from your blue jeans and trim off any excess fabric from the inside.

Center the pocket on the bib of the apron and sew in place.

With the remaining leg cut a piece of denim about 16″x6″. 

I used the natural seam of the jeans for two of the sides.  On the remaining 2 sides, I folded over the denim about 1/2″ and sewed in place.

Sew down the sides, across the bottom and 2 additional lines of stitching to divide the pocket in thirds.

Use your apron as a pattern on a piece of remnant fabric to make a lining for your apron.

I’ve had this piece of tie dye around for over 10 years just waiting for a project. My kids had made so much of the orange dye that we were tie dying everything in sight, including this formerly plain piece of white cotton.

With right sides together stitch around almost the entire apron using a 1/2″ seam allowance.  Leave an opening in the bottom of the apron so that you can turn your apron right side out.

Clip the corners, turn right side out, and sew up the opening.

Using the other jean leg make three denim tubes.  Cut one length of denim about 3 1/2″ x 22″ to go around the neck and  2 more pieces, 3 1/2″ x 17″ to tie around the back.  Shorter if you’d like to use a button instead.

Iron a seam allowance, fold over then sew together.

Sew the ties and neck strap to the apron.  I ended up hand sewing since the denim was too thick for my machine.

Hopefully no more paint speckles on my clothes.  Now I just have to remember to put it on.

Hope you enjoyed my fabric reuse.  If you have a chance, check out my fellow junk revisionaries for their fabric projects below.

Shared at Link Party Palooza, Sweet Inspiration Party,

Salvaged Junk Projects, Share it one more Time,

Metamorphosis Monday, Wow us Wednesdays,

Talk of the Town,

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