Blue Jeans
Everyone has a drawer or box of old blue jeans. Did you know you can make a denim quilt? The idea of frugal quilting with recycled levis is an excellent way to use up these sturdy, leftover garments. Denim quilts are hard-wearing, popular gifts for the younger members of your family, great for use as picnic quilts, camping or perhaps a bed for a special pet. Make a wallhanging jeans quilt with pockets in some of the blocks for a teenager's room or for a college dorm - the pockets can store small personal treasures!
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Synopsis: Blue Jean is a captivating and empowering collection of the "best of Blue Jean Magazine" fiction, reporting, essays and opinion pieces written and edited by young women. Blue Jean offers readers fresh and uplifting insights on topics ranging from body image and confidence, environmental and social issues, ethnicity and racism, to the pitfalls and triumphs of everyday living.
Review: In a world full of beauty magazines and other superficial publications Blue Jean: What Young Women are Thinking, Saying, and Doing is refreshing. Blue Jean allows teenage girls to read about significant issues, not just what shade is in for the season. This anthology influences readers to get out and actually do something. Blue Jean goes beyond simply telling, it encourages activism - not just dreaming - doing.
Between the pages that bring down feminist stereotypes and help for the mind and soul lay the true feelings and emotions of all girls. Though targeted to 11-19 year-old girls, Blue Jean defies age barriers. This collection evokes dreams, hopes, and stories. Rather then put pressure on young women, Blue Jean uplifts and helps girls shape themselves into independent, self-sufficient women. This book does not make young women feel as though clothes, makeup, and hot-dates define who they are, rather it coaxes their inner spirit and drive to challenge and overcome setbacks.
Review: In a world full of beauty magazines and other superficial publications Blue Jean: What Young Women are Thinking, Saying, and Doing is refreshing. Blue Jean allows teenage girls to read about significant issues, not just what shade is in for the season. This anthology influences readers to get out and actually do something. Blue Jean goes beyond simply telling, it encourages activism - not just dreaming - doing.
Between the pages that bring down feminist stereotypes and help for the mind and soul lay the true feelings and emotions of all girls. Though targeted to 11-19 year-old girls, Blue Jean defies age barriers. This collection evokes dreams, hopes, and stories. Rather then put pressure on young women, Blue Jean uplifts and helps girls shape themselves into independent, self-sufficient women. This book does not make young women feel as though clothes, makeup, and hot-dates define who they are, rather it coaxes their inner spirit and drive to challenge and overcome setbacks.
This article will cover some sewing and quilting techniques for denim, ideas for quilt designs, quilt top layout samples and patterns for various easy quilts, and many links to sites on the Web to see and learn more about blue jeans quilts.
There is also a Gallery of Jeans Quilts here with photos and information sent in by quilters from the Quilting Forum. They share how-to information to help you plan and sew your own quilts.
One fun technique is to sew your jeans quilt with the seams to the outside. Using 1/2 inch or deeper seams makes the quilt sturdy and also lets the fabric fray. The raw edges then have a decorative look. I've made a couple illustrations using Electric Quilt to show two simple layouts for denim quilts with seams to the front - one with simple squares in different shades of indigo denim and one with a rectangular "brick" pattern. A brick pattern is a good block to cut from jeans' legs which tend to give more bricks than squares sometimes. You can make more complex blocks, but denim is hard to sew and keeping it simple will make it more fun to work on.
There is also a Gallery of Jeans Quilts here with photos and information sent in by quilters from the Quilting Forum. They share how-to information to help you plan and sew your own quilts.
One fun technique is to sew your jeans quilt with the seams to the outside. Using 1/2 inch or deeper seams makes the quilt sturdy and also lets the fabric fray. The raw edges then have a decorative look. I've made a couple illustrations using Electric Quilt to show two simple layouts for denim quilts with seams to the front - one with simple squares in different shades of indigo denim and one with a rectangular "brick" pattern. A brick pattern is a good block to cut from jeans' legs which tend to give more bricks than squares sometimes. You can make more complex blocks, but denim is hard to sew and keeping it simple will make it more fun to work on.
