Turn your old jeans into a stunning bed spread

Quicker and easier than a quilt, a bedspread, which has no filling, is as simple as cutting denim into squares and stitching them together. Then, surround the sewn ‘centre’ with panels of linen. Hem the sides and your bedroom rhapsody in blue is ready. Want it bigger? Add extra denim squares or make the panels larger to adjust your spread to any bed.

Finished size 182 x 272cm

Gather your supplies:

Several pairs of jeans

3.7m x 130cm linen in blue

Matching sewing thread

Sewing machine and general sewing supplies

Note: Use a 1cm seam allowance throughout unless otherwise stated.

Here’s how…

STEP 1

From jeans, cut 35 squares 19 x 19cm, including 3 pieces with pockets. For binding, cut enough 8cm- wide strips to stitch together to make 2 strips 8 x 182cm, and 2 strips 8 x 274cm. From linen, cut 2 panels 77.5 x 182cm and 2 panels 49.5 x 121cm.

STEP 2

With right sides facing, sew a pair of denim squares together down 1 side. Continue adding squares to make a 5-square row.

STEP 3

Repeat Step 2 to make 7 rows in total. Join rows together to make patchwork of 5 x 7 squares measuring 87 x 121cm.

STEP 4

On both long sides of patchwork, pin a 49.5 x 121cm linen panel, right sides facing, and sew together.

STEP 5

On both long sides, sew a 77.5 x 182cm linen panel, as done in Step 4. Iron all seams. Finished size at this stage is 182 x 272cm.

STEP 6

To attach binding, with bedspread wrong side up, pin and stitch an 8 x 182cm strip, also wrong side up, to 1 short side, aligning edges.

STEP 7

Turn bedspread right side up. Bring binding around edge to right side, turn binding edge under by 2cm and iron. Pin binding in place to encase 4cm of bedspread and topstitch binding to bedspread 5mm in from pressed edge.

STEP 8

Repeat Steps 6 and 7 for other short side.

STEP 9

Bind each long side with a 8 x 274cm strip, pressing each short edge under 1cm. Stitch and encase each bedspread side and short edge bindings at ends. Hand-stitch casing openings closed.