Do-It-Yourself: Recycle Old Jeans and a T-Shirt Into a Baby Jean Skirt

by Crystal on April 12, 2011

Learn how to make a baby jean skirt from old jeans and an old t-shirt.

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{ 23 comments }

Jess April 12, 2011 at 12:25 pm

I need a baby to make this for! CUTE!

Mandy Sly April 12, 2011 at 12:47 pm

So cute! And I just got a “new” sewing machine!

Amy April 12, 2011 at 1:14 pm

So adorable!!! Though I don’t think my 2 boys would appreciate it if I made one for them lol Maybe #3 due in a couple weeks will be a girl so I can try this : ) Any ideas for what to do with boys holey jeans other than shorts???? My 4yr old has been going through them like crazy!

Kristin April 12, 2011 at 1:22 pm

Amy – I’d love an answer to that question too…I don’t really want to make jean shorts – not a fan but the jeans are in good shape otherwise!

Allyson @ a Heart for Home April 12, 2011 at 1:46 pm

I used a piece of denim from my fabric stash (or you could get a large jean skirt or pair of jeans at a thrift store) to make patches for our son’s jeans. Luckily “rugged” jeans are in right now. I just turned the denim under, pinned it on the outside of the jeans (over the knees) and stitched around the edged a couple of times.

They actually turned out really cute. In fact, we were stopped at the grocery store by a mom who liked them so much she asked where we bought the jeans.

I love it when thrifty turns out to be cool!

Amy April 12, 2011 at 1:54 pm

That’s great Thanks!! Do you leave the edges “fringed” when you sew them on?

Allyson @ a Heart for Home April 12, 2011 at 1:59 pm

I turned the edges under but you could leave them unturned as well. The denim will fray, but will stop where the stitching is.

Amy April 12, 2011 at 2:06 pm: ok cool! I’ve been in such a sewing mood, but have so many other things that have to get done lol must be nesting…. lol

Karen April 12, 2011 at 4:36 pm

A friend of mine once took a bunch of old jeans in different shades (from very light/faded to very dark), cut them into squares, and made a quilt out of them. It would be cute for a little boy, and heavy duty too!

Amy April 12, 2011 at 6:44 pm

Thanks! Not sure how well I’d do with a quilt, but it sounds easy enough!

melissa April 12, 2011 at 9:27 pm

I have taken bandana’s to use as patches in my holey jeans when I was younger. Gives them a kinda rustic look

Amy April 13, 2011 at 5:36 am: Thanks for the idea!

Cheryl April 17, 2011 at 9:40 pm

I have some friend that are using little kids jean as purses, the bottom of the purse is at the crotch. So the legs-that are not holey can be used to make a long strap to go over your shoulder, the inside can be lined with the jeans or a lighter fabric. Plus it’s washable!

Amy April 18, 2011 at 6:34 am: Thanks for the idea! Sounds like fun : )

Amanda April 12, 2011 at 2:38 pm

My girls are past the baby age. Not sure how to measure this skirt for a three year-old, but was thinking maybe you could kind of do the same thing if you made a circle skirt for an older child? But does anyone know how you would measure the waist (for a circle skirt) if you needed to add to the length for the pleats? On another note, a circle skirt may not work BECAUSE of the pleats. Does anyone know a “formula” for calculating the waist of a tube skirt (with pleats)… You’d likely need more than three pleats if the child was toddler-sized.

Meesch April 12, 2011 at 3:26 pm

I know some have made jean purses/bags from old jeans and they were really cute!

Vee April 12, 2011 at 4:02 pm

My mother-in-law made a patchwork jean quilt for my young son to use when he didn’t feel well. She backed it with a nice flannel. The best part was all of the pieces with back pockets she used. They were great for kleenex, cough drops, chap stick and whatever else he could think of. We still use it as a lap blanket after 25 years or so. Very cozy:-)

Shirley April 12, 2011 at 8:11 pm

I made this skirt for my niece back in November and it turned out sooo cute! I used an old pair of jeans and used the left over and embellished a onesie with denim flowers along with other scraps to complete the “outfit”. I am not great with a sewing machine but it really was fairly easy.

carol April 13, 2011 at 7:26 am

I love the skirt but am absolutely gaga over those booties!! Did you make those yourself? Care to share where you got the pattern? They are adorable.

Elizabeth April 13, 2011 at 8:17 am: I was thinking the same thing!

Ashley - Embracing Beauty April 13, 2011 at 11:08 am

So cute but I’m not very handy with a sewing machine. I’ll store this tutorial so maybe one day, once I master that machine, I can make it!

Ami W April 17, 2011 at 8:34 pm

This is cute!
Karen: My Aunt made her son a patchwork quilt using all his old jeans and Boxer-shorts. It was great. She just saved his worn out clothes thru his middle and high school years and sent the quilt with him to college. He had NO idea she’d been planning on that. She did the frayed edges too.
If you are going to make a frayed edged quilt take it to the laundry mat to wash the first time-lots of lint can clog your washer at home.

katewatson@tips4savingmoney.com April 18, 2011 at 10:43 am