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All the Best Ideas for Making Denim Pillows (Cushions)

I’ve made a few denim pillows (cushions) myself over the years, but I thought I’d check out some of my fellow bloggers to see what sort of throw pillows they have made out of upcycled old jeans.

Lucky for me, I have a big stash of old jeans ready to upcycle. My family and friends know how much I love repurposing and upcycling denim, so they hand me their old jeans, enabling me to make some large denim projects such as denim rugs and denim upholstery.

However, one of the simplest things to upcycle old jeans into is denim pillows. Many designs can be made by just upcycling one pair of jeans.

old jeans for clever upcycling ideas

Upcycling Old Jeans into Throw Pillows/cushions

If you search for denim throw pillows on Pinterest, you will find lots for sale on Etsy or designer stores from a few dollars up to a few hundred dollars here though I have just included jeans pillows from blogs with a tutorial.

Various tutorials suit all levels, from basic no-sew throw pillows to more complicated herringbone stitched denim cushions.

What they all have in common, though, is denim fabric, and some of these patterns show off the best bits of a pair of jeans, such as the pockets and waistbands. Others play on the shades of indigo that denim comes in and use to make a pattern.

These denim bows would look great to embellish some of these pillow ideas.

best-denim-throw-pillows

The Best Denim Throw Pillows Tutorials

Another idea for adding colour to denim pillows is to apply some hexagon patchwork to the front of them. I’ve made denim dog toys out of old jeans before, and if you scale them up, they could make a fun-shaped throw pillow.

You may also want to check out my other denim round-ups if you like this. These pillows made out of old jeans also featured in the A to Z of clever upcycling ideas and the A to Z of denim crafts.

40 denim upcycles

Or check out these other homemade pillow cover design ideas.

DIY pillow colours idea

Jessica Meade

Friday 16th of August 2019

Thank you for putting together this collection! It’s hard to sift through the for sale pillows, when you want to DIY. These are all great. I have made my son a tooth fairy pillow with a back pocket, but I like the idea of a phone pocket pillow for them. I plan to first make a memorial pillow out of a denim jacket. Lots of inspiration here. Thanks!

Claire Armstrong

Saturday 17th of August 2019

That sounds like a fun pillow. I love making my own pillows then you have something unique.

Cindi Seamon

Saturday 4th of November 2017

God bless you for the tutorials. I also have a huge stack of my husband's worn denims. I would look for creative ideas for the use of repurposing the denim into useful materials for gifting and home use and would come up stumbling w/o a tutorial. So thanks for your post.

Claire Armstrong

Saturday 4th of November 2017

Thank you. Denim is a wonderful fabric to repurpose.

handmade by amalia

Saturday 8th of July 2017

I love them all, the denim must be soft and comfy. Amalia xo

Claire Armstrong

Saturday 8th of July 2017

Thank you, I find that old worn denim is often soft and comfy.

julie

Thursday 6th of July 2017

The hexagon one and the huge ampersand are my favourites I think, or the one that use the pockets .... what am I saying, I love them all. Can't beat a good denim upcycle. Thanks for putting these all together

Claire Armstrong

Thursday 6th of July 2017

Yes, I love them all too! I will be making more denim pillows.

Katherines Corner

Wednesday 5th of July 2017

thank you for the inspiration and for sharing at TFT, pinned xo

Claire Armstrong

Wednesday 5th of July 2017

Thanks for hosting and thanks for the share.