Initially, I was going to make my son a denim bow tie for his school leavers’ party. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, it was cancelled. But I still made him one anyway.

I made two kinds of denim bows—one from a repurposed jeans waistband and the other from scraps of denim fabric.

Both types of bows were straightforward to make. I liked the hipster vibe of the waistband denim bow, which made it more suitable as a bow tie. The other bows made from denim scraps are neater. And would look great as hair bows or an embellishment on a denim handbag.

The bows would also make a fun present topper and take your gift wrapping to another level. You can use these upcycled denim bows for many things other than just as a bow tie.

(There is a printable how-to card for this craft at the end of the post.)

Making Upcycled Denim Bows

Both bows take only a couple of minutes each to make and require the smallest number of denim scraps. They are straightforward to make. They require a few simple hand-sewn stitches to keep them together.

Even the most challenged seamstresses could manage the stitching needed for this denim craft. None of the stitches is on show, so they don’t even have to be neat. However, if you don’t like sewing, the stitches could be replaced with super glue.

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How To Make A Jeans Waistband Bow Tie

I love to upcycle all the parts of a pair of jeans, especially the bits that add characters, such as the jeans pockets, seams, and waistbands. To make this first bow tie, I used a bit of the jeans waistband and a belt loop.

Step 1: The first thing to do is to cut the denim waistband off the top of a pair of jeans. Use a pair of scissors for this and cut as close to the stitched seam of the waistband as you can.

You only need a small part of the jeans waistband to make one denim bow tie. You can probably get at least three bow ties out of one waistband. Cut the waistband into a 24 cm length, ensuring that the belt loop is in the centre of that piece of the waistband.

Step 2: Then, using a seam ripper, unpick the belt loop from the waistband.

Step 3: Next, stitch the waistband’s ends together to form a circle. Keep the belt loop to one side.

Step 4: Flatten this denim loop and then wrap the belt loop around the centre. Stitch the belt loop in place tightly so that the denim gathers in the middle.

Step 5: Finish off the bow tie by sewing an elastic fastening strap to the back of the bow.

How To Make A Bow Tie From Denim Scraps

These second denim bows were made from just small scraps of denim fabric. I think these bows are less rustic than the waistband bow tie above and would make great hair bows or gift toppers.

Step 1: Besides a small scrap of denim, you will need a belt loop (or a small bit of denim seam) and fabric Mod Podge.

Step 2: You will also need the free bow tie pattern template. You can download mine here.

Step 3: Next, paste the denim fabric scrap with the glue and leave it to dry. Covering the fabric in glue not only does it stiffen the glue but also will stop it from fraying. The fabric can be easily cut and treated like stiff paper.

Top tip: To avoid an unwanted shine on your denim fabric, paste the wrong side of the fabric with glue.

Step 4: Once the glue has dried on the fabric (hanging in the sun on the washing line, this took under an hour), place the paper template on the fabric and draw around the shapes.

Step 5: Next, cut out the shapes with a pair of scissors. I found that I folded the shapes in half in the middle before cutting; this helped make sure they were symmetrical. The denim should be very easy to cut and will not fray.

Step 6: Take the top denim shape and bend the ends into the centre. Then stitch them in the centre to keep them in place.

Step 7: Next, place this top bow onto the base piece and stitch it in place again in the centre.

Step 8: Finish off the bow by sewing a small bit of denim seam or belt loop around the centre to hide the stitches.

These second denim bows can easily be turned into bow ties by adding the same elastic as the waistband bow. They can also be easily made into hair bows by adding a crocodile clip onto the back. I also think they would make a lovely decoration for denim handbags or denim pillows or even as gift toppers.

As they are so quick to make, I ended up making a few of these denim bows. I used denim scraps from different pairs of jeans to get bows in shades of indigo.

If you want more ideas on what to make from upcycled denim, you should check out my comprehensive A to Z guide to denim crafts and these handmade gifts for men.

If you liked these denim bow ties, then you will probably like these other fun denim upcycled. These bow ties can be made from fabric scraps, not just denim or leather scraps.

• DIY denim bracelet
• Handmade denim dog toys
• Upcycled denim feathers
• Denim tassels

I have made my son some cool craft beer can candles to complete the hipster look.

Find more green crafting ideas here.