Inside: A straightforward denim placemat DIY from your old jeans.

Making these patchwork denim placemats was what I call a slow craft. This was because they were handstitched. You could make them quicker on the machine if you wanted to.

I find it hard to sit still and watch the telly in the evenings unless I have something to do with my hands. Simple hand-sewing tasks like making denim patchwork are a perfect telly-watching craft. That’s because the craft is very simple; it doesn’t require much concentration.

Even if you aren’t a seamstress, you should give this denim upcycle ago. The sewing is very basic and can all be done by hand.

However, if you don’t like sewing, I have plenty of no-sew upcycled denim projects on the blog too. I even have a tutorial for some no-sew denim and felt fabric placemats. I even have a denim fruit bowl tutorial that would look fabulous on the table with these mats.

Hexagon Patchwork Denim

Not only are these mats made from repurposed patchwork denim, but they have “hex appeal”, in that they are hexagon-shaped. I love a hexagon craft.

It’s not just me that loves a hexagon; they are also very common in nature. Hexagons are a very efficient shape. Just think of a beehive’s interlocking cells and a snowflake’s crystals. The Giant’s Causeway on Northern Island is a geographical feature composed of 40,000 hexagonal columns of basalt. 

I already have some hexagons in my dining room, my denim patchwork chairs, and denim mug rugs, which were also hand-sewn. These hexagon patchwork denim mats will complement them.

Six equilateral triangles placed side by side make a hexagon shape. It’s the triangle that makes the patchwork.

My star wars loving family think that the denim mats look like the wings of Tie Fighters.

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What You Need For Denim Placemats

• Scraps of denim from old jeans. If you can, use the denim from several pairs of jeans in different shades of indigo. The patchwork denim will look even better on the placemats.
• Scrap fabric for the back of the denim placemats. Heavyweight upholstery fabric is best.
• Quilters equilateral triangle ruler. The ruler I used on the sides was 16.5cm (6.5″) long. I have drawn out this shape and the hexagon shape here. Which you can download and use as a template.
• Paper for templates
• Needle and thread in denim blue.
• Sewing pins
• Rotary cutter and mat.
• Double-sided sticky tape
• Iron and ironing board

How To Do Patchwork Denim

Step 1: Cut out six denim triangles using the triangle ruler or a template. For the best result, cut out the denim shapes from pairs of jeans in different shades of indigo.

Step 2: Next, cut out six paper triangles. These triangles will be the size of the patchwork triangles without the margin for sewing. So they will be smaller than the denim triangles.

Stick the paper triangle to the wrong side of the cut denim shapes using double-sided sticky tape.

Step 3: Iron down the denim seams for each side of the fabric triangles. Use a hot iron.

Step 4: Pin two denim triangles together along the edge with the flat point. Then hand stitch these two pieces together along the hem crease. Do not stitch through the paper.

Step 5: Repeat the last stage by stitching another patchwork denim triangle to the shape. Carry on until all six triangles are stitched together to form a hexagon. Then, remove the paper triangles from the back.

Backing the Denim Placemats

Step 6: To add a pop of colour to my denim placemats, I used a colourful fabric to back them and added a decorative hexagon in the centre.

The centre hexagon is also great for hiding the centre where the six points meet. This can be difficult to get neat.

Step 7: First, use the ruler to make a hexagon pattern for the back of the placemat. This hexagon will be larger than the patchwork denim one; simultaneously, cut out a small hexagon shape with 3.5cm sides.

Step 8: Use these templates to cut out two fabric hexagons, one little one and a big one. I used a stiff upholstery fabric that I had in my stash. It was the same fabric I had used to back my woven denim pillows.

Top tip: If you use a thinner fabric, you might want to add a layer of wadding to the placemats.

Step 9: Stick the small paper triangle onto the wrong side of the small fabric hexagon and iron down the seams. Then, tack around the fabric edges (as I did with my hexagon pillows). Then, remove the paper.

Step 10: Next, hand stitch the small fabric hexagon to the centre of the patchwork denim. I use tiny little stitches right on the edge of the hexagons.

The centre hexagon adds a bit of colour to the denim placemat and hides any mistakes you may have made in matching the points of the triangle patches.

Step 11: To add the fabric backing, place the denim patchwork on top of the wrong side of the patterned fabric. Make sure it is in the centre. There should be a couple of centimetres of fabric showing around the placemat.

Fold this visible edge in half towards the denim and iron it down. Next, fold the edge again, iron it down and pin it to the denim patchwork. You will have a nice fabric-trimmed edge to the patchwork denim.

Step 12: Using small stitches, hand sew this fabric edge to the denim hexagon and remove the pins.

More Hexagons and Denim Crafts

I love how these patchwork denim placemats have turned out, and I’ve enjoyed making them. As I’ve already mentioned, they gave me something to do with my hands while watching TV.

I’ve made two so far but plan to have six by the end of the week. They go great with my denim patchwork chairs and denim table runner.

I like the hexagon design. I’m tempted to scale these mats to make a denim blue jean rug. All I would need to do is to make the patchwork triangle much larger.

If you want more upcycled hexagon crafts, check out my patchwork repurposed sweater blanket and denim pinboard. For more crafts using old jeans, check out the comprehensive A to Z of denim crafts.

Check out my quilted denim star decorations for more denim patchwork shapes other than hexagons. They would also make a great design for table mats. You can find many more DIY placemat ideas here.

Find more sewing crafts here.