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How To Make Pretty Repurposed Pom Pom Jeans Flowers

My house is full of flowers and plants, both natural and faux. I love to reflect nature in my home decor, a theme of my crafts and upcycles. Here I’ve made pom pom jeans flowers from repurposed denim scraps.

I have made a denim flower bouquet previously, but these were based on roses. Roses are a popular theme with my flower crafts; I’ve also made old map roses, and sweater felt roses. This time I decided to try another type of flower made of jeans scraps.

I’m not sure what plant these pom pom jeans flowers reflect in nature; they remind me of thistles. It doesn’t matter, though, as I love them on my mantle.

I’ve also made fabric sunflowers from denim to wear as a corsage.

Pom Pom Jeans Flowers

Repurposing Jeans into Flowers

I’m a big fan of repurposing old jeans for home decor. The easiest denim crafts are the no-sew jeans upcycles. Though there is a small amount of sewing with this jeans upcycle, it could just as quickly be a non-sew project. The sewing can be replaced with some strategic fabric glue.

The whole craft is affordable, as with many of my crafts, it is an upcycle of waste fabric. It is a very straightforward and fun upcycle.

I made five of these pom pom jeans flowers in total, in various shades of denim.

Firstly, one of the beauties of upcycling old jeans is showing off the shades of indigo they come in. I think that mainly works well with these flowers.

Secondly, I prefer items in odd numbers when it comes to interiors, as I think it adds interest and is visually more appealing.

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What You Need

Jeans to upcycle for denim patchwork

How To Make Denim Thistle Flowers

Step 1: The first thing to do is to cut the jeans scraps into long strips. The strips should be about 8cm wide and at least 40cm long. The longer the strip of denim, the bigger the thistle jeans flower.

I cut the denim from several pairs of jeans in shades of indigo. However, you can use just the same pair of jeans if you want flowers in the same shade of blue. You need one of these strips per flower.

Cutting strips of denim

Step 2: Next, fold the long strip of denim in half lengthways, then stitch along the bottom edge to hold the fold in place. The strip should be folded so that the wrong sides are touching.

Top tip: If you do not want to do any sewing, glue the two edges to hold the fold in place.

Denim strip fold in half

Step 3: Then, with scissors, cut into the crease of the folded denim strip. The cuts should be about 5-6mm wide and 2cm long. Cut along the whole length of the strip of denim.

Cutting the folded denim strip
Cut strips of denim

Step 4: Cut the wire about 30cm in length; this will be the stem. Using a glue gun, stick one end of the cut denim strip to the end of the wire.

Then, wind the denim strip around the wire and secure the end with hot glue.

wrapping denim around the wire
wrapped pom pom jean flowers

Step 5: The base of these jeans flowers looks unsightly, so I made some leaves to tidy it up. I used denim in a different shade of indigo for the leaves and a stem for the flower.

Using the leaf template, cut out two pieces of denim. Either glue these pieces’ wrong sides together or pin them and then stitch them together. I sewed my leaves.

Base leaf template
Base leaf pattern cutting
denim base leaves

Step 6: Cut a small hole in the middle of the denim leaves. Then thread this through the wire stem. Use hot glue to secure the leaves to the base of the wrapped jeans flower.

Threading the wire through leaves
Securing leaf base with glue

Step 7: Finally, finish off the flowers by covering the wire stem. Cut a strip of denim about 1cm wide and 30cm long. Wrap this around the exposed wire stem and secure it with hot glue.

wrapping stem with denim
Upcycled pom pom jeans flower

Repeat the steps with different shades of denim to end up with a bunch of jeans flowers. There is some flexibility in the wire stem enabling the flowers to be bent, which helps with their display.

jeans flower

The jean’s flowers look fabulous in a vase on the mantle. I will make some more without the stem as a decorative broach for my jacket and as a fun present topper.

DIY Jeans flowers
denim pom pom flowers

I liked the mason jar vase on the mantle for these denim thistles, as you can also see the stem. But I think these jeans flowers would look great in the Shibori indigo planters and jean planter I made. They also looked good next to the denim bunnies I made for my mantle.

Also, denim and leather are always a good combo so I could put some in my leather Boho vase.

As well as faux fabric flowers, I make fake plants such as sweater felt cacti and plastic bottle succulents. Jean scraps are fun to repurpose into other nature-themed crafts, such as denim feathers and faux moths taxidermy.

close up denim jeans flowers

Check out these denim poppy seed heads, which are also fun to make with repurposed jeans scraps.

denim fabric poppy seed heads
Yield: Jeans Flower

Pom Pom Jeans Flower

jeans flower

Make a gorgeous bouquet of indigo flowers for your mantle using your old jeans. This craft is a very affordable fun denim upcycle. Can be either a sew or no-sew denim craft.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Active Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost $1

Materials

  • Denim scraps from old jeans
  • Garden wire

Tools

  • Hot glue gun
  • Scissors
  • Rotary cutter and mat
  • Needle and thread or fabric glue

Instructions

  1. Cut the denim into a strip about 8cm by 40cm.
  2. Fold the denim strip in half longways, so the wrong sides meet. Either fold or stitch the denim strip.
  3. Using scissors cut into the denim fold at 5mm intervals about 2cm depth along the whole length of the denim strip.
  4. Glue one end of the cut denim strip to the garden wire and wrap it around the wire securing the end with hot glue.
  5. Next, make the leaves of the jeans flower, with the template.
  6. Make a hole in the center of the leaves and thread it through the wire stem. Use a hot glue gun to secure the leaves to the base of the pom pom flower.
  7. Next, cut a long thin strip of denim and use this to cover the wire stem. Wrap it around the wire securing it at both ends with hot glue.
  8. Repeat steps one to seven with denim from different jeans to make flowers in several different shades of indigo.
  9. Place the flowers in a mason jar vase.

These pom pom flowers made out of old jeans featured in the A to Z of clever upcycling crafts and resources. Here you’ll find more fabric flower DIYs.

Belinda

Thursday 30th of September 2021

Guess what I'm making today? 😂

Claire Armstrong

Thursday 30th of September 2021

Have fun, they are very easy to make.

Rebecca Payne

Thursday 13th of August 2020

These are so creative.

Claire Armstrong

Thursday 13th of August 2020

Thank you 😊

Carol@BlueskyatHome

Monday 29th of June 2020

This is a darling project. Love how you have reused something old into something new and cute. is there any way to get the measurements in inches? Thank you for sharing at Tuesday Turn About?

Claire Armstrong

Tuesday 30th of June 2020

Thank you, Carol. I’m in the UK we’re we are metric. To convert to inches I just google for an automatic calculator that converts for you one use an app on my phone 1inch is about 2.5cm. The thing about this project is that you don’t need to be precise with the measurements and often can just do it by eye.

Tracy J Shudo

Monday 29th of June 2020

What a great idea!!! Love love love it, Thanks for sharing how you did it. smaller ones would look great on a jean jaket, Or a hat> I will be deffently be trying this, Tracy from Vancouver BC

Claire Armstrong

Monday 29th of June 2020

Thank you, Tracy. Yeah, I like the ideas of smaller ones on a jacket.

Kristie Schubert

Monday 29th of June 2020

This is one of my features on the Little Cottage Link Party tomorrow. I'm not sure what thistles look like, but they remind me of the hydrangeas in my yard.

Claire Armstrong

Monday 29th of June 2020

Thank you so much, kristie. I look forward to seeing it.

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