How to Make Gift Wrapping Paper Out of Old Denim Jeans

Blue jean denim is one of the most popular fabrics around. When jeans wear out, are damaged, or become out of style, denim jeans are often thrown out. However, you can use that denim fabric in a great craft project instead. Making gift paper out of old denim jeans is a fabulous way to utilize the old denim jeans fabric.

Materials Needed

1. Old denim jeans
2. A blender of food processor
3. White craft glue
4. Water in a large flat pan
5. Screen or mesh in a frame
6. Drying rack
7. Scissors

Preparing the Denim Jean Fabric

The first thing to do when preparing the denim jean fabric is to cut up the pair of pants or other clothing item that it comes from. Cutting the fabric into small pieces is helpful for the process. Make sure to throw out any seams, rivets, stitched hems, zippers, and any other thick decorations.

After you have a pile of denim jean scraps, put some into your blender or food processor. Either chop the jeans material up into blue denim fluff, or add some water and blend it into a type of fabric soup. The method will depend on your style of blender or processor. If you chop it up dry, you should add water to it at the end.

Building the Tools to Make the Gift Paper

In order to make the denim jeans gift paper, you need a large pan with water in it. You also need a screen with a sturdy frame that can be handled easily. You can make this with an old piece of window screen and some wooden boards. Simply use a utility stapler to affix the screen tightly to a rectangle made from the boards. The screen area should be about the size you want your finished gift paper to be.

Completing the Denim Jeans Gift Paper

Dump the blue jean denim fabric fluff, or soup, into the rectangular pan full of water. Add a large amount of the white craft glue and dissolve it in the water. Swish it around until the material is distributed relatively evenly. You do not want large clumps.

Then, carefully slide the screen frame into the water under the blue jean fabric. Without tilting it, pull the screen up so that the denim fibers spread out over the screen. Make sure they spread evenly by shaking or swishing the screen slightly.