A fun and pretty denim jean upcycle. Make a summery cuff bracelet from the waistband of an old pair of jeans.

Sometimes I think I am the world's worst procrastinator! If putting things off were an olympic sport I would get gold every time.

WAY back in February 2015 (yes that's more than 3 years ago) I shared a simple cuff bracelet idea as a guest post at The Pinning Mama and I ended by saying, I must make some more of these in different colours soon! ..... SOON!

I loved the pink jeans that this original lace cuff came from, I loved them so much that I bought another pair of pink jeans to replace them when they wore out, that second pair are still going strong.

I do however have quite a stash of old blue jeans of various shapes and sizes that I keep as denim is so useful for all kinds of projects. Huzzah, I have finally got round to my promise of making some more jean cuff bracelets this time using blue denim.

How to make an upcycled jeans cuff

I'll start with a quick recap on how you make these, it's pretty simple and inexpensive.

To make an Upcycled Jeans Cuff you will need:

The waistband from an old pair of jeans
Decent fabric scissors (denim is tough to cut without decent scissors) I love my Fiskar Orange Handle Scissors
Lace, ribbon, various haberdashery trims including some wide ribbon
A sewing machine (you can do this by hand but a machine will make this MUCH quicker and easier)
A popper (snap fastener) or little piece of Hook and loop fastening

Cut the waistband from the old jeans and cut it at the side seams so you just have the front. Remove any belt loops, and do the button back up.

Calculate the right size for your cuff

Now you need to measure your wrist. Take than measurement and add a couple of inches. Cut the waistband to that length. My wrist is 6" so I cut the waistband to 8". You can go to as much as 3" more if you like your cuffs loose. I wouldn't do any more than that though or you risk it slipping right off!

Create a denim cuff

Undo the button and take a length of wide ribbon. Lay it face down and lay the cut ends of the waistband on top.

Bring the ends of the ribbon down to cover the join and pin in place.

Stitch this securely down both sides on your sewing machine. It will be a little tough as it's lots of layers but go slow and it will be fine. Use a denim needle if you have one but your machine should be able to cope with a normal needle if you take it slow (mine did!) You can use a straight stitch or a zig zag, or maybe for strength you can use both.

It should look something like this.

Decorate your denim cuff

Now the fun bit, adding your trimming.

With the right side up, add lace, ribbon, trims, whatever takes your fancy and pin it in place on the cuff.

Avoid covering the button and the button hole as you still need them.

When you are happy, stitch the trim in place. I did some of this on the sewing machine, just going round the button where I could. For some I stitched the elements by hand, it was just easier and it doesn't take long.

After I'd finished it and started wearing my upcycled denim cuff I discovered a design flaw. Just the one button is not enough to hold the cuff in place, it slips and does this:

Easily fixed with a single popper (I don't know if that's an old fashioned British name for them, that's what I've always called them - I mean a press stud or snap fastening) Sew it in place just behind the button. You could use a small piece of hook and eye fastening instead if you prefer.