Best Things to Do with Jeans Filled with Holes // by Suzanne Townsend

Hurricane Irene is bearing down on the East Coast and thankfully it looks like she'll hit to our North...so we're only expected to see tropical storm winds and rain. We have our emergency food and water, lots of batteries and stacks of DVD's for our weekend hiding out in our house. Since we'll be battening the hatches...crafty friend Susanne is sharing ways to recycle your holey jeans. 

There is a circle of life when it comes to jeans: purchase, wear for a few years until the sight of the first hole, hang in your closet for two years trying to deny the existence of holes, and then eventually throw away or give away. Alas, even the most well constructed jeans eventually wear through. But what if there was a way to prolong the inevitable and extend the life of your favorite jeans? Consider me your jean genie for I am about to make your denim dreams come true.

Turn your jeans into shorts~
You might be thinking that any 3rd grade student with a pair of safety scissors could turn jeans into shorts, but hear me out. Cut off jeans have had negative connotations for years – visions of trailer parks and booty shorts may be dancing in your head as you read this, but there is a way to wear cut offs and still look respectable. Try cutting them right above your knee and roll them up once leaving the frayed edge visible for a casual surfer look, or cut them at your mid-thigh and roll twice for a more polished summer look.


Patch up your jeans~

Visit your local fabric store and buy a dynamic print to sew into your jeans. For a contemporary look, pick a simple black and white print or go for complete whimsy and use Winnie the Pooh or a tie-dye print. As long as you love the fabric you chose, you’ll wear your new original jeans with pride.


Turn your jeans into a purse~

Cut straight across your jeans where your hips would be and sew straight across the jagged edge. Voila, you have the makings of a cost free handbag. Sew straps by using strips cut from the legs of your jeans. Don’t be alarmed! – when you wear your jeans on your arm you may be self conscious about displaying the size of your bottom as an accessory, but you’ll get over that the moment you get your first compliment.


Make your own bell bottoms~

Okay, this doesn’t make the holes in your jeans go away, but it will make them 70’s chic. At the bottom of your jeans, cut a triangle on the outside of each pant leg with the base of the triangle at the hem of the jean. Use the cut out triangle and trace it on a piece of fabric with an extra 1” around the shape and sew the larger triangle into your jeans. The extra fabric will give them retro flare.


Wear your holey jeans!

A few years ago the trend was to wear distressed denim. Jeans had so many holes that they looked like strips of fabric connected by a zipper and a button. We now understand that less is more. One hole in the knee of your jeans can (and should) be pulled off with style. Six holes means you’re trying a little too hard. If your denim wear and tear has occurred naturally then wear those holes with pride.

With these ideas, and maybe a few of your own, you are well equipped to breathe new life into those jeans sitting idly in your closet. After all, they are your favorites for a reason! So, don’t abandon hope. Fight for your denim, holes and all.


Suzanne is a blogging Seattlile with an affinity for fashion and a healthy obsession with skinny jeans. She loves helping others find their personal style and believes that every day is an opportunity to shine.

Flash Mob...Artist Style

We've all seen or heard about the newest craz...FLASH MOBS. They are super fun to watch and I've even wished a time or two to be a part of one. I remember the first one I ever saw. It was a YouTube video of a group dancing in a train station and I was in awe of such a mass group working together. It was both beautiful and inspirational. Who can forget the Flash Mob that danced to the Black Eye Peas during the Oprah show.

Maybe it's the image of so many working together. Take any of those moments and the people standing beside one another or walking through a train station barely noticing those around them. And just for a few minutes they are all working together in harmony. They are enjoying themselves and they are allowing all that are watching to be amazed and thrilled. It is an example of bringing humanity together. If you'll notice in the flash mobs that there are all ages dancing together. It's truly beautiful!

So when I read about an artist named Gary Smith who has been organizing his own "Artist Flash Mobs" it brought a smile to my face. He puts a call out that he'll be at a certain location and all artists are welcome. They setup and all work together in a new setting. He has a website called EscapeWithGary

I imagine this is what it would feel like to travel around Paris. Artists setup outdoors painting the scenery and the people.

In fact, I just read about a blogger (I can't remember the blog's name...I'll see if I can find it)...but she and a friend pulled out her vintage camera and went to the eiffle tower and offered to take people's pictures for a small fee. The whole idea was to have dinner with their earnings.

We need more art around us. I love art museums, but they are indoors in controlled environments. We need to see artists at work. We need to see dancers working together. We need to see that humanity is more then wars and bad economies.

I think I should start by own Artist Flash Mob...would you join me?




(Copyright Information: This pattern, including text and images, is copyrighted to Heidi Cogdill, Hip Chicks Craft Too. No part of this pattern can be copied, shared, distributed or sold. All rights reserved. No commercial use of this pattern is allowed (which means you cannot sell the finished product).

Make Your Own Facebook, Twitter, and Email Icons

I've been working on layout changes here at Hip Chicks and while I was looking for different Facebook and Twitter icons I decided to try to make my own.

1) I drew squares to give me a reference point. Then I drew in my F and T.

2) I then rounded the corners and used an eraser to clean up my edges.

3) Once I had the look I wanted...I transferred over to a decorative piece of paper.

4) Using my "Karat Aquarell" watercolor crayons...I traced around the square and the letters, then with a paint brush dipped in water I following the lines then dragged my paint brush across my icon to blend the color.

5) Once the paint was dry I scanned my images into the computer. You could take a really good up close image as well if you don't have a scanner.

6) Using PhotoShop I cut my icons apart one at a time and saved them individually. Something like "facebook-icon-sm"

7) From there I opened my design feature on Blogger and added a gadget. I used "add a picture" then typed in my link.

They turned out just the way I wanted them to. Now I have my own artsy...one-of-a-kind icons.

(Copyright Information: This pattern, including text and images, is copyrighted to Heidi Cogdill, Hip Chicks Craft Too. No part of this pattern can be copied, shared, distributed or sold. All rights reserved. No commercial use of this pattern is allowed (which means you cannot sell the finished product).

Judy Moody and Stink Moody Dolls

Have your children discovered the adventures of Judy and Stink Moody yet? Have they read all the books? Have they seen the new movie? Have they spent hours playing in character mimicking the style and adventures of the Moody siblings?

Well...mine have!

My daughter fell in love with these books a few years ago and my son soon found the Stink series.

I decided to make a Judy and Stink doll for my kiddos while they were away visiting their grandparents.

I drew out a pattern and began to put the dolls together. I had a basic plan and if I must say...they turned out super cute!!

After drawing the pattern out I sewed the arms, legs, body and head together...then stuffed with polyfil

Using fabric markers I drew a face and then sewed on black buttons for eyes.

The hair was sewed down the center of the head and then again above the ear area to hold the yarn down.

Using baby clothes I dressed Stink and Judy

And the siblings were done and waiting for the kiddos to get home!

Here they are dancing with their new friends.

(Copyright Information: This pattern, including text and images, is copyrighted to Heidi Cogdill, Hip Chicks Craft Too. No part of this pattern can be copied, shared, distributed or sold. All rights reserved. No commercial use of this pattern is allowed (which means you cannot sell the finished product).

E-Course

I'm super excited to be participating in Kelly Rae Robert's E-Course starting this Sunday. If y'all haven't had a chance to take her course now is the time to sign up!!

(Copyright Information: This pattern, including text and images, is copyrighted to Heidi Cogdill, Hip Chicks Craft Too. No part of this pattern can be copied, shared, distributed or sold. All rights reserved. No commercial use of this pattern is allowed (which means you cannot sell the finished product).