Afternoon tea. Yum. And much deserved. After a week that ended quite shockingly, the weekend was spent relaxing and being just a little bit creative.
A tea of cakes and pink lemonade was thoroughly deserved for everyone in the Cotton Rose household.
Favourite Jeans.
We all have them don't we? The jeans that make us feel good. The jeans that even on a 'fat day' can make us feel a bit better. Last week I knew it was time to say goodbye to my favourite and most comfy jeans. The holes on the knees were fine by me (even though my Mum would moan at me every time she saw me in them), but the holes where there really shouldn't be holes were getting a bit too much. I was too ashamed to show you a photo of them in all their holey glory!
I didn't have the heart to throw out my faithful friends. But it was farewell to my beloved high waisted boot cuts that I have had for years.
I washed them, then on Saturday I took my sharp shears, a deep breath, and made the first cut.
I started off with making a tiny pair of jeans for Naught-Nee the cat, complete with elasticated waist and back pocket. Gorgeous Girl was so happy to find her favourite toy wearing jeans.
But before too long I had some ... bunting! You just KNEW I was going to say that, didn't you?! I had fun playing around with designs and adding floral fabric so it wasn't too blue. The garden is going to be full of fluttering bunting this summer!
I assumed denim would be too hard to work with, would break the needles of the sewing machine, or just be difficult in general, but it's surprisingly easy to cut and sew. I always leave edges raw so that fraying can occur. Denim is perfect for that.
It also looks good with ribbon and lace. 
It was while making the lace decorated bunting flag that another idea walloped me in the head. Why not make the top of my jeans into a skirt? The hard work has already been done, it was nothing more than a case of finishing off. I have a shop bought denim skirt that looks like a reworked pair of jeans that I absolutely live in during summer. Another one would be welcome.
The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it.
So I did. And I have to say that it was so easy to do it's unbelievable. If you can use a seam ripper, an iron, scissors, and sew a reasonably straight line with a sewing machine, then I promise you that you can do it too.
I'd already cut the jeans down to resemble long shorts, then I took a seam ripper and carefully cut the stitches of the inner leg seams. To fill in the 'V' shaped gap in the space between the legs, I cut parts of the jeans legs to size and pinned in place. Then I simply machined along to stitch together. Sounds simple because it is.
Because I had to cut away the holes in the top of the legs on the back, it used up quite a bit of fabric and made it a bit scruffy to look at. I had no choice but to add in a heavy seam to neaten it up, this was created by cutting off seams from the leg sections and stitching over where the fabrics were joined. Does that make sense? These re-sewn seams will fray a bit over time, but that's fine by me. I love a bit of fraying. 
I've already made up my mind to make another one with the next pair of redundant jeans. I'm even thinking of a ruffled-but-frayed-hem next time.This is how it looks on. This is the one and only time I'll wear fabulous tights and heels with it (tights were vital, my legs badly need shaving - sorry if that's too much info!). In summer it will be bare legs and flip flops! I hit the big Four-0 later on this year, so mini skirts with heels is a look I'm no longer comfortable with. Love it for this photo though, very rock & roll.
You will notice the fraying hem. I've written before how rubbish I am at hemlines - they are NEVER straight - so this is the perfect alternative. As long as you've cut across in a vaguely straight manner, then that will do. Then take a pin and pull at the threads to give a frayed edge. You can just about see three very wobbly stitched lines around the bottom of the skirt. This is so when the fraying hemline kicks in properly, the entire skirt doesn't unravel. The wobbly stitches will be less obvious over time too, as the hem will fray and curl.I took back view photos too, but in the end I decided there was no way I was showing photos of my rump on the internet!!
I'm so pleased my favourite jeans are still wearable. I know this skirt will be worn a lot in the summer, it's perfect for wearing in the garden.
If you have an old pair of jeans that you no longer wear because of holes, give it a try. Honestly, you will be so shocked at how easy it is, and it makes your jeans last a bit longer.