Sadly, even blue jeans don't last forever. But saying goodbye to your favorite pair of jeans is no reason for them to end up in a landfill.
One jeans-wearer recently took to Reddit to show off their ingenious method for giving new life to old denim — making them into an absolutely gorgeous set of potholders.
They explain their process further down in the comments, writing:
"I usually will turn my older denim into shorts […] This means I end up with a bunch of scraps, so I've used them to make some woven denim pot holders. Hands down, these might be the best pot holders I've ever had. The fabric weave gives a good grip and they'll take a beating and absorb a good amount of heat."
They also include a link to the tutorial they used to make the pot holders so others can do the same.
The fashion industry produces over 100 billion garments every year, and 92 million tons end up in landfills. In the U.S. alone, 11.3 million tons of textile waste — 85% of all textiles — end up in landfills each year.
All that to say — finding new and innovative ways to upcycle worn-out clothing isn't just a fun hobby, it's also a win for our planet.
Some companies have begun making an effort to recycle worn-out denim. These include the nonprofit Cotton Incorporated, which turns old jeans into insulation, Madewell, which works with Cotton Incorporated to collect old clothing items, and Material Return, which recycles old fabrics into new fabrics.
None of them, however, have created anything as beautiful as these potholders (to the best of our knowledge). They're so beautiful, in fact, that multiple commenters on the Reddit thread inquired about buying them. Tragically, they are not for sale.
Others were just there to admire the original poster's handiwork.
"These are great, you are great, and this post made me feel great!" writes one commenter.
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