Jean-ius Kitchen Crafts: Cup Koozie

We've all got that one pair of deteriorated jeans that we can't bear to toss. Sure, you could donate them or give yourself a clothing makeover, but since denim is such a strong fabric, why not put those pants to work? This week, we'll show you how to make four jean-ius kitchen accessories from one old outfit.

Craft #1: Reusable Cup Koozie

You don't want to burn your hand on a scalding hot cup of coffee, but you also don't want to keep using and tossing away those cardboard sleeves. Solution: Make this DIY coffee koozie.

Supplies:

scissors
fabric glue
a pair of old jeans
an old t-shirt
a needle and thread

Directions:

The easiest way to get started on the koozie is to find a disposable cup koozie, open it up, and trace the size onto your jeans. Make sure to trace on the inside so as not to mark your design. Do the same with an old T-shirt or any leftover fabric. For this project we used a bright green T-shirt for a splash of color.

The next step is to cut out the designs you've traced on your jeans and fabric. On the jeans, it is helpful to cut a little wider than the area you've traced so you can tuck in the edges and glue the jean outline to the fabric. This will ultimately help you when you get to the next step and will reduce the potential for your koozie to become frayed around the edges.

Once the glue has dried, you will want to sew around the edges of your koozie. This will reinforce the koozie so that you are able to reuse it often and reduce the wear and tear, but it's also a cool way to add a more custom look to your piece.

After reinforcing your koozie, it's time to add the details. Wrap your koozie around a glass, preferably a reusable drink container, pint glass, or an old coffee cup. This will give you an idea of where your two folds need to connect. For this koozie we sewed a button on one side and used some leftover seam fabric to create the button loop. Once you've found the spot you want for the button, sew it on tight (meaning you might want to go over it 3-4 times with thread to secure it). Then sew your seam on the opposite side in the same fashion, though you might want to glue it down first and sew it together after.