Denim Cup Cozy

Oh the weather outside is frightful...well, ok, maybe not quite frightful yet, but it has become quite chilly in the past few days. Looks like our extended summer has finally come to an end and fall is here to stay. That's ok, fall leads to Christmas and I love that time of year.

It's one of my favorite seasons to craft. I get to whip up home decor accessories, ornaments and every now and then, gifts. You see, I love making things, and I truly do believe that there's nothing quite like a handmade present, but I am not the most confident homemade gift giver.

I am not a perfectionist when it comes to my DIYs, and that's fine, because I keep them all. I embrace the...um...charm. However, if I were going to give something away, I wouldn't want it to be anything less than perfect.

Double standard, I know.

Well, this year, I decided to give it a go and use up some of the old jeans my kids have recently discarded. Since one pair had already been cut up for a denim ring, I decided to use the rest of it to make some accessories. Apparently denim is all the rage. Although, isn't it always?

The chilly weather has us craving all sorts of hot beverages, so I decided to create a pretty denim cup cozy. It was super simple to make and functional. I tested it out while sipping my hot water...

I started by cutting off the bottom of one of the legs on a pair of skinny jeans. They worked well, because they were narrow at the ankle and had some stretch. That helped it grip the cup.

Jeans get wider as you go up the leg, so I needed to taper the cozy just a bit for a snug cup fit. I did that the exact same way I would alter a dress on a model...just like I did during my theater costuming days. I dressed my cup and located the parts that did not fit properly.

Then I folded the excess fabric over...

...and pinned it in place.

I was going to use the machine to sew it up, but sometimes that's more trouble than it's worth, so I used a whip stitch by hand. If you don't sew, you could use fusible web tape (my favorite) or fabric glue.

Rather than hem the bottom, I decided to fray it instead. I folded the fabric over and ran the scissors over the edge several times, until I had a look I liked.

Lastly, I pulled a silver snowflake out of my craft closet and glued it on to the front of the cup cozy and voila!

A fabulously fashionable (free!) denim cup cozy that's actually a pretty perfect gift. Coupled with a mug from the discount store and a $5 gift card, I have a great holiday gift for someone special (or me) for about ten bucks.

And lucky me, it's just in time to join the lovely ladies of Ten On The 10th.

This month it's all about gift ideas.

Nice how that works out, isn't it? 😉

I hope you drop by to see what gift ideas my thrifty friends are sharing for less than $10. Oh what fun!

The PurpleHydrangea Patina andPaint White SprayPaint Blue Sky atHome My Heart LivesHere    Cottage atthe Crossroads  Poofing thePillows

And if you're looking for even more DIY gifts make sure you pop by AllFreeHolidayCrafts and check out some great ideas. While you're there, be sure to look at my profile for any of my projects you may have missed here.

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