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A charming turtle basket made out of an old pair of jeans! |
Today I present to you a charming turtle shaped basket made out of a pair of old jeans.
In my first post, I mentioned how potentially challenging it is to handle a
heavyweight denim. Not everyone making these projects will have to deal with
the same fabric weight, however, so while I had the same issues with this
turtle, your mileage might vary if you decide to attempt this.
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| Definitely a satisfying project, despite challenges... |
While I have no real desire to make this again, I totally appreciate that this is one of the more functional uses to which you can put an old pair of jeans. The basket that results is quite roomy and – as you can probably assume – it's durable beyond belief. Not to mention that it's cute as heck!
No matter what whining I may do in the ensuing paragraphs, I highly recommend
this project. Particularly if (like me) you have it in mind for a gift, it is
well worth your time and effort.
I mentioned in part one how the designer's creativity extends beyond merely using old jeans as the material of choice, and even beyond the creation of a recognizable "creature" in the process. I repeat, while several people might be able to use old denim to sew a turtle shaped basket, the attention to detail here – in terms of using what already exists on a pair of jeans – is remarkable.
I mentioned in part one how the designer's creativity extends beyond merely using old jeans as the material of choice, and even beyond the creation of a recognizable "creature" in the process. I repeat, while several people might be able to use old denim to sew a turtle shaped basket, the attention to detail here – in terms of using what already exists on a pair of jeans – is remarkable.
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| The designer's use of specific parts of a pair of jeans is quite ingenious... |
For instance, take a look at the head of this turtle. An existing inside
seam from a leg – positioned so that it is centered along the back of the
head – adds visual interest, while making use of fabric around seams
that might otherwise be trimmed away and discarded.
In the photo below, the interior pockets are all cut from (in my case,
anyway) back pockets that I had left over from previously taking apart jeans
for the
boat tote. (Other locations where these pocket pieces would be harvested from is
along the bottom of the pant legs.)
By the way, the only interior pocket that's required is one for the
turtle's head. Of the other five, the maker can decide whether or not to
include them. In my mind, more pockets is always better when it's an organizer. Deciding to go full bore with all six pockets (as well as an additional coin pocket that was sewn on top of the pocket for the head piece), however,
does amp up the trickiness due to the thickness factor.
For the turtle body exterior, I followed the designer's suggestion to center the template over an outside leg seam. The result is that each of the six segments is embellished by a double stitched seam down the middle. (Again, this is making use of fabric close to edges of seams that otherwise might not get used at all.)
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For the sewers among us, this basket would be ideal for keeping notions close at hand. For the photo shoot, I crammed in some of my favourite "finds" of 2025: Barefoot Venus body care products.
We received a Barefoot Venus gift box filled with lotions, creams, bath salts and body wash for Christmas 2023 and both hubby and I loved them. I knew they were on the pricier side of such things, however, and originally did not anticipate making any other purchase after we had used up our box.
Months later, after repeated attempts to undermine our country's identity and economy by forces across the border, I was actively on the hunt for Canadian products. When I finally got around to looking up the company's history, I was surprised to discover that Barefoot Venus actually originated in my home city and is currently comfortably ensconced in the Okanagan Valley.
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| The lining side of the body, interfaced with remnants of an old fleece blanket... |
In this area, I must give kudos to
my vintage Kenmore (which is coming up 49 years old – in my possession – this April). It sailed quite smoothly over most of these bulky seams.
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| This is the outside of the body... |
For the turtle body exterior, I followed the designer's suggestion to center the template over an outside leg seam. The result is that each of the six segments is embellished by a double stitched seam down the middle. (Again, this is making use of fabric close to edges of seams that otherwise might not get used at all.)
To make this a complete recycling project, I reused remnants of a fleece blanket as interfacing. Opted to sew it in for the side panels, but used glue on the bottom piece and it held up to my rough "man-handling." The piece of cord for the mouth came from my scraps pile and I used two buttons for the eyes – coloured in the middle with a Sharpie – instead of Kam snaps and felt.
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| Turned upside down, it is indeed a turtle! |
The worst part of the man handling was turning the body part right
side out. (Turning the arms and legs right side out was no picnic either,
but I had expected that given my experience with the whale tail from the
first project.) It took a long time and at one point, I was afraid
that the raw edges were going to fray away from all my pulling and
yanking. Not fun at all!
One final part that I want to highlight is the attachment of the head. Recall that at least one interior pocket is required; its function is to accommodate the neck and head. As you can obviously see, this piece is stuffed with polyfil – not a whole lot at the base of the neck, but it's not nothing – so the sewing at this final juncture is to push this thick assembly underneath the presser foot and secure it to the body by stitching through many layers. I had to physically lift the presser foot up as far as it would go – as well as lower the feed dogs – but I did manage to get everything underneath and ultimately use my sewing machine to do this... yay for my Kenmore again! (I cannot see the alternative of hand sewing this part to be any easier, to be honest.)
For the sewers among us, this basket would be ideal for keeping notions close at hand. For the photo shoot, I crammed in some of my favourite "finds" of 2025: Barefoot Venus body care products.
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| No end of uses for a basket this big... |
We received a Barefoot Venus gift box filled with lotions, creams, bath salts and body wash for Christmas 2023 and both hubby and I loved them. I knew they were on the pricier side of such things, however, and originally did not anticipate making any other purchase after we had used up our box.
Several orders later, I am a customer for life. Ironically, few of my readers are actually Canadian, but to those very few, if you're looking for a homegrown business to support, I highly recommend Barefoot Venus. (And no, they are not paying me to say this.) You are guaranteed to fall in love with how well they work and perhaps unexpectedly — with how they smell! I'm not usually one to care about fragrance but something about these scents is quite enticing and addicting. In the photo above, you can see various samples of their product line, including a (coconut) lip balm, a (vanilla) perfume oil, an (apricot brandy) argan oil, a (gingerbread) hand repair cream, a (peppermint) foot balm, and my fave fragrance: a lemon freckle hand lotion.
And if you're actually reading this on Valentine's Day, maybe go on over to their website and treat yourself to something special at a discount.
'Til next... 🇨🇦🍁
'Til next... 🇨🇦🍁
