These denim cushions are a lovely way to upcycle old jeans! Annemette Magnus is a Danish upcycler who specializes in reusing denim. She was drawn to denim as it is a very strong material. She also loves working with all the varying shades of blue. The patchwork and plaiting techniques she uses were inspired by rag rugs. Read on to find out more about her denim cushions.
Annemette gets her denim from old, broken jeans. She gets these from friends, colleagues, family, neighbors and second hand shops. After sourcing her materials, she washes them and then rips the denim into strips of various widths. Annemette loves the look of the frayed denim edges. Because denim is such a strong and structured material, she is able to able to incorporate the frays into her designs without compromising on quality.
Annemette loves sustainable design because she feels people put more thought into it. She looks at using waste as a challenge that we are getting better at as a whole. Upcycling is an adventure, she lets the materials inspire her, and is eager to start a new project whenever she finishes her current creation.
We think these upcycled denim cushions are awesome! We love the combinations of different denim and Annemette’s clever way of incorporating a weaving technique. When asked what her advice to aspiring upcyclers was, Annemette said,
Find a good material that is easily available and start experimenting until you have a good product.
Throughout the upcycling creation process Annemette asks: what are you going to use the item for? What could the material become? Annemette loves experimenting with new materials and techniques. For instance, she will often use the backside of the denim, as she loves the combination of light blue with darker denim.
Annemette has also recently begun working with bicycle inner tube tyres. She uses a similar weaving technique to create pencil cases, purses and flower pots. Annemette likes the inner tube tyres as a material as it is reminiscent of leather. It is also a great material to work with as it has a nice elasticity.
Thanks for sharing Annemette! If you have a story please feel free to contact us.
Source: UnikaPuden