Make do and mend - use old jeans to make a denim planter

Sew Positive is at the forefront of the war against textile waste, providing opportunities for socially excluded people to nurture their mental health through free sewing workshops and courses.

We are pleased to be supported by The National Lottery Community Fund with an Awards for All grant. This enables us to run weekly 'Sewcialise' sessions where participants continue meeting after the end of a course to further build their skills and meet with the friends they've made along the way. People who face social isolation have a chance to master new techniques and simultaneously become part of a new community.

Aware of the environmental impact of the fast fashion in our disposable and throwaway culture, we are encouraging people to think about where their used clothing ends up, as it's too often landfill.

Participants in Sew Positive sessions not only learn to mend, repair or repurpose items, they are also motivated to love what they wear for longer by altering, embroidering and embellishing garments to make them unique.

What is more, we are keen to foster co-production of activities with our volunteers and all those who use our services.

Clare, one of our participants, has designed an activity that has already proven popular in corporate wellbeing sessions. It has also featured in Cambridge's Let's Go Circular events, where we are lucky to be among the local organisations given a platform to highlight issues around textile waste and move towards a circular economy.

Clare said: “I've been attending Sewcialise for a few years now. And it really is something I look forward to every Monday morning. To spend time with lovely people, doing something creative, first thing on a Monday. It really is a great way to start the week in a positive way.

She added “I feel I can be my neurodivergent self in these groups. I'm accepted, welcomed, and encouraged. For the first time in my 51 years I can be myself within this group. I love skill sharing, how we all learn from each other, bouncing off ideas and developing new skills with the group. And how this helps us build resilience in our own personal lives, to ask for help and support, to share problems with others so they can hopefully be solved.”

Here is a step-by-step guide to making Clare’s denim planter. This is a fun, slow-stitching project to calm your mind and help the planet.

What you need

Everyone has an old pair of jeans kicking around! You will need some denim, a clean 2-litre straight-sided soft drink bottle, fabric scissors, ordinary scissors and a sharp knife; tailor’s chalk or fabric marking pen, pins or clips, embroidery thread, needle and needle threader. (We used DMC stranded cotton embroidery thread.) You can refer to the images below to help you.

1. Cut out two denim pattern pieces according to the pattern below, one for the base, and one for the side. Using your chosen marker (e.g. fabric pen, chalk) mark off the measurements as detailed on the pattern pieces.
2. Draw triangles freehand in the upper wide band on your denim. Rotate your triangles to enhance the design.
3. Using three strands of your chosen embroidery thread and starting at the long edge of each triangle, fill them in using satin stitch. Try not to pull the thread too tight and remember to do a couple of finishing stitches on the wrong side of the fabric each time you complete a triangle.
4. Now turn down the top edge at the dotted line and secure it in place with pins or clips.
5. Stitch through both layers of fabric using seed stitch. This is both decorative and useful as it creates and secures the hem as well as adding to the triangle design.
6. When you’ve completed the seed stitch, place the short ends together, right sides facing and either backstitch or machine this seam and press.
7. Fold your base circle into four quarters and mark at those edge points.
8. Make equivalent marks on the embroidered tube, using your seam as your starting point.
9. Using pins or clips and right sides together, join your base circle to the embroidered tube. You may need to do a bit of stretching or easing to make it fit smoothly. Machine or backstitch this circular seam. Trim any excess fabric off afterwards for a smoother finish.
10. Take your drinks bottle and mark 10cm all round, up from the base.
11. Using a sharp knife and scissors pierce and then cut around the line. Neaten the edge where necessary.
12. Using the remaining bottle, mark a 3cm deep ring, pierce and cut as before.
13. Place this ring at the base of your pot to give it stability.
14. Now ease your fabric container over the plastic pot. It will be a snug fit but persevere and it will slide on.