What do you do with old jeans? If you find holes in the knees or the bottoms are too frayed, the obvious choice is to cut off the legs, making them into shorts. Unfortunately you run the risk of making them look like the "jorts" that WWE superstar John Cena would wear, or the super-short cutoffs that Tobias Funke of Arrested Development fame would wear underneath his clothes. And unless you are either of these guys, it's a really hard look to pull off.
We asked around and found some great projects that anyone can use to re-purpose their jeans into something else.
Shutterstock Photo
Floor Rug
Cut Out And Keep figured out how to make a braided denim rag rug. This is a great project if you have a lot of jeans and are looking for a home craft project to keep you busy, because this could take some time to make. The resulting durable decor is great for your laundry room or just outside the freezer in your garage.
Tote Bag
The whole idea behind jeans is that denim holds up well. So why not put the strength of this fabric to use by making a tote bag. There are several different patterns and instructions online about the different style carryalls you can make from jeans, but we like this one that Instructables posted. These are great for carrying around heavy things, like canned goods or library books.
Potholders
Potholders and oven mitts are things you always need to have on hand in the kitchen, but you never really want to purchase. If you have some basic sewing skills, you can make them out of jeans! Just cut the material to the size you want and sew two pieces together, preferably with something like a towel in between the two sides to help insulate it.
Pillow
By cutting and quilting scraps of old denim jeans, you can make throw pillows. While not the most fancy of things, they're great for the kids' play room or for the couch in your unfinished basement. Again, just cut them to a shape you like, sew the sides and stuff with a pre-made pillow form.
Phone Holder
We found this last project over at Kaboose, which shows you how you can make a holder for your phone or MP3 player. It's a ridiculously easy project that involves cutting out the pants' pocket, a little glue and some Velcro. This is a great project for kids, so they can make personalized iPod protectors.
For more great uses for everyday items, check out our previous installments of "5 Uses For..." in our slideshow below!
5 New Uses For Everything
Have something to say? Check out HuffPost Home on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram.
**
Do you have a home story idea or tip? Email us at homesubmissions@huffingtonpost.com. (PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)