Inside: Dive into the world of upcycling with denim feathers! Our step-by-step guide shows you how to make beautiful feathers from denim for endless possibilities.

I got the idea for this denim feather wall decor over the summer while making denim tassels. Working out how to make denim feathers from old jeans wasn’t a great leap. The principle was the same as the tassels, fraying scraps of old denim. I just had a few details to work out, like the feather spine and shape.

You can make indigo or white feathers from one piece of denim scrap. The colour depends on how you lay the template onto the scrap fabric.

Like with the tassels, this was an excellent craft for those of us who find they have fidgety fingers when watching TV.

Denim Feathers

Denim feathers? Tell me more!” These chic little creations are as stylish as they are versatile. Whether you want to add a boho touch to your decor, give your accessories a trendy twist, or explore new crafting avenues, denim feathers are your ticket to a crafting adventure.

But wait, it gets even better. This DIY ticks the boxes for style and creativity and is also a fantastic way to recycle those old jeans you can’t bear to part with. Sustainable and fashionable – now that’s a winning combo!

In this guide, I’ll take you through the step-by-step process of crafting these elegant denim feathers. Whether you’re a crafting newbie or a seasoned pro, this project is fun and fulfilling. All you need is some old jeans!

Don’t forget that denim feathers also make great gifts and can be customized in countless ways, such as turning them into a stunning DIY boho-style wall hanging.

In addition to creating feather wall decor, you can use individual denim feathers to make earrings, bag charms, and gift toppers. Check out these feather craft ideas.

These denim feathers are featured under the letter F in the A to Z of denim upcycles.

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What You Need To Make Denim Feathers

• Denim scraps – The scrap pieces will need to be as big as you want your feathers. You will also need denim with no seams or embellishments, just plain bits of jeans fabric.
• Twine – I love Nutscene twine which comes in lots of lovely colours.
• Fabric Mod Podge
• Wooden beads 10-12mm with a 5mm hole.
• Stick and drawing pins to hang the denim feathers from.

How To Make A Denim Feather Wall Decor

Step 1: Cut out a feather shape from your scrap of denim. If you are not confident about doing this freehand, you can download my feather template and use this to draw around before cutting out the feather shape.

Ensure that the template lies in the same direction as the weave of the denim. The way you lie the feather template on the denim will depend on what colour feather you will make. Denim is made up of a weave of blue and white threads.

Step 2: Cut a piece of twine a couple of inches longer than the denim feather shape.

Step 3: Cover the twine in fabric glue and stick it to the centre of the denim feather shape. This will create a spine for the feather.

You can stitch the twine in place if you prefer that to glue. However, the glue is better as it stiffens the twine, which helps the denim feather hold its shape.

Step 4: To make the feathers, fray the denim by pulling out the threads. Denim is frayed by removing the threads of one colour.

Therefore, removing the white threads will end up with blue feathers. If you remove the blue threads, you will have white feathers.

Cut the feather shape long, with grain for one colour and cut across the grain for the other.

Making The Denim Feather Wall Decor

Step 5: I used this same method to make several white and blue feathers in various sizes.

To make the denim feather wall decor, I first threaded the twine of a blue and white feather through the same wooden bead.

Step 6: Finally, the pairs of repurposed denim feathers were hung from a wooden stick. They were attached to the stick with a drawing pin at the back.

I love how the denim feathers have turned out. You can make a collection of feathers in different shades of indigo using denim scraps from other pairs of jeans.

These denim feathers would also look great on a cushion or in glass frames.

Denim isn’t the only fabric you can use to make faux feathers. I have used tartan and plaid fabric to make DIY feathers. These tartan/plaid feathers look fabulous as they have colour and pattern.

I’ve also made paper feathers out of old maps and made them into a gorgeous paper angel wings decor to hang above my bed.

I love to use old branches for my wall hangings and have used them with this paper Mache watercolour heart decoration.

Other Fun Denim Upcycles

If you like this, you may want to check out other denim upcycles on Pillarboxblue. Such as the boho jeans pillow, upcycled denim gift tag, and a fantastic denim rug. And many other things you can make from the rest of an old pair of jeans, such as these cool denim bow decorations.

For more frayed denim ideas, check out these cool DIY denim necklaces.

If you are looking for some other feather wall decor, check out these beautiful free vintage illustrations of feathers.

Flowers are also fun to make out of denim. I’ve made two types of denim flowers, roses and thistles, from repurposed jeans. Other fun nature-themed denim crafts include this faux moth taxidermy and these Japanese-style denim windsock fish.

I even have ideas for denim Christmas decorations

Old Jeans No-Sew Projects