Easy Denim Medallions: Upcycle Jean Belt Loops into Ornaments

Create these DIY denim medallions from old jeans with belt loops and seams; they’re great for Christmas ornaments, wreaths, and bag embellishments.

If you’ve been following along with my upcycled denim projects on Pillarboxblue, you’ll know I love finding new ways to repurpose old jeans for all seasons, especially Christmas! From embroidered fabric stars and hanging seam Christmas trees to table-top denim trees, something about denim feels rustic and timeless.

I’m excited to share another fun upcycled craft: denim medallion ornaments made from the belt loops and seams of old jeans. These quirky little medallions are flower-like and can be used in various ways: hanging on your Christmas tree, embellishing a denim wreath, or even turning into funky earrings or bag charms.

This craft makes the most of leftover scraps from bigger denim upcycling projects, ensuring nothing goes to waste. These medallions are easy to create and the denim adds a rustic, homespun charm to these recycled Christmas ornaments, making them perfect for any handmade holiday decor.

Materials Needed

• Old jeans (you’ll need about nine belt loops per ornament)
• Seam ripper to remove the belt loops
• Metal jeans button
• Hot glue gun
• Needle and thread (for sewing ends together)
• Scissors (if using seams instead of loops)
• Twine for hanging

DIY Denim Ornaments

Step 1: Collect Belt Loops. Grab your old pair of jeans (or a few if you want to make more ornaments). Use a seam ripper to remove the belt loops. Each pair has around five loops so you may need more jeans.

You can also substitute loops by cutting strips from the back seam of the jeans. These work just as well! Just cut the seams up to the same length as the belt loops.

Step 2: Prepare the Belt Loops – Take your belt loops or seam strips and sew the ends of each one together, forming a loop. You’ll only need a couple of simple stitches to keep them together.

Step 3: Arrange Around the Button – Next, take your metal jeans button and hot glue the sewn ends of each loop to the underside of the button. You need the tiniest dab of hot glue on the end to attach each loop to the centre of the button. Hold the loop until the glue dries; this should only take a few seconds.

Step 4: Hang or Embellish -These medallions make for cool hanging Christmas ornaments. Just add twine to one of the loops and hang them.

These denim medallion ornaments look a bit like denim flowers, particularly daises. You could use them to decorate denim wreaths, tote bags, or anything else you want to add some denim flair to. You could even attach earring hooks for some statement jewellery!

Other Denim Upcycles

There’s something about upcycling denim that always feels satisfying. These denim medallions are super versatile. They can be rustic Christmas decorations or quirky denim flower accessories, depending on how you use them.

On the blog, explore even more creative ways to upcycle jean seams and belt loops. You’ll also find a variety of unique denim Christmas decorations to inspire your holiday crafting.

If you love the idea of denim flowers, you’re in luck—we’ve got everything from denim roses and chrysanthemums to simple jean pom pom flowers and thistles.