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Series 2: Part 3 – AND THEN THERE WERE TREE

August 20, 2010 by Michele

Welcome to Series 2 – Part 3 of AND THEN THERE WERE TREE!!! This is the FINAL episode in this little trio of denim tree crafts. To see Part 1, go out on this limb, and for Part 2 branch out right here. Tee hee.
Today we are making a tree pencil case. For the body of the pencil case, I made a lined-zippered pouch. There are several very good online tutorials that show how to make such a pouch. A good one is this tutorial @ Skip To My Lou!
As is most often the case, my part in this craft is purely superficial and ornamental. But I am OK with that!
To start, I drew up a little tree sketch and made myself a tree template, roughly 3 inches tall.
Now this craft uses the same basic concept as the last two in the series. However for this one, instead of using the jean seams to make the denim disc building blocks (see tutorial here), I actually cut into the pant legs to make tiny little 1/4 inch strips like this.
And with the gluin’ and the rollin’, I made little denim beads instead of large discs … Look! It’s like the denim discs made little babies or something! Aren’t they cute?

Now these denim beads serve as leaves. I needed a trunk NOW or my tree was, well, a shrub.

I decided to use the remaining 1/4 inch denim strips to make my trunk as well. So I took one of the strips, and put some glue on the last few inches.

I folded it over on itself and placed it on the tree template to see how tall my trunk needed to be.
Added some more glue…
Folded the strip onto itself again…
Molded it to the template…
Added a bead for fun…
Added more glue… You see what’s happening here?

In the fullness of time with the gluin’ and the addin’ and the moldin’, I got me-self something that looks like a little trunk with nifty bark.

Now I put those little denim beads on top and lo! IT IS A TREE! A little 3 inch bonsai.
I let this tree and another (I made two) dry overnight with all the glue and everything.
The next day, I cut out the pieces for my pencil cases. I used zippers from the jeans. For the outer shell of the pencil cases, I used denim of course, and a little burlap!
For each pencil case:
  • I attached the tree to one of the outer shell pieces before assembling the pencil case. I sewed on the tree pieces using a needle and thread and a simple running stitch.
  • I then proceeded with the pouch assembly as in the Skip To My Lou tutorial.
  • Afterwards, I coated the trees with a layer of varnish so the denim won’t fray.
  • I added a “customized” zipper-pull.

And that, as they say, was that.

Oh and here are the little pencil cases now!

Have a fantastic day!
P.S. I am a linker.

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Filed Under: And Then There Were Tree, denim, denim, reuse, sewing, sewing, Tutorials Tagged With: accessories, bag, crafts, tree, tutorial

Previous Post: « Tutorial: A Boy’s Dinosaur Painting Smock
Next Post: Explore the Pyramid »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Saraccino says

    August 20, 2010 at 6:10 pm

    The structure is beautiful! Really looks like a wooden texture. Okay… where do I find an old jeans now…?

  2. Amy says

    August 20, 2010 at 6:34 pm

    Very nice Michele! This is my favorite of the series. This technique really did yield a great bark look. I am trying to think of a tree pun for you but I am coming up blank…

  3. Ariane says

    August 20, 2010 at 7:02 pm

    Wow!!!! Love the tree. The trunk is so cool. My favorite pouch is the burlap and denim one with the tree. It looks awesome!!!

  4. Melissa says

    August 20, 2010 at 7:47 pm

    You are amazing. I was at GW today and wanted so badly to buy jeans just so I could cut them up and get to the seams!! 🙂

  5. Mascottblog says

    August 20, 2010 at 8:01 pm

    Quelle créativité !!!! Encore bravo !!!!!

  6. Crafty Gardener says

    August 20, 2010 at 8:02 pm

    What a fabulous idea, another "tree"mendous creation

  7. Michelle L. says

    August 20, 2010 at 9:12 pm

    Swooning now. Jeez. You are such an artist!

  8. PatriciaRaeDesigns says

    August 21, 2010 at 12:56 am

    that is the coolest thing i've ever seen thanks for sharing.. and thank you for commenting on my blog means a lot

    Amanda
    http://patriciaraedesigns.blogspot.com/

  9. Catherine says

    August 21, 2010 at 4:04 am

    This is definitely my favourite out this trio! Very cool and I love how you've made a zipper pull too.

  10. Eve says

    August 21, 2010 at 1:53 pm

    Gorgeous! It's actually absolutely stunning! I can imagine an entire wall canvas of a forest with all these denim trees openning up to a path leading to a setting sun. And I can image the price tag at the top that say 1 million dollars, and Michele smiling in the background holding up a check 😀

  11. MessyMissy says

    August 21, 2010 at 2:24 pm

    I LOVE it. The textures and the shaping is incredible. Love, love, LOVE it!

  12. Kim says

    August 21, 2010 at 7:29 pm

    You've just made those denim swirls into artwork. <3!

  13. Anji* says

    August 21, 2010 at 8:17 pm

    Wow! These are awesome! I love the bark effect on the trunk.. so creative of you Michele 🙂

  14. Kimminita says

    August 22, 2010 at 8:30 am

    This looks absolutely stunning!

  15. coco.nut says

    August 22, 2010 at 3:01 pm

    the tree is adorable!!! pencil cases are just stunnig with them!!!

  16. Kathryn says

    August 22, 2010 at 6:47 pm

    Cute! Great way to upcycle old jeans.

  17. Susan says

    August 23, 2010 at 11:19 am

    Oh wow, how cool is that. Thank you so much for the tutorial. It was fabulous to learn how to go about making this wonderful craft. I've never seen it before. I have some ideas for some other things to make using the same instructions you have provided us.

    I really love how the tree came out. It's really beautiful.

    I hope you have a wonderful day,
    Susan
    http://simplepleasuressimpletreasures.blogspot.com/

  18. C.R.A.F.T. says

    August 23, 2010 at 10:55 pm

    so cute 🙂 thank you for linking up to MMM!!!

  19. Ashley Tremaine says

    August 24, 2010 at 2:08 am

    OMGosh…this is absolutely wonderful!! I love what you have done!!

  20. Kaysi says

    August 24, 2010 at 6:51 pm

    So cute!!!

  21. Olga says

    August 25, 2010 at 7:54 am

    What a great way to recycle a pair of old jeans! So cute!

  22. Megan says

    August 25, 2010 at 1:52 pm

    What a novel idea! It turned out so lovely. You took great photos of it, too!

  23. Valeria says

    August 25, 2010 at 2:48 pm

    Faboulus idea!!!!!

  24. Shayleah says

    August 25, 2010 at 6:53 pm

    This looks fabulous! I love the texture of the tree with the rolled denim!

  25. Nunurina says

    August 25, 2010 at 8:57 pm

    Love this pencil-case.So cute!!

  26. creativejewishmom.com says

    August 26, 2010 at 11:48 pm

    So original and creative! Great to have you back on Craft Schooling Sunday, hope to see you again this week! All the best!

  27. allison @ itstoilegood.blogspot.com says

    August 27, 2010 at 2:14 am

    this is such a brilliant idea for old denim scraps! I love the 3D effect and the texture of the tree! Its going on the Must Try Project list! Thanks for the kind comment on my Wanna Be lamp! Promise I didn't mess with electricity – I would never put myself in that kind of peril. Just screw it in like a light bulb – my kind of project!!

  28. casserole says

    August 28, 2010 at 2:00 am

    Oh. WOW. That is SO cool!! I linked to your tutorial over at Craft Gossip Sewing:
    http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-beautiful-tree-embellishment-from-rolled-denim/2010/08/27/

    –Anne

  29. KJ@letsgoflyakite says

    August 28, 2010 at 11:21 am

    Michele, I just saw your project featured at Craft Gossip, that's so great! All of your rolled denim ideas are gorgeous. I have already introduce your site to my office craft club and we plan to make your little rolled denim christmas trees!

  30. dana says

    September 9, 2010 at 2:38 am

    This is fabulous. So creative and so great looking. you rock.

  31. Simone says

    September 9, 2010 at 11:49 am

    Hey Mich,
    you're featured on Craftzine.com today! I was looking at my daily craftzine email and there was your denim tree with your pencil case. Here's the link! http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/09/recycled_denim_tree_decoration.html
    love,
    Simone

  32. Ginger says

    September 9, 2010 at 2:43 pm

    Wow! love this craft cute !

  33. Michelle L. says

    September 9, 2010 at 6:51 pm

    Hey! Congrats on the Craft feature, you are toooo kewl!

  34. Shaheen says

    September 15, 2010 at 7:37 am

    Wow! So cute! Thanks for the tutorial!

  35. Cris Chiosini says

    September 20, 2010 at 3:29 am

    Hello, Michele.
    I could not tell how much I liked this tutorial.
    Your tree is very cute!
    I had enjoyed the post with the mirror, and now it is also beautiful.
    Congratulations and thanks for sharing.
    Kisses.

  36. manos de chicureo says

    September 20, 2010 at 4:58 am

    Really it is very beautiful. I like that you use denim.
    Yasmin

  37. Gabriele von Conga-Baeren says

    September 20, 2010 at 6:47 am

    Wow wow wow, very cool, cute, phantastic …

    Gabriele

  38. Michele says

    September 20, 2010 at 10:54 am

    Your little tree is genius!

  39. Sherry says

    September 20, 2010 at 4:31 pm

    What a fantastic project! Your tree is AMAZING!!!

  40. Gośka says

    November 5, 2010 at 11:14 pm

    Material quilling. Just great:)

  41. Celeste says

    November 6, 2010 at 2:09 pm

    i know you already know that your project is nothing short of amazing. i'm in love with it. i have made a tote out of thrift-store jeans, found a nice pair of handles for it but was otherwise lost as to how to embellish it after making several other jeans-bags and appliqueing all of them. it was time for something different. so i'm going to borrow your idea and make a similar tree for my bag. with lots of thanks to you!

  42. shalom says

    November 14, 2010 at 11:29 am

    WOW! That is really cool. Love it. I am so in to trees these days and have been wanting to do a tree thinga majigy. This looks like the one. Running to rummage through those stack of kids jeans. I am sure I saw a holey one in there somewhere. Found you through Creative Jewish Mother. She has linked you up a couple of times. Glad I checked it out. You have done some amazing plastic bottle flowers too. I saw them for the first time in Israel a couple of years ago but nothing like yours! You crafty little thing you!

  43. punk says

    November 22, 2011 at 6:19 pm

    And I wondered what to do with all these old/torn jeans I have… Cool idea! Is this glue atlakol?

  44. Michele Pacey says

    November 24, 2011 at 4:50 am

    Hi punk! I used regular PVA or white craft glue for this project. Hope that helps.

  45. Иринка says

    December 6, 2011 at 8:03 am

    Great idea! Thank you.

  46. Инна says

    March 13, 2012 at 2:55 pm

    Oh! It*s so phantastic!
    Thanks for the tutorial.

  47. Olly says

    March 14, 2012 at 5:12 pm

    simply beautiful!… 🙂

  48. Athena says

    May 5, 2012 at 9:28 pm

    Thank you so much for sharing!

  49. Gaurav Pachani says

    October 2, 2015 at 5:56 am

    awesome idea……
    Thanks for that………

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I am ecstatic if you choose to link to this site, use a brief description, one photo, or link back to any of my posts. Do not republish entire posts without my permission. Tutorials, patterns and printables are for your personal use only and are not to be used to make items for sale. Thank you.

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