While ripped and/or holey jeans are still fashionable, not every hole or rip occurs in the most appropriate place if you get my drift! If you’ve ever owned a pair of
jeans forever and they are well loved and worn, you know exactly what I mean! Sometimes, closing the hole or rip gives the jeans an extended life and sometimes it gives them an entirely new look. Whatever the reason for closing the gaps, this Mending Jeans Creatively can give you some great ideas for saving money, sustainability and even self-expression. It all starts with a pair of jeans!
Set
- Note: Students will need to bring in a pair of jeans to mend with a patch or the teacher may wish to provide a variety of jeans from the lost and found box, thrift stores (I can get jeans for .25 each from my local thrift store) or even ask for donations from the faculty, staff and community. Looking at this from a community service project option, jeans not provided by the students could be donated to a homeless or domestic violence shelter once mended.
- Show students a ripped jean picture and tell them they have 15 seconds to brainstorm and list creative ways to patch the hole. Start the timer and then afterwards, have students share their ideas.
- Present the slide deck titled, Creatively Mending Jeans to learn more about the benefits of mending along with a variety of mending techniques.
Materials
- iPads or Laptops
- Projector & Screen
- Colored Pencils
- Embroidery Needles
- Embroidery Floss
- Variety of Fabric Scraps for Patches
- Sewing Machines (optional)
- Scissors
- Iron
Activities
- Before students begin creating their patch, they must plan what they would like to do. Give them the Jean Mending Planning Sheet to describe their hole, sketch their patch idea using colored pencils, record the technique and list the supplies they will need to accomplish it.
- After showing you their plan, help students gather the supplies they will need so they can get started. Make the slide deck and video links available to them at all times for easy reference.
- Once all of the patches are sewn, set up a gallery walk or fashion show (if possible) for students to check out all of the mending designs and vote on their favorites based on the provided categories.
- Have students share their favorites and see which jeans are deemed the winner in each category.
- To conclude the lesson and activity, have students complete the exit reflection prompts and turn them in as they leave the room.
Attachments
- Ripped Jean Intro Slide
- Creative Jean Mending Slidedeck
- Jean Mending Planning Sheet
- Gallery Walk Favorite Repairs Voting Form & Exit Reflection
