Patchwork Industrial Denim Toolbelt

Overview and aesthetic

For my upcycle project, I wanted to turn an old piece of clothing into something functional and useful. I chose to upcycle an old pair of jeans into a denim toolbelt, originally following the aesthetic of reworked industrial. After working on my project and receiving valuable input during critique, I realized that the aesthetic that fits this project better is patchwork industrial. For this project, I wanted to focus on sustainability when it comes to fashion and recycling old clothing into something new. Sustainability and fashion are two important things to me, however they rarely work together. Clothing waste is a huge contributor to landfill pollution and I wanted to focus on turning unused clothing into something cool instead of contributing to waste.

The patchwork industrial aesthetic combines the raw, utilitarian elements of industrial design with the creativity and resourcefulness of upcycling. This style is characterized by the use of reworked materials, particularly denim, where old or discarded jeans are transformed into unique, textured pieces through patchwork techniques. The focus on sustainability is central to this aesthetic, as it emphasizes the repurposing of existing fabric rather than the creation of new resources, reducing waste and promoting a more eco-friendly approach to fashion. By incorporating rugged, mismatched fabric pieces into garments, accessories, or home décor, the patchwork industrial look celebrates imperfections and embraces a DIY, almost “salvaged” charm. The combination of industrial elements like metal accents, sturdy stitching, and earthy tones with the tactile quality of repurposed jean fabric creates a distinctive, edgy, and sustainable style that is both functional and artistic.

Inspiration

My main inspiration for this project came from interest. Originally I wanted to make a wall storage device with jean pockets as storage holders. However, I decided that I wanted this to be something wearable, adding to the functionality of the object. I found most of my inspiration from these pictures on Pinterest and wanted to create a design that combined both and fit all of my needs.

Project vision

The vision for this project was a tool belt but personalized and designed for me. I wanted the fabric to be made out of denim to match more of my personal aesthetic and function cohesively in an outfit rather than sticking out. In terms of functionality, I wanted the tool belt to have at least 2 main pockets, one with a zipper closure and additional pockets for smaller items. The belt didn’t need to bear very much weight since my tools weren’t exceptionally heavy, which allowed me to focus more on visual aesthetics. I plan on using this tool belt for further sewing projects and in any instances where I need to carry many things and lack pocket space. I think this project was very successful and resulted in a more feminine, everyday toolbelt that I would enjoy wearing out.

Fabrication process

To gather some of my materials, I visited art parts and collected quite a bit of scrap metal pieces and scrap fabric. The jeans were sourced from a friend who was planning on giving them away to Goodwill. I ended up only using one of the belt buckles and the plaid scrap fabric, leaving me with leftover materials that could be worked into another project.

Materials:

-denim jeans

-buckles

-scrap plaid fabric

-sewing machine

I began this project by creating a sketch based on how I wanted the specifications of the toolbelt to look like:

Next, I made a simple pattern out of paper on how I wanted the main body of the denim to look like.

Next, I mangled the jeans. This part was the most stressful because I was so scared to make a mistake and ruin the denim fabric or have to start over, but surprisingly it went easily.

I assembled the main part of the tool belt and added the plaid trim to the outside.

Next, I removed the other pocket of the jeans and the zipper of the jeans and combined them to make another pocket on the belt with a zippered enclosure. One of the challenges of this process was worrying about the sewing machine needle breaking, since I never bought a denim needle, however, it went very smoothly and no needles were broken in the process. At this stage, I also added the buckle onto the belt and started adjusting the straps to fit my waist and 5″ past for a larger fit.

The last step in this process was to join the separate halves together and clean up any remaining strings. I left the ends of the denim a bit frayed and the inside of the belt unlined to maintain the industrial aesthetic.

Final artifact

Functional and artistic goals 

Through this project, I found I was able to accomplish both my artistic and functional goals. Going into this project, I had very little experience with sewing and struggled with sewing machines breaking every time I started a project. I wanted to get past the initial struggle of sewing/flipping my own clothes so that in the future I have much more confidence and I can salvage a lot more clothes. After this project, I feel very accomplished and confident in sewing and I look forward to flipping more things. In terms of functionality, I think this toolbelt accomplishes all my goals. I wanted the belt to have enough compartments to fit what I needed and to look aesthetically good. The addition of the zippered pocket on the side offers much more storage and the two additional pockets hold all that I need. Additionally, the lines are clean and the trim on the outside adds an aesthetic element that motivates me to wear the belt. I think the denim and the plaid work well together and I would choose this design over a traditional brown and ‘masculine’ toolbelt.

Next steps

Over the course of this project, there were a few key things I would change in the following iterations. First of all, I had trouble with the belt mechanism, and the next step would be to get some grommets for the belt loops instead of pulling the straps to tighten them. I think this would add to a cleaner design and a better overall look. I would also buy different sewing threads to better match the denim, but for the scope of this project, I used what I had on hand. Lastly, my biggest regret that I will definitely fix for projects in the future is the lack of documentation. I completely forgot to document my work until about halfway through, so I missed out on a before picture of the jeans and some other valuable information. In the future, I will document and make an effort to take professional pictures at each step, since I think it adds to the overall presentation.

Sources:

1. Chatgpt acknowledgment: ChatGPT helped me formulate the description of the reworked patchwork aesthetic
2. Pinterest,https://www.pinterest.com/pin/516014069818160006/
3. Pinterest, 2024 https://in.pinterest.com/pin/1127377719217940290/