Old jeans take on a new life in St. Louis

19 September 2016

I wrote a blog post a few years back about Charity Sharity, an organization in St. Louis that collects fabric to distribute to groups for charity sewing projects.

Just last week I received an email from Sally Safranski of DenimQuilts, a group allied with Charity Sharity. These talented quilters take donated blue jeans and use them to create personalized quilts. Last month they created their 1,000th quilt! Most of the quilts go to kids in foster care and others go to children and families currently grieving for someone close to them who has died or is in hospice. Some are donated to charity fundraisers.

DenimQuilts volunteers use pockets from the jeans to machine personalize the quilt with an embroidered, name, image or message. Here are a couple of photos of a quilt made by DenimQuilts volunteers:


Sally wrote me, “We accept all types and conditions of jeans from non-smoking homes. Those that are teen/young adult friendly might be sent to Epworth in Webster for their kids on campus or at a homeless youth program in No.Co. We prefer 100% cotton jeans – any color and most any condition. They can be delivered to my home any time – 261 Horseshoe Drive, 63122 (west of Kirkwood Park). I have a covered courtyard entrance – so drop-off without an appointment is easy.”

ETA: If you live outside St. Louis and would like to mail jeans to DenimQuilts, they’ll happily accept your donation. Just mail it to Sally Safranski at the above address. (And remember, the jeans must come from non-smoking homes.)

You can also find DenimQuilts on Facebook. And you can read a feature story about them in a recent edition of the Webster-Kirkwood Times.

I can only imagine how comforting these cozy denim quilts must be to these kids in need. What a wonderful way to make your worn jeans live on.

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Comments

Thanks for the mention! DenimQuilts is always happy to have more volunteers to make quilts (some tasks are for non-sewers!) AND, of course, accepts jeans and mattress pads that are used for batting from non-smoking homes. It is our great pleasure to hear about how loved DenimQuilts for a special population who so needs to be supported and loved.

Sally Safranski - DenimQuilts September 19, 2016 07:28 AM

Sally, thank you so much for the great work you do!

Janine Adams October 25, 2016 08:08 AM

Hi Sally,
I am a member of Ties ‘N Threads Guild in Glen Carbon, IL. I’m wondering if we can support your mission in some way. Would you accept sewn and tied blankets from our group in 2021? I have read your general guidelines; do you accept outside quilt donations or only denim and financial donations?
Thank you, Karyn

Karyn Kitley September 15, 2020 05:10 PM

Karyn, I’ve made Sally aware of your comment. She’ll respond directly to you if she’s interested.

Janine Adams September 21, 2020 01:10 PM

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About Janine

Hello! I’m Janine Adams — a certified professional organizer based in St. Louis, and the creator of Peace of Mind Organizing®.

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