July 1st, 2026
Ariane Brunet-Juteau – Editor
Photo credit: Kat Garand
For us French Canadians, July 1st not only means Canada Day… it’s also Moving Day.
While the rest of Canada celebrates Canada Day, thousands of Québecers spend the day hauling boxes, assembling IKEA furniture, and dragging couches up narrow staircases.
Over the years, July 1st simply became the day when most leases end, so an entire province seems to move at once.
For upcyclers, though, July 1st means something else entirely.
You know the saying: One person's trash is another person's treasure.
If you wander through Montreal neighbourhoods, you can find incredible furniture left on the curb. And if you have the skills to restore it, the possibilities are endless.
Although I have been sewing for more than 25 years, upholstery is still a skill I haven’t dared to tackle. It honestly intimidates me. So, I decided to keep procrastinating and write this newsletter instead haha
But some denim upcyclers? They are not intimidated at all. I must say, some of them are true artists.
I thought I’d showcase a few of my favourite restored denim furniture projects from our Denim Upcyclers community. Denim Upcyclers.
Fair warning: this post may leave you desperately wanting a denim-upholstered chair… or suddenly inspired to learn upholstery yourself.
Ariane xo
Vic Mansfield
"I found the chair frames on Marketplace for $20 each. I had to buy new foam, but everything else is recycled. My inspiration came from terraced rice paddies.
I use a free-motion grip instead of gloves for free-motion quilting. I find it a little easier to manage the thread when I'm not wearing gloves."
Kat Garrand
"Hello, everyone! Here's my latest upholstery denim upcycling project.
It's probably one of the most tedious and labor-intensive projects I've tackled. Every denim scrap has to be quilted to a backing fabric to eliminate the stretch—we definitely don't want stretchy fabric on a furniture piece! Then, all the quilted sections are pinned to upholstery-grade fabric.
Then, all the quilted sections are pinned to upholstery-grade fabric.
Keep in mind that quilting causes the fabric to shrink quite a bit, so you'll need to account for that before stretching it over the furniture.
If you're interested in learning upholstery, Kim’s Upholstery has some excellent YouTube videos."
Nick Jones
"Start with something small, build your confidence, and then move on to bigger projects. Just take it one step at a time.
Think of upholstery as carefully unwrapping a beautifully wrapped present… then wrapping it again in reverse.
And don't forget to take lots of photos along the way! Good luck!"
Sylvie Winter
"Als ich den alten Stoff entfernt hatte, war die Vorlage schon fertig. Bei Pinterest die verschiedenen Patchworks abgeguckt 😁" Translation: "Once I removed the old fabric, I already had the template ready. I looked at different patchwork designs on Pinterest for inspiration. 😁"
Barnara Bunn
"Found an abandoned chair at Habitat and saved it for $1.
It needed to be painted and reupholstered. I pulled out my stash of 100% cotton, size 50 denim jeans.
After cutting, piecing, and sewing, I ended up with this.
Of course, I didn't stop there! I have a little footstool that I rescued from my daughter when she moved, and I pieced a top for it. The waistband from the jeans fit perfectly around the stool!! Win! Win!
Not bad for my first denim upholstery project. "
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Sanne Lisbeth Møller
"Eight tired chairs from the attic of my summerhouse, loads of white paint, and a pile of jeans... This is the result!"
Heather Rose
"When your lovely daughter brings home a stool from the kerbside and asks, ‘Mum, can you do that denim thing to it?’ — challenge accepted!"
Greetje Abbink-Burgers
"My first furniture project. I sewed the pieces together first, then used a crazy patchwork stitch over the seams. I did not use a backing piece."
Deb Zurock
"I gave it a try. Thank you all for your kind words."
Diane Funk
"I’ve redone small items before, but this was my first huge, complicated project.
I have an at-home sewing business with lots of customers, mostly bikers. I put a post on Facebook looking for blue jeans with no stretch for a huge project, and my customers came through — I received 27 pairs
I used the old fabric as a template. The really hard part was making the backs match where the buttons were."
Svetlozara Panayotova
"I find antique armchairs at flea markets, thrift stores, or on different websites that sell second-hand furniture and home pieces.
I believe that the style of the furniture should match the artwork I upholster on them.
For example, a painting of an old town pairs well with an antique armchair with a more Baroque feel. This creates an eclectic style — mixing styles, such as an antique chair with a non-traditional fabric.
I like to achieve harmony and maintain balance while not being afraid to play with different styles."
A huge thank you to all the denim upcyclers who shared their work, techniques, and knowledge with us.
And to everyone who follows along, comments, asks questions, and cheers on these creations — thank you for being such a positive and encouraging part of this community.
If you haven't joined our Facebook group yet, please do: [here] here .
Now I’m off to look at abandoned furniture a little differently… maybe I’ll finally dare to try upholstery!
What about you? Be honest… did this post make you want to rescue a chair from the curb? Hit reply and tell me
Warmly,
Ariane xo 💙
Discover artist Svetlozara Panayotova and her unique world where antique furniture and denim come together.
