Forever in Blue Jeans

  My standard attire, my basic wardrobe,  the outfit I’de pick if I had to wear just one thing for the rest of my life would be without a doubt… blue jeans and a t-shirt.

  Did you know… 

  • Blue jeans were invented in 1873 by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss.
  • Although denim pants had been around as work wear for many years, historically dating back to England in the 1600s with a fabric there called denim, it was the first use of rivets that created what we now call jeans.
  • One of Levi’s many customers was a tailor named Jacob Davis. Originally from Latvia, Jacob lived in Reno, Nevada, and regularly purchased bolts of cloth from the wholesale house of Levi Strauss & Co. Among Jacob’s customers was a difficult man who kept ripping the pockets of the pants that Jacob made for him. Jacob tried to think of a way to strengthen the man’s trousers, and one day hit upon the idea of putting metal rivets at the points of strain, such as on the pocket corners and at the base of the button fly.
    These riveted pants were an instant hit with Jacob’s customers and he worried that someone might steal this great idea. He decided he should apply for a patent on the process, but didn’t have the $68 that was required to file the papers. He needed a business partner and he immediately thought of Levi Strauss.
    In 1872 Jacob wrote a letter to Levi to suggest that the two men hold the patent together. Levi, who was an astute businessman, saw the potential for this new product and agreed to Jacob’s proposal. On May 20, 1873, the two men received patent no.139,121 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. That day is now considered to be the official “birthday” of blue jeans.
 Hilary over at Crazy As A Loom has done something awesome with recycled jeans.  Look what arrived on my doorstep last night …

 The upstairs hallway is very narrow and sits between the kids’ bedrooms.  When the shop closed recently I brought home this awesome blue dresser that we used for displays, but I had no idea where I’de put it. I found it at Homegoods two years ago in the sale department and fell in love.  I don’t decorate with blue though, so it wasn’t looking good anywhere I put it.  Then it dawned on me that there were no competing colors up there and I could go blue-crazy in that one spot.  So I did.

  Look at this finish and the old fashioned handle. 
My father would say  “now THAT needs a paint job, you paid MONEY for it? “.

Turquoise urns..
A simple bee valance in ivory.  
Thank you, Hilary.  My new “jeans” fit perfect.

19 thoughts on “Forever in Blue Jeans”

  1. Cute! One of my friend's mother handloomed those blue jeans rugs for years. I am sorry to say that she passed away and no one ever learned how to use her loom. I just gave my last rug to one of my kids-I had them for almost 20 years and they wore like iron. Enjoy yours in your "blue spot" – I can hear your Dad too!>) Hugs- Diana

  3. On a side note…
    Jeans and "T" or Sweat shirt my favorite haberdashery for females. And Bell Bottom Jeans & chambray shirts had a lot to do with me joining the Navy over the Marine Corps.
    Great photos as usual. and please tell me how you got that song to play????

  6. Wondering if you had to put a non-slip thingie under the rug on your wood floors. It's a gorgeous rug!

    Di

  7. That rug is so beautiful! Right up my blue alley. That is very interesting information. I didn't get the deal about the rivets until you informed me.
    Brenda

  11. Jean rugs are beautiful and yours especially so. Before jeans, in England, men wore 'rat catcher' pants; brushed cotton densely woven. Now, the "gentry" wears them and they are wonderful – soft and warm!

  12. Love the rug, but not a real Neil Diamond fan… I would have chosen Cat Stevens "Oh Very Young" which I think of every time I patch my husband's favorite blue jeans…

  13. I would never know what to wear if it weren't for blue jeans! But somehow I have never had a blue theme in my house either…Love the idea of recycling old jeans into rugs!

  14. I love getting new from old… the rug works perfectly there! Who knew that was even possible? Love it.

    I could never have enough pairs of jeans, and sadly, my kids despise them, its sweatpants for them every day.

  15. I've had an enjoyable time catching up on your last few posts Karen. They are all wonderful and the music is great! Love the new rug and dresser, they go so well together. 🙂

  16. You made the perfect little blue spot in your home right there. I had no idea you could make a rug from jeans but, now I want one. Someone made me a baby quilt from jeans once and it was the perfect blanket to take to the beach or the park to put the babies on. Incredibly durable. Aren't jeans just the greatest invention? Where would we be without them? In polyester I suppose. Blahh.

  18. If I'm not wearing jeans, my family always asks me where I'm going. I have asked my husband, should I go before he does, to make jeans the dress code for my funeral. I doubt he will, but it's something that I would look down on and smile at. (I hate getting 'dressed up'. It feels like Halloween to me.)

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