My Little DIY Coaster and Hot Plate made from Denim Hems

Now that Labor Day is behind us, it's time to start thinking about fuzzy sweaters, cozy fires and warm casseroles.  Right? Well, I'm definitely not there yet.  But I did make a pretty nifty hot plate for all of those casseroles that are sure to grace the dinner table sooner or later.  I made this one out of the hems of blue jeans:

Of course the idea came to me while I was making a coaster in the same fashion for all of the tall, icy glasses of sweet tea yet to be had during these final days of summer.  Have you seen these floating around the web?  I love them and figured I needed to give them a whirl.

Of course, there is a video...a two-for-one deal as both tutorials are rolled into one video.  You can see that video here. If you'd rather save a click, here are the instructions (lots more detail, tips and tricks in the video):

1. Remove all the double stitched seams from a pair of jeans.  The coaster above used two pant leg seams and one from the seat of the jeans.
2. Spreading a bead of E-6000 along the inside of the seam start coiling the seam around and around. Add as many seams as you need to achieve the desired size.
3. When you get to the end, clamp the end with a binder clip to keep the coil end in place while the glue dries - give it about an hour or two.
4. Remove the binder clip and you have a completed coaster. And now for the hot plate...

5. Continue making coils of different sizes.
6. Arrange your circles on a piece of denim from the blue jean leg.
7. Glue (with E-600 - do NOT use hot glue for your hot plate) the circles to the piece of denim and to all adjacent coils...be liberal with the glue.
8. Let dry for 24-48 hours.
9. Serve a casserole on your fabulously upcycled hot plate.

Easy, right?  And what a great way to use all the pieces of a pair of blue jeans so that nothing goes to waste!