Turn an old pair of jeans into a simple handbag with this sewing tutorial!
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This simple jeans to bag upcycle is easy to make! My 3-year-old daughter came up with this idea after watching me make my denim door draft stopper.
MATERIALS:
What You'll Find on This Page
- cast-off jeans
- scissors
- thread
- sewing machine
STEPS for turning Denim Jeans into a Bag:
1) Cut off part of the pant leg – long enough to create the depth of the handbag you want plus seam allowances on either end. Choose which end of the pant leg to cut depending on how wide you want the finished bag to be.
2) Cut off another strip of pant leg as wide as you want the straps to be, allowing extra seam allowances for hemming/serging raw edges.
3) Cut the seams off of the strip you will be using to create straps, leaving two strap pieces. Trim to the same length (on most pairs of jeans the front leg is wider than the back leg piece.
4) Finish the raw edges of the strap pieces. I just serged mine. You could hem them, or cut two strips for each side and sew those together to hide seams. You could hide seams in the bag itself by cutting out two pant leg sections – ideally one from each pant leg so that they are the same width. This would also make your bag reversible.
5) Sew the wider edge of your pant leg shut, wrong side out. You should now have something that looks like this:
6) Finish the top raw edge of the bag. I serged mine, because that’s the easiest option, but you could also hem it, or sew it to a second, identical piece from the other leg of the pair of jeans. If you choose the second option, attach the handles first.
7) Attach the handles. Pin them in place with the pieces folded like this as it makes the handles much easier to hold:
8) Give the bag to its intended recipient, who will hopefully adore it as much as Emma loves hers!
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MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
Ha ha ha, when you first wrote this I had just made my first jeans purse. I love to repurpose jeans to make bags.
I bet you’ve made some great ones! Do you have photos?
If you are not already, you should really check out the blog Makes and Takes. She is all about repurposing also!
.-= MamaRuck´s last blog ..Snow Day =-.
That is such a cute and stylish bag and I really need a draft catcher. Hmm…I’ll have to look around for some of Brad’s jeans with holes in them.
.-= Katie´s last blog ..Children’s Book Review: Little Skink’s Tail by Janet Halfmann =-.
Ha! My daughter (17) has been making these for a couple years. She’s even sold some to friends. They are so cute!
.-= sheila´s last blog ..I’m Changing My Name =-.
so cute! i remember doing this when i was a little girl
I will have to try this.. Lil Kiwi adores bags and I know she wouls love this one.. Only thing is seeing if my old machine is up to it..
.-= brooke´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday – if mommy had her way =-.
What a great little bag – she looks very happy with it! I sure wish I had a serger!! It’s perfect for quickly finishing those raw edges. I just can’t seem to zig-zag stitch right on the edge of something with my sewing machine (this is my manual’s option to serging, but never really works). You are a very crafty mama, and it sounds like you are raising a crafty little girl too! :)
You’re awesome MaryAnne!! I love this! LOVE your header too!
.-= Susana´s last blog ..Jesse—16 Weeks Old =-.
What a beautiful fashionista! Such natural flair. Love this!
.-= Elisa | blissfulE´s last blog ..homemade bleach wipes =-.
Great idea! Christian would love this… but she would also love to embellish this!
.-= Tracye´s last blog ..What Happens When Your 3 Year Old Disappears With the Cool Whip Bowl and a Spoon =-.
Oh, I’ve been meaning to make a denim purse for AGES. Yours is adorable (and so is the model, of course). :)
.-= lynn´s last blog ..How To Make a "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" Tree in 10 Easy Steps =-.
Love your ideas for used jeans- I have a couple of pairs I’ve been saving for some projects…
Also, thanks for visiting my blog! Makes my day when someone new comes to “visit!”
.-= Wonder Mom´s last blog ..It’s a Snow Day! =-.
super cute. I’ve made a full size bag from the waist area of the jeans, and a smaller bag from my daughter’s infant shorts. But, I’ve never thought of this.
.-= Ticia´s last blog ..Preschool Corner: goals for the new year =-.
A little girl can never have enough handbags ;)
.-= Andrea @ The Train To Crazy´s last blog ..Things strangers do =-.
Very crafty of you. Plus, Emma looks so pleased :-)
.-= Mama King´s last blog ..Colored Ice Cubes =-.
That’s so cute! Emma looks delighted with it.