Turning Your Old Jeans into a Hip Bag

Posted by Miranda Caroligne Burns on 4th Oct 2014

Turning Your Old Jeans into a Hip Bag

By Miranda Caroligne Burns from Reconstructing Clothes For Dummies

Jeans are so durable, it only makes sense that they would make a great day-bag to throw your stuff in and head off on an adventure. This bag takes your every-day jeans and turns them upside down to make an over-the-shoulder bag with fly access.

This project is easy, requiring no cutting and very little hand or machine sewing. All you do is sew the waist shut, sew the cuffs together, turn it upside-down and there you have it: It's in the bag!

Materials

Jeans with at least a 6-inch zipper/fly

Common pins

Tape measure

Needle (for hand sewing) or sewing machine

Thread that matches the jeans

Scissors

Directions

1. Prep. Wash and dry your jeans according to the label instructions, or gently wash and dry flat if there's no label.

2. Repair. Fix any tears, holes, and stains as needed.

3. Waist pinning. Lay your jeans flat with the front and back parts of the waistband at even heights. Pin the front center to the back center. Place pins diagonally at each corner and perpendicular to the edge every 1 inch.

4. Folding the cuffs. Fold each cuff so that the inseam and outside seam are just approximately centered.

5. Cuff pinning. Place one cuff inside the other, overlapping 2 inches. Arrange the seams just off-center to minimize the thicknesses of denim. Pin into place, with pins placed every 1 inch perpendicular to the cuff edge.

6. Sew, using the method below that matches your sewing method. The instructions depend highly on whether you are hand sewing or machine sewing. An overlock machine is not appropriate for this project.

Sewing by hand: Running stitch along the top edge of the waistband, securing the front and back of the waistband together. At the cuffs, also use a running stitch parallel to the cuff edge to sew the cuffs together.

Sewing by machine: Be sure to use the appropriate needle size and pressure for optimal feeding. Refer to your sewing manual for instructions on sewing multiple thicknesses. Straight stitch along the top edge of the waistband, securing the front and back of the waistband together. At the cuffs, also use a straight stitch parallel to the cuff edge to sew the cuffs together.