Sewing ideas

DENIM BAG

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The project

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The sewing instructions

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Download

Denim bag.pdf
                           

 

Materials:

  • One old pair of jeans (size doesn't matter)
  • One old belt (minimum length 80 cm)
  • 50 cm of printed fabric, 110 cm or 140 cm wide (heavy cotton or fake fur)
  • Assorted thread, pencil, ruler, scissors and pins

 

Instructions:

 

Cutting up the jeans:

 

  1. Cut off the legs of the jeans at crotch level.
  2. Unpick the crotch seam. Your jeans should now look like a mini-skirt, not shorts.
  3. Trim the lower edges to create a nice even line.

 

Cutting the printed fabric:

 

  1. Iron the fabric flat.
  2. Fold in half in parallel with the longer side of the fabric (to avoid creating a seam in the bottom of the bag).
  3. To obtain the desired width of the fabric, measure across the bottom of the cut-off jeans and multiply by 1.5.
    If the bottom of the jeans measures 40cm, for example, the width will be 60 cm.
    Final dimensions of the folded fabric:
    Width: 60 cm
    Height: 25 cm.
  4. Sew up the sides of the fabric by turning it inside-out and then stitching 1.5cm from the edges. Turn the fabric right side out again, and iron the side seams.
  5. Create two straight seams across the top of the fabric, using gathering stitch length 4. The distance between the seams should be about the size of the sewing machine foot, and the first seam should be 1cm from the edge.
  6. Pull both ends of the gathering threads to create the final width desired.

 

Attaching the printed fabric to the jeans:

 

  1. Create a 1 cm hem at the bottom edge of the jeans and iron it firmly to hold it in place.
  2. Pull the printed fabric inside the bottom edge of the jeans - the two should overlap by 1.5 or 2 cm.
  3. Pin the printed fabric to the jeans.
    Note: the side seam on the printed fabric should be aligned with the zip seam on the jeans.
    Once completed, your bag is now held together length-wise.
    You can also use tacking to hold the materials together while sewing.
  4. Slide the bag onto the free arm of the sewing machine and stitch along the upper side, 1 cm from the edge.
  5. The seam should have an oversewn effect, so feel free to use a heavier thread to make it stand out clearly.
  6. Iron and remove the pins.

 

Adding the leather handles

 

  1. Turn the bag around so that the zip seam of the jeans is on the right and the rear seam is on the left.
  2. Cut the handles to length according to your preferences. If you want to create a shoulder bag, you'll need two belts.
  3. Place the handles inside the bag, using the side seams of the jeans to centre them accurately.
  4. Stitch the handles to the waistband on the jeans (top and bottom), making sure they're firmly attached.

 

 

 

Congratulations: your bag is complete!

 

If you're a perfectionist, you can also use a finer fabric of your choice to make a soft lining for your bag. You can also personalize your bag with iron-on transfers.