Friday, August 1, 2008

Ripped jeans to cute purse in one evening

So, my favorite jeans were finally unfit to wear in public anymore. The lower legs were still in really good shape, so I decided to utilize my pathetic sewing skills to make something out of them. I also had some scraps of pink lace, table covering from our Prevention Project 80's night. I decided to make a little clutch purse out of them.

I bought a zipper the same color as the lace, and matching thread. I cut a leg off at about the knee, and sliced it along one seam and trimmed off the bottom hem. I saved that to create a strap. I cut a piece of lace about a half inch larger than the denim on each side, lined it up over the outside of the jean and then folded it inside-out. I hand sewed both sides with a running stitch, then doubled back to make sure that it was strong. I then turned it right side out to reveal a rectangular bag. I then create a gusset by turning the corners up about an inch and tacking them into place. This helps the bag to stand up and to retain its shape once I cram all my stuff in it. I folded the excess lace over each side of the top and sewed that down.

Next came the really tricky part--the zipper. I used fabric glue to stick it onto the first side. Once that dried, I sewed over it with a running stitch. I then glued the other side in, carefully lining it up. That dried and I sewed that too. (Note: The zipper was originally too long for my project. I followed the package directions to shorten it).

The strap was made by fashioning the jeans hem into a loop and sewing it in. It seemed a little weak, so I added some glue to strengthen it. I then cut the button off the jeans and sewed it to the outside of the bag for decoration.

I love how it turned out. It is so roomy for its size and very cute. I am now using the other leg of the jeans to create a bigger bag--and using the back pockets and the change pocket as inside pockets for the inside of the bag. If it turns out well, I will let you know!

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