Simple Jeanius #5- " Waist not... Pocket Purse"

Back again today with the fifth tutorial in this upcycle your old jeans challenge. Who would've believed so much blog material could be found in a single pair of old jeans. :) So far I've got a cute little headscarf, a funky fabric cuff, a super cute little denim ring, a chunky yet comfy necklace and now this... a little pocket purse. The jeans into a purse concept is something I've seen before so I actually wasn't going to do it unless I felt I could put my own spin onto it. I think I've done that with this little purse. First, it's smaller then the other purses I've seen, as it uses only the right back side of the jeans. Second, I cut off the waist band to reuse it as the purse strap. Again, because of the parameters of the challenge I set myself, I've tried to stick to only using what I could find on that one pair of jeans. The jeans by the way are getting pretty bedraggled. I thought I'd show you what they look like now. Still there's some good material there yet so I'll have to start thinking up my next couple of projects. But for now, I give you.....

All that's left of the original pants :)

The "Waist not... Pocket Purse"
Tools and Materials
Pair of old jeans (specifically back pocket with leg fabric, and waist band)
2" x 2" square of fabric with brass button attached (preferably from waist)
Embroidery floss in dark blue
Needle
Scissors

Optional:
Red Staz-on ink
Stamp

Step One: Cut off the waste band of your jeans and then cut off the belt loops. Set aside. Then, cut a rectangle that's approx. 8 1/2"wide x 12" long. Fabric piece should include the right back jeans pocket and back fabric of leg. (In the pic above you can see the left back pocket with leg fabric attached. I already used the right for this project when the pic was taken.) You will need to trim the fabric into a more regular rectangle shape. Fold the fabric in half length wise and then using an iron, press a seam all around the edge of the fabric.

Step Two: Then, cut a second piece of fabric that is approx. the same width but only 8" in length. Position fabric, facing up, inside purse as backing as shown. Fold over seam at top back of bag and slide fabric beneath. Using needle and thread stitch through fabric tacking edge down.

Step Three: Using a needle threaded with embroidery floss, back stitch the left and right edges of the purse shut. Beginning at the top of each side.

Step Four: Place the end of the waist band that does not have the button hole beneath the top fabric on the far right side of the purse and stitch to top fabric.

Step Five: Place the fabric square that has the button still attached on the far left side of the front of the purse and stitch around edge to secure. Then slip buttonhole end of the waist band over the button to secure strap.




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Optional: I added decoration to my purse in two ways. First, I stamped the fabric with Staz-on ink and one of my hand cut stamps before I began the purse. Second, I added little jean rosettes and stitched leaves to the right side of the purse. Again, these two steps are purely optional, I just thought they'd be fun to try and might look cute. Feel free to add embroidery, or other stamped images or to applique to your purse. Just have fun!!!

Simple Jeanius #3- Denim Delight Necklace Tutorial

Everything goes with jeans, right? This denim necklace takes that a step further as not only does it go with anything but it really makes the outfit as well. Simple, artsy, and comfortable it really is a delight to wear. I love how it looks paired with my new denim cuff and a sweater vest. Again, super simple to make, I used only some embroidery floss and strips cut from my painter's jeans. After this project which uses much of the pant legs, I have to admit the jeans have started to look pretty worked over. Still, I've the fabric from one more pant leg, a couple of pockets, and a waste band left to play with, and this is where the challenge starts to get really interesting. :) Tomorrow- the cutest little denim ring EVER. Of course it's the only denim ring I've ever seen so I have to admit the competition isn't that stiff. Still- I'm sticking with it, because it is seriously the cutest denim ring EVER!

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Denim Delight Necklace Tutorial
Tools and Materials
Old pair of paint splattered and worn out jeans (boot cut)
2 skeins Embroidery floss in dark and light blues
Needle
Scissors

Step One: Cut along the inseam of one of the pant leg you should have left yet after the other tutorials. Cut as long as a strip as you can and trim as close to the seam as possible. Then cut this strip into pieces approx. 4 inches in length. I cut 10 strips to create the rings for my chain.

Step Two: Create a ring form from the strips by overlapping the ends just slightly and then stitching it closed with your dark blue embroidery floss by first piercing and then stitching around the edges of the two pieces. Once securely joined, set aside and repeat with all your loops.

Step Three: Next, from the front or back fabric of the jeans cut several strips approx. 3/4inch in width and as long as you can. Cut these strips down into pieces that are approx. 4 inches long. Make 12-14 of these. I made more of these then I did the strips that were cut from the inseam because I ran out of inseam. To make the necklace the length I wanted I stopped alternating the two different rings and added extra of these plain fabric strips from step three. The finished length of the necklace is up to you- mine is 34" in length.

Step Four: Knot the end of a piece of the light blue floss and starting at one end of a strip, straight stitch up the middle until you reach the end. Leave about 2-3 inches excess floss hanging. Repeat with all your fabric strips.

Step Five: Now you're ready to begin building your chain. To do this, pick up one of the fabric strips and thread two of the closed denim loops onto it. Then wrap up end up and around and use the excess floss stitch close your strip to form a ring as you did in step two with the inseam pieces. Repeat this step until you've run out of rings or strips, or until the necklace is the length you desire.

Step Six: For a closure you have a couple of options, you can simply connect the two ends to create a closed chain or you can use something else to join them, like a strip of ribbon. Because of the parameters I set originally for the challenge I decided to join the two ends with another strip of jean fabric.
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Tied together with this cute little bow it really does make a "oh so casually cool" sort of statement. Have you tried making fabric jewelry yet? It's so very very much fun and I hope I've inspired you with this little series of tutorials to look at your old jeans in a new light. Have a happy creating day and thanks for your time! :)