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 #2- Painters Jeans Cuff Tutorial

Front of Cuff

Old Jeans + A New Challenge= A Fabulous Denim Cuff. Why old painting jeans? First, I love the feel of denim, but ESPECIALLY worn in denim. I also love the way the paint splatters or gets wiped onto the jeans, and thirdly, I just really really love that distressed faded look that a really worn pair of jeans gets. And because I'm a bit short, the bottoms of the pant legs get very very tattered looking from scraping the cement whenever I walk which really adds to that worn in look. :)

The Challenge part of the equation is to upcycle an old pair of painting jeans. Yesterday, I showed you the how-to for the head scarf I made and today I've got this cuff. As part of the challenge I've been limiting myself to just a few materials, as I attempt to reuse as much of the original jeans as possible. So far I've got the head scarf, this cuff, a necklace, a cute little ring, and a bag in the works. I hope you enjoy!!
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Back of Cuff

Painters Jeans Denim Cuff Tutorial
Tools and Materials
Old pair of worn out painting jeans- preferably boot cut
embroidery floss in both light blue and denim
old shell button
scissors
needle

Step One: From the bottom of one of your pant's legs cut a strip that is approx.
8 inches in length and about 3 inches in height. (You might need a bit more if your wrist is a little large. A tip would be to wrap the fabric around your wrist before you cut it to length. Then make sure to tack on an extra inch so that you can fold under a half inch on either end.)

Step Two: From the inseam of your jeans cut a strip along the seam that is approx. the same length as the fabric in step one (approx. 8"). Cut close to the seam on one side but leave about a 1/2 inch fabric allowance on the other side of the strip. If desired feel free to fray this edge by pulling some of the threads out.

Step Three: Using the light blue floss stitch the small strip from step two to the raw edge of the larger strip from step one. Using a "x" stitch, stitch along the bottom edge of the top strip, overlapping the raw edge and the fabric beneath with your stitches (as shown in photo for Step Four) .

Step Four: At the right side of the cuff bend under about a 1/2 inch of the raw edge and stitch down for a nice edge finish. I used a straight stitch with my dark blue embroidery floss.

Step Five: Cut the button from the front fly of your jeans. Rather then cut out just the button, I cut a 1"x 1" square around the button. Then using the dark blue embroidery floss straight stitch this to the left edge of your cuff.

Step Six: Next cut a strip of fabric from your original jeans that is about 3/4" wide and about 3 1/2 inches in length. Fold fabric in half width wise and place it around the button you just stitched on, then pull around the other end of the cuff and decide how much of the loop you need to get the right fit around your wrist. Next cut the strip making sure to leave at least an extra 3/4" at each end to stitch to the right edge of your cuff. Now that you've sized it, fold it in half width wise (wrong sides together) once again and using your dark blue floss stitch the two raw edges together as shown.

Step Seven: Bend the stitched loop in half and place behind right edge of cuff. Stitch securely into place. Tip: I'd double check the placement of the loop at this point by once again wrapping it around the button and then holding it around my wrist, then I'd double check how much of the loop needs to protrude from the edge. My loop sticks out about 3/4" from the right edge.

Step Eight: The cuff looks great as is, but if you'd like you could add a flower to the center front of your cuff using scraps from the jeans. I free cut three sizes of flower heads, each progressively smaller then the first. The largest is approx. 2" in diameter and is an 8 petaled flower, the second has four petals and is about 1 3/4" in diameter, and the smallest also has four petals and is about 1 1/2" in diameter. For interest I slipped over the middle flower so that the wrong side of the fabric is showing. Then cut a small circle for the center of your bloom that is slightly larger then the button you selected.

Step Nine: Stack your blooms and button as desired, then using your embroidery floss, stitch through the center of the layers, up and through the button, and back down again. Repeat a couple of times. Knot securely on back side of bloom. I left about 3" of extra floss dangling from the back after I knotted and then used that floss to stitch the flower to the center of the cuff. Knot securely and you're DONE!!!

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There you Go! From pant leg to wrist, making a huge style statement in the process. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and I hope you give it a try with a pair of your own worn jeans. Make sure you don't throw away any excess fabric though because next I've got the cutest necklace and ring to share with you. Love to see you come back for that! :)