Messenger Bag

Messenger Bag made from the front of a pair of jeans. Roomy pockets to store your keys and cell phone. Extra long strap.

Recycled Denim Bag with Repurpoed Tie Belt

Here are two repurposed/recycled denim bags made from denim blue jeans. These have an added belt using a men's tie. For more information on purchasing this bag or any other bags in the Blue Jane's Collection, please go to www.bluejanes.org

Recycled Denim Tote Bags - Texas Style

These bags were made from recycled Levi western denim jeans and Rocky Mountain jeans. I took these pictures in Texas while visiting there to made them look more authentic. To make the bags, simply cut the inner seam and cut the jeans off at the length you want them. Sew the front seam and then the back seam. Sew across the bottom and add straps of the desired length. These are fun and very sturdy tote bags or purses.

DIY Striped Raggedy Messenger Bag

This messenger bag was made using pieces of denim jeans measuring 6 inches by 10 inches. Three stripes were sewn together with the seams on the right side. The seams were then cut in 1/4 cuts perpendicular to the seam to create the raggedy look when washed. One section of three formed the back. The front of the bag was the next section with the top edge finished with a hem of 1 inch turned over twice. The third section was backed with a plain piece of denim and then sewn on the top of the back section to create the flap of the bag. The front and back sections were sewn together on three sides. The strap was sewn in the seam when the flap was attached to the back section. You can make the strap whatever length you want. The flower was pinned on the front to add a little extra decoration. Enjoy!

Football anyone? See these recycled DIY denim bags!

To make these patchwork bags, cut out 6 inch squares from some of your cast off jeans. Sew them together to create a nine patch side. Be sure to sew the seams facing outside on the right side. Sew a 5/8 inch seam and then make 1/4 inch cuts perpendicular to the seam. Once the bag is washed you get the raggedy effect. Do the same for a second side and then sew the sides together with the wrong sides facing each other and the seams outward. Sew on three sides and then turn over the top edge 1/4 inch twice to get a finished hem. Cut straps 4 inches wide by 28 - 30 inches long. Turn the sides in one inch and then fold over again and sew along the edges. Attach the straps to the bag by stitching a box over the end of the strap and an X in the middle. You can add cotton fabric to the top of one of the jeans squares to make it more personal as I did with the Bears and Packers fabric. These make very sturdy tote bags and you are recycling and upcycling at the same time! As for football, Go Packers!

DIY Denim Covered Notebook

I saw this on Pinterest and decided to make this. Basically I took a three ring binder and some denim blue jeans. I cut a piece of the denim to cover the front cover adding about three inches extra to go around the three edges. I then glued the denim to the front cover using a thick tacky craft glue. I folded over the edges to make a hem and then glued the denim inside the front cover. I used spring type wooden clothes pins to hold the folded denim in place. I did the same for the back cover. For the spine I allowed about a 1/2 to overlap and then cut the waistband of the jeans to the right length and glued the waistband to the spine. I then cut out some embroidered designs from some legs of other jeans along with a pocket to decorate the front. The pictures of the binder are below.

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Recycled DIY Tinkerbell Bags

For those of you who have little girls and love Disney characters or some other popular character, this is a neat gift for them. Take a pair of little girl jeans that have some embellishment on the pockets and also on the legs. The picture features bags that were make out of Tinkerbell jeans. The small bag is made from the leg of the jeans. You cut off the leg allowing a least a couple of inches above the design. Hem the bottom of the jean and finish the top part of the leg by folding over 1/4 inch of the material twice to form a finished hem. Take another length of jean fabric 2 inches wide by however long you want the strap to be. Fold the edges inward once and then again to form a finished edge and sew along that. Attach the strap to the inside of the leg and zig zag over the top to secure it. The larger bag is made by cutting the inside seam of the jeans and then sewing the front seam and then the back seam separately. You then sew the bottom edge of the jeans to make the bag. The straps are a little wider and you cut the width of the strap 4 inches and the length of the strap is whatever you want. A great way to recycle jeans and use those cute jeans that maybe have a hole in the knee. For more bags, check out my website at www.bluejanes.org

DIY Small Denim Bags

After making over 1,000 bags from denim blue jeans and selling them to raise money for Relay for Life and other charities and missions, I am now also making mini bags from the legs of the desinger jeans. There are so many jeans which have embellishment on the legs that I wanted to come up with a way to use those legs of the jeans. I will cut off the leg of the jean and make a hem on the top. I will hem the bottom of the jean either by just stitching the bottom of the jean or turn the leg inside out and making a seam along the bottom edge. You can do either way to have a clean finish. I then cut a long piece 2 inches wide by however long you want the strap to be. I will turn the edges inside to meet in the center and then fold them together to make about a 1/2 inch wide strap. You just sew along the edges to finish the strap. You can then insert the strap about an inch inside the top of the bag and zig zag up and down to secure the strap. You do the same on the other side and you have a completed bags! Below are some examples of the bags I have made. You can find jeans at thrift stores if you like. This is a great way to recyle jeans. I want to encourage you to try this for yourself, but if you do not want to, you can purchase bags from me by checking out my website at www.bluejanes.

org">ww.bluejanes.org to find information about ordering. I usually charge $5 to $12 per bag depending on the design and size. All money from the sales goes to charities listed on the website.

Have fun creating a unique bag for yourself!