My attempt to sew a denim purse

I don't sew very well. Practically every sewing project I have done has been with my Mom holding my hand every step of the way. But I have been wanting to make a purse out of an old pair of jeans for a loooooooong time. That is the great thing about having a blog. It is motivating me to get some projects done since now I have someone to share them with. Someone besides my husband that is. I am sure he is grateful! :)

So here is not only my attempt to sew this purse, but also to write a tutorial about it, which could be tricky, since I was pretty much making this up as I went! I am sure that if there are any real sewers out there reading this they are cringing at my method, or lack thereof! But it all came together fine in the end and I am happy with the final result!

Remember I showed you this a few days ago...

Well, I got the finishing touches done on it and am now ready to show you how I did it.

I started with an old pair of jeans. These were some of my favorites and I was so sad when they got a big hole in the knee.

First I cut them like this...

Then I cut here...

and here...

I wanted the top of the purse to be the seam that was already in the pants. Less work that way! :)

I did that for both back pockets. Then I cut both of them to size. I cut them to 11" by 9".

Then I cut the sides. Like I did for the front and back, I wanted the hem of the pants to be the hem in my purse. The less sewing the better for me! I cut the sides to 5" by 9.5", allowing for a 1/2 inch seam at the bottom. Since I was just using the hem for my top hem, I didn't need to add anything for that hem.

Then I cut the bottom of the purse from the other leg. I cut that to 12" by 5" allowing for a 1/2 inch seam.

Then I sewed the bottom and the sides together.

I pinned it all together like this.

First I sewed the sides up, then the bottom. I don't have any pictures of this part of the process because I was to busy shaking my fist at my sewing machine. This is where I wished my Mom were here! She knows the tricks to get my old machine running smoothly!

Now for my favorite part of the purse, the strap. I cut the waist off the pants like this.

I cut it in half and sewed it in the middle of the sides of the purse. Then I gave the purse a haircut and cut off all the frayed parts on the exposed hems. Oh, and I also had to put a stitch or two in each of the belt loops since when I cut them off the pants, they got cut to.

To make the purse even cuter, I added a few fabric flowers. I have seen this method of making flowers on a few blogs, but for the life of me couldn't find which ones. I searched and searched and couldn't find the link anywhere. So, if it was you that showed how to make these, (or you know where the link is) let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!

Here is how to make them. Cut the fabric into a circle.

Then you just start gathering the edges into the center like this...

Then put a button in the center to cover it all up. I sewed my button on, but you could probably just hot glue it on.

So cute and so easy! I am definitely going to be making more of these!

And here is the finished product! I love it! I love that there is two pockets on the outside, for my keys and my phone. No more digging around the bottom of my purse for them!

So if you have never sewed before, I promise you can do this! I did! And if I can, you can! And if you are an old pro at sewing, take my idea and make it better!

P.S. Does anyone else get super nervous watching the Olympics? I can't imagine how all their Mom's are feeling right now!

P.S.S It is weird for me to think that the last time the Winter Olympics were on, I was watching them in the hospital after having Isaac. Still can't believe he is four!

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