Denim Purse

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Denim Purse

Everything old is new againwhen you use an old pair ofjeans to sew a new DenimPurse!

Use every part of the denimjeans; the waistband becomesa purse strap, belt loopsbecome penholders, and theback pockets are used on theinside and the outside of thepurse. The faded color of thejeans looks great with othershades of denim. And, you canchoose any design tocustomize your purse!

Recycled and roomy, thisdurable denim purse is perfectfor holding all of youressentials!

The completed purse is 13inches wide x 10 1/2 incheshigh. The length of the strapvaries by waist band size.

Suzanne perfected this pursepattern years ago. In fact, thispurse was featured in theStitchers Showcase, and manyfellow embroiderers wrote inasking for instructions. We justhad to ask her for pattern andSuzanne was more than happyto help.

Kenny was able to recreateSuzanne's project for every oneto use.

Suzanne used the Dragonfly (Crystal) designs on the pretty purse pictured in theShowcase. She also loves the look of colorful roses and western designsembroidered on denim. Some of her purses have been embroidered with names,too!

Thanks again for sharing your ideas and instructions, Suzanne!

Supplies needed:

** Old pair of jeans (men's or

Denim Purse

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women's)** 1/2 yard of brown denim** 1/2 yard of dark denim ** 1/2 yard of quilted cotton (forlining)** Cut-away stabilizer** Temporary spray adhesive** Seam ripper** Air-erase pen** Masking tape** Needle and thread for handsewing** Snaps and snap tool(optional)

Designs used:

** Oak Leaf Pennsylvania Dutch Hex - Small; also available in Med, Lrg, and XL** Distelfinks Pennsylvania Dutch Hex - Small; also available in Med, Lrg, and XL

Click here to open a .PDF fileof the purse patterns. Print allthree pages..

Cut out the shapes.

Denim Purse

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Tape the two sections of thepattern for the body of thepurse together following theinstructions on the patternpieces.

The waistband of the jeanswill be used as the strap ofthe purse. Remove thewaistband of the jeans usinga seam ripper. Once the firstfew stitches are removed,the stitching should comeloose pretty easily. Removethe belt loops from thewaistband as well.

If your jeans have a backlabel, carefully remove thestitching from the bottom ofthe label and leave itattached to the waistband.

Remove the back pockets bycutting around them about 1 inch from the pocket edge.

Denim Purse

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Creating the Purse Flap

Split open one of the legs ofthe jeans by cutting along theother seam (keeping thethicker seam intact). Lay theleg flat and align the flat sideof the flap pattern in thecenter of the seam. Trace thetop, curved side, and bottomof the pattern (do not tracethe flat side).

Flip the pattern over andalign the corners of thepattern with the lines that youjust traced.

Cut out the shape. Cut theflap lining from the quiltedcotton by repeating thetracing and cutting processusing the flap pattern.

Denim Purse

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Use the body pattern to cutpiece for the body of thepurse. Repeat the tracingcutting process as you did forthe flap. Cut two pieces fromthe dark denim for the outershell and two pieces form thequilted cotton for the lining.

Embroidering the Flap

Create a paper template of thedesigns by printing them at fullsize with embroidery software.Cut around the templates foreasier positioning. Place thetemplate on the right side ofthe flap with the center about2 1/2 inches from the centerseam and about 4 inches fromthe bottom edge. With an air-erase pen, poke a hole in thecenter of the template andmark the fabric. Also, mark thevertical and horizontal axispoints.

Remove the template anddraw lines connecting thehorizontal and vertical axispoints. These lines will beused for hooping.

Denim Purse

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Spray cutaway stabilizer withtemporary adhesive andsmooth the fabric on thefabric. Hoop the fabric andstabilizer together by aligningthe marks on the hoop withthe lines on the fabric.

Attach the hoop to themachine and load the design.Align the needle right over thecenter point on the fabric andembroider the design.

Embroidering the Body of thePurse

Lay one of the body fabricpieces right side up andposition the template about 31/4 inches from the left edge ofthe fabric about 4 inches fromthe bottom edge. Since we aremarking on dark fabric, we are

Denim Purse

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using strips of masking tapeinstead of an air-erase pen.Lay strips of tape under theaxis lines on the template andmark the center point and theaxis lines as you did before.

Remove the template anddraw lines connecting the axispoints. Hoop the fabric withcutaway stabilizer. Attach thehoop to the machine and loadthe design. Align the needleover the center point on thetape, remove the tape, andembroider the design.

After the designs have beenembroidered, unhoop thefabric and carefully trim awaythe excess stabilizer.

Assembling the Flap

Cut a strip of denim (we usedbrown denim) to 3 inches wideby 35 inches long. Fold thefabric with the long sidestogether and press the fold.

Denim Purse

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Also, fold the ends in 1/4 inch.Sew a 1/4 inch seam alongthe ends and along the openlong side (not the folded side).

Lay the embroidered flappiece right side up. Lay thetrim along the edge of the flapwith the raw sides together(the folded edge of the trimfacing inside). Fold and pleatthe trim 6 inches from the topand in two places every twoinches from the first pleat. Pinin place as you go.

Sew the trim to the flap piecewith a 1/4 inch seam.

Remove the pins but leavethe trim laying flat. Align thequilted cotton flap lining pieceon top of the front flat andtrim with the right sidestogether. Pin in place. Sew a

Denim Purse

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1/2 inch seam along the sidesand bottom, leaving the topedge open.

Turn the flap right side outand press the seams. Topstitch around the sides andbottom of the flap 1/2 inch infrom the seam.

Adding the Outer Pocket

Trim the fabric from the backpockets by cutting around theshape.

Pin on of the pockets to theembroidered front body piece. Keep the edge of the pocketat least 1 inch from the edgeof the fabric. Pin in place andsew the packet in place bysewing around the sides andthe bottom. Then hold the top

Denim Purse

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of the pocket back and sewthe inside top in place. Tackthe corners in place by handsewing a few stitches or witha few drops of fabric glue.

Pin the other pocket in thecenter of the back body pieceand sew it in place.

Making the Handle

Sew a seam to close to theopen edge of the waistband.Fold the back label over andsew it in place as well.

Creating Penholders

Lay one of the quilted cottonlining pieces flat. Pin a beltloop 3 1/4 inches from the topedge and about 1 1/2 inchesfrom the outer edge, pin inplace. Align another loop 3

Denim Purse

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inches underneath the firstloop and pin in place.

Sew a few stitches in thecenter of the belt loops. Thenpush the ends in slightly andstitch the ends in place.

Assembling the Purse

Lay the back body piece withthe right side up. Align the topedge of the flap with the topedge of the back body piece,right sides together. Pin inplace and sew a 1/4 inchseam along the top edge only.

Lay the assembled piece withthe flap and back body piecefacing up. Align theembroidered front body piecewith the back body piece.Also, tuck the ends of thestrap in between the topcorners of the body pieces

Denim Purse

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and pin everything in place.

Sew a 1/2 inch seam alongthe sides and bottom of thebody pieces.

Align the lining pieces rightsides together (pen holderloops facing inside). Pin inplace and sew a 1/2 inchseam along the sides againleaving about 6 inches openalong the bottom. Leave thetop edge open as well.

Insert the outer shell portioninside the lining portion withall right sides together. Tuckthe flap and the strap inbetween the right sides of theportions. Align the raw topedges of the portions togetherin place. Sew a 1/2 inch seamaround the entire top edge.Pull the outer shell portionthrough the opening in thebottom of the lining. Top stitcha 1/8 inch seam around thetop edge of the opening andalong the back around wherethe flap connects to the backof the purse.

Optional:

Add a snap to the bottom ofthe trim and 1 1/2 inches fromthe bottom edge of the purse.

Finish the purse by first hand

Denim Purse

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sewing the opening of thelining closed and then theopening of the outer shell.

Delightful denim, recycledand ready to go!

Click here for a printableversion of these projectinstructions.

You'll need to have AdobeAcrobat Reader installed onyour computer. If you don'thave it, you can download afree copy by clicking on theicon below.