Firsts on the First - Making a Purse from Jean Legs

This week I broke out the sewing machine, a rare and sometimes frustrating event in this house. The first project on the docket was to cut off and hem some old jeans for my seven year old to wear around the house. With that task accomplished, I was left with six jean legs. Feeling a little brave, I determined to create something with them. 

A tutorial for a Jean Leg Purse looked like the easiest project. Lydia wanted to help me, and wanted to create the purse for her cousin whose birthday is this week. We got to work. 

We started by cutting the leg to the length we thought would work best. Then Lydia cut the seam off of the leg. 

 

Next we sewed the bottom of the purse together. Then we clipped up from the bottom to the seam about every 1/4 inch to create a fringe on the bottom of the purse. A fringe was also created in the same way at the top of the purse. 


From the extra piece of the leg created when we cut the purse to size, we cut nine strips about 3/4 of an inch wide. 

These were sewn together in threes to create three longer strips. The three long strips were then braided together, and attached to the top of the purse to create the purse strap. 


Next came the decorative part. We used a different material to cut out hearts and a monogram. These were then sewn onto the outside of the bag. This was the most difficult part of the project I thought.


And the finished product. The outside pocket was already part of the jeans. I thought it would be a nice place for a cell phone. 

Overall I am happy with the results. I am thrilled that I actually sewed something. I still have five jean legs left. Any ideas?

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