Weekly Project: Blue Jean Purse

Well, our great apron swap is well underway.  We will do a little reminder this week, and then pick the names.  I have been meaning to post this current project for several days, but it has been pretty busy around here, so I am finally getting to it.

Do your remember the blue jean purses we used to make when we were in highs school?  I remember making them back in the late 70's.  Old jeans are fun to use to make a lot of different things.  Quite a few years ago, I made a couple blue jean quilts for Nathan and Luke which I think they still have to this day.  I have seen a few of them that other ladies have done over the years, and I always liked them.

I had fun playing around with some ideas for this project, and may post a few more in the next few weeks. This purse aggravated me somewhat, because the idea I had in my head didn't come together too smoothly in my attempts to put it together.  I'm lucky I got any pictures out of the project, because I almost threw the towel in on it, but it turned out ok, so I posted the final pictures.  Perhaps it will inspire some ideas for you  or your teenage girls.

Have Fun,

Pam

Find an old pair of jeans and cut the legs off

Open up the sides both inside and outside.  Create a patch that will helps bring the legs together in front and in back, (sorry that I forgot to photograph that part).  This way you will have filled in the gap that the pant legs created. With skirt material (shown below) cut out and sew in 2 inch strips and sew them into the open sides of the purse, creating a little variation of color and design. With extra jean material, add any kind of pockets that you would like.  I made one big front pocket, with a little one on top of that for a cell phone. Be sure that you do any pocket sewing before sewing your purse together at the bottom, because it is much easier to sew them on before it is sewn together.

Finally, turn purse inside out and sew up the bottom, and turn right side out.

For the straps, I used a couple of belts that I got at the dollar store, and sewed on the front as seen, and the other one  on the back.

I found a cute old skirt, and cut it the same length as the purse.

I used the extra material to sew pieces of it into the sides, and create pocket flaps.

Then with right sides together, I sewed bottom of skirt together, and placed skirt wrong side out into the purse, sewing it in as a liner for the purse.

 Using the skirt material, make flaps for the pockets, one or two rosettes for embellishments (fold over a strip of material, and roll it into a rose, and sew the bottom to hold it).

Embellish with beads and buttons.  I used an old pin and glued it on. I used my skirt material and sewed a little belt to go through the belt loops.