How to Make a Crossbody Bag Out of Jeans Without Sewing

Nina's Ideas
by Nina's Ideas
7 Materials
$5
1 Hour
Medium

This is one of the most functional ways of repurposing some old jeans you will ever see! Instead of stuffing your phone and accessories into a jeans pocket, turn the pocket into something way better.


Follow along with this DIY crossbody bag tutorial to learn how to make a crossbody bag from your old denim jeans. Style and function come together in this easy DIY project and the best part is that there is no sewing required!

Tools and materials:

  • 6” zipper (or length of your choice)
  • Old denim jeans
  • Strap braid, tape, or cord for handle loops
  • Strap, rope, or cord for your handle
  • Fabric glue and glue gun
  • Scissors
  • Clothes iron
Placing the zipper on the jeans

1. Cut your jeans

Lay your jeans flat on a work surface. Cut off the hem and the end of your jeans if they are tapered at the bottom. 


On the straight leg of your jeans, lay your zipper along the inside seam and mark lines across the leg of your jeans at both ends of the zipper.

Cutting the legs of the jeans

Cut your jeans leg along those lines.

Cutting the denim below the seam

Cut one layer of the denim just below the inside seam of the top of your jeans so you have an open top. 

Cutting off the inside seam

Lay the denim rectangle flat and cut off the inside seam entirely.

Folding and pressing the edges

Fold in each short side of the rectangle 1.5 centimeters (0.6 inches) and press flat.

Applying fabric glue to the short edge

2. Add the zipper

Apply fabric glue to one short edge of the denim rectangle. 

Laying the zipper on the glued edge

Lay your zipper on the center of your denim rectangle and fold the glued edge into the fabric edge of the zipper.

Gluing the denim to the zipper

Repeat on the other side of the rectangle. Make sure you don’t glue the denim to the zipper teeth.

Easy DIY crossbody bag tutorial

Lay your bag out so the zipper is on the front about a half-inch below the top of the bag and test the zipper to make sure it’s not glued shut anywhere.

Trimming the excess denim fabric

Now turn your bag inside out and trim any excess denim fabric from each long edge of the zipper. Be careful to do this trimming one layer at a time so you don’t accidentally cut the whole zipper off the bag!

Making handles for the crossbody bag

3. Add handle loops

Cut two approximately 4-inch-long pieces from your strap braid, tape or cord and fold each strip in half.


Apply glue across the middle of one half of the strip, and then fold down the strip to secure the other half to the glue. Repeat with the other strip

DIY crossbody bag tutorial

With your crossbody bag inside out, insert the glued end of the loops between the two layers of fabric just below the zipper. Angle the loops slightly downward.

Gluing the sides of your crossbody bag

4. Glue the sides of your crossbody bag

With the bag still inside out, apply glue to the open side edges on the right sides of the bag and glue both sides closed. Include the handle loops when you glue but be careful not to catch the zipper.

Trimming the excess loop fabric

Trim off the excess loop fabric as well as any excess zipper fabric from the sides of the bag.

Making a DIY crossbody bag

5. Add the handle

Now turn your crossbody bag right side out and you can see how the strap loops are going to work!

Pressing the sides of the bag flat

Press both sides of your bag flat.

Attaching the bag handle to the strap loops

Attach a bag handle to your strap loops, using strap, rope or cord and a strap clip.

Attaching a pocket to the jeans

6. Attach the pocket

Cut a back pocket out of your jeans, leaving a small seam allowance at the top of the pocket.

Gluing the top seam allowance in place

Fold in the top seam allowance and glue it in place – remember, no sewing is actually required!

Gluing the pocket onto the bag

Now just glue the pocket to your bag along all edges of the pocket.

How to make a crossbody bag

How to make a crossbody bag tutorial

Think about how useful this little DIY crossbody denim bag is going to be. You can definitely get more than one bag out of a single pair of old jeans, so make one for yourself and one for a friend. Or make two for yourself in different sizes.


Leave a comment to let me know how your crossbody bag worked out.

Suggested materials:
  • 6” zipper (or length of your choice)
  • Old denim jeans
  • Strap braid, tape, or cord for handle loops
See all materials

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Comments
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 2 comments
  • Mindy Mindy on Mar 09, 2022

    so cute! Off to goodwill to get some jeans🌻

  • Trudi Trudi on Mar 10, 2022

    I have made a few of these, but I sew. How well does gluing hold up?

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