How to Make a Crossbody Bag Out of Jeans Without Sewing
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
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.
Cut your jeans leg along those lines.
Cut one layer of the denim just below the inside seam of the top of your jeans so you have an open top.
Lay the denim rectangle flat and cut off the inside seam entirely.
Fold in each short side of the rectangle 1.5 centimeters (0.6 inches) and press flat.
2. Add the zipper
Apply fabric glue to one short edge of the denim rectangle.
Lay your zipper on the center of your denim rectangle and fold the glued edge into the fabric edge of the zipper.
Repeat on the other side of the rectangle. Make sure you don’t glue the denim to the zipper teeth.
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
Trim off the excess loop fabric as well as any excess zipper fabric from the sides of the 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!
Press both sides of your bag flat.
Attach a bag handle to your strap loops, using strap, rope or cord and a strap clip.
6. Attach the pocket
Cut a back pocket out of your jeans, leaving a small seam allowance at the top of the pocket.
Fold in the top seam allowance and glue it in place – remember, no sewing is actually required!
Now just glue the pocket to your bag along all edges of the pocket.
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.
Enjoyed the project?
Suggested 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
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so cute! Off to goodwill to get some jeans🌻
I have made a few of these, but I sew. How well does gluing hold up?