How to Make a Purse Out of Jeans in 4 Super Cute and Easy Ways

Nina's Ideas
by Nina's Ideas
13 Materials
$5
15 Minutes
Easy

Here, I’m going to show you how to make a purse out of jeans - four purses to be exact!


We will be cutting up a pair of old jeans and repurposing the denim to make for DIY jean purses. Let's get started.

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Tools and materials: 

  • Old jeans
  • Tailor’s chalk
  • Scissors
  • Glue gun
  • Iron
  • Bag handles
  • Velcro
  • Beads
  • Fringe trim
  • Metal loops
  • Magnetic bag clasp
  • Decoration
  • Pins
Marking jeans

Beaded denim purse


1. Mark and cut the jeans

Mark 30cm (11.8 inches) in from the bottom on one of the legs. Draw this 30cm line across the width of the jeans and cut it out.

Gluing open side closed

2. Glue closed

Glue or sew the open side that you just cut closed. Then iron the denim flat.

Folding the fabric

3. Fold the jeans

Fold the jeans 5cm (2 inches) over from the top and iron the fold flat.

Attaching a handle

4. Attach a bag handle

Get a bag handle, this could be a strap, rope or a cord and glue either end inside the bag.

Attaching velcro

5. Attach velcro

Glue two pieces of velcro inside the bag.

Attaching the pocket

6. Attach pocket

Cut off the back pocket from the jeans and glue this to your bag. 

Adding beads

7. Attach beads

If you would like, you can glue or sew beads to the other side of the bag to decorate it.

DIY beaded denim purse

And the bag is complete. I added a fun keyring on one of the straps and the denim pocket adds extra storage space.


Gold tassel denim purse

Gluing fabric

1. Cut and glue the jeans

Cut a section of the jeans that is 30cm (11.8 inches) long.


Once done, turn the strip of denim inside out. Glue or sew one of the open sides closed. Then turn the denim right side out.

Gluing fabric

2. Fold and glue

Fold the top over by 5cm (2 inches) and iron this flat. Proceed to glue the fold down.

Belt loops attached to DIY denim purse

3. Attach belt loops

Cut two belt loops off of the jeans. Fold them in half and glue just the ends closed.


Then place these two belt loops inside the bag on either side as shown.

Adding gold fringe

4. Attach some fringe

Glue some fringe trim underneath the folded part all the way around.

Adding beads

5. Attach beads

Arrange some beads in a pattern and glue or sew them onto the bag.

Attaching a handle

6. Attach handle

Take a bag handle that has clips and clip it onto the loops.

Attaching velcro

7. Attach velcro

Stick velcro inside the bag.

DIY gold tassel denim purse

Here is the finished bag. I love all of the beautiful decorations.


Rosette denim purse

Measuring the jeans

1. Cut the jeans

Measure 44cm (17.3 inches) from the bottom of the jeans and cut this section off. 

Gluing end closed

2. Glue the end closed

Turn the denim inside out and glue or sew shut the open side that you just cut.


Use a pair of scissors to help you point the corners out. When done, fold the denim into thirds and iron it all flat.

Gluing the inside

3. Glue the inside

Place glue inside the denim to stick it all closed. You may need to do this in stages, gluing a third at a time.


Once done, fold it and iron it all flat again.

Metal loops attached to denim purse

4. Attach metal loops

Fold the purse into thirds and attach metal loops and material ⅔ of the way in as shown.

Gluing the sides of DIY denim purse

5. Glue closed

Glue along the sides of ⅔ of the purse.

Attaching clasp

6. Attach clasp

Take a magnetic bag clasp or velcro and attach it at the top of the bag.

Attaching handle

7. Attach bag handle

Attach a bag handle to the metal loops.

Attaching pocket

8. Attach pocket

Remove the other pocket from the jeans and stick that to the back of the bag.

Attaching rosette decoration

9. Add decoration

Stick a decoration to the front of the bag.

DIY rosette denim purse

Here is the completed bag. Functional on one side…

DIY rosette denim purse

… and decorative on the other. Not to mention that you can put things inside as well.


Jean pocket denim purse

Cutting jeans

1. Cut the jeans

Cut off a section from the jeans (including the fold).

Cutting jeans

2. Cut off the front pocket

Cut off the front pocket section including the top of the jeans and pin this to the top layer of the other piece of denim that you cut.

Joining the pieces

3. Join the two pieces

Sew the bottom and the two sides of the pocket piece to the top layer of the other piece.

Cutting jeans

4. Cut two band pieces

Cut off the top band from the jeans as well as a bit of material underneath it.


Then, cut it again to get two pieces that are the same sizes as the short sides of the piece you’re working with.

Where to sew

5. Sew to the bag

Open up your denim and place the bands face down on either side as shown. Then sew them down with a zigzag stitch.

Adding a handle

6. Sew a handle and the sides

Pin the two layers together to prevent them from sliding and insert a bag handle at the top between the layers.


Pin that in place too. Then sew the two long sides and trim any loose threads.

Completed jean pocket denim purse

And here we have the finished bag - it is simple and trendy.


How to make a purse out of jeans: 4 ways

We have made four cute denim bags from one pair of old jeans. These are great ways to upcycle your old denim.


Let me know which one you like best in the comments below. If you’ve enjoyed this tutorial, check out this Easy DIY Belt Bag.

Suggested materials:
  • Old jeans
  • Tailor’s chalk
  • Scissors
See all materials

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Comments
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2 of 3 comments
  • Denise Denise on Oct 21, 2023

    Wonderful job!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Thank you!!

  • Violet Violet on Oct 21, 2023

    They were beautiful but hard to follow some of the directions. Especially the last two. I'm not a big sewer and that may have made the difference. I did like the looks and if I had someone to go step by step with me, who knows, I might try

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