Check Out This Upcycled Denim Mini Bag

Tools and materials:

• Jeans
• Lining fabric
• Interfacing
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Paper
• Scissors
• Tape
• Pins
• Needle and thread
• Sewing machine

To get started on this amazing denim bag, I started by drawing a rectangle shape on a piece of paper that was 10-inches by 7-inches. I added a curve to one end which would be the shape of my new bag. I also drew a line down the center of my rectangle. 

Once I had drawn my rectangle, I folded it in half and started to cut out the shape for my amazing new bag. 

With my shape cut out, I marked on the paper where exactly I wanted the fold of the bag to be. You can make these markings according to your preference. 

Next, I cut along these markings leaving a small hinge at the top of the paper to hold all the pieces in place. 

I fanned out the pieces so that they had a gap of 1.5 inches in between them. I then stuck them down to a piece of paper using tape. I made sure to add 3-inches to the top before I cut out the pattern. 

I had my pattern ready and I traced it onto the pair of jeans. 

I then cut along the traced lines to get the front and back piece for my awesome, new denim handbag. 

For the bottom piece, I cut a small rectangle of denim 4-inches by 6-inches. 

Once I had all the pieces ready, I marked the length of my new DIY bag on the denim. 

Next, I measured the length of the curve of my bag, using a measuring tape. 

Using the above measurements, I marked and cut out the side pieces for my bag. 

I placed this new piece over the fabric and cut out the shape for the handle which ends where the center marking on the side piece is. 

I placed the two pieces, right sides together, and then sewed them together. Once I had sewed, I turned the piece right side out making an amazing strap. 

To make the denim a bit stiffer, I cut out interfacing for all of the pieces and then pressed it on with an iron. This helped make the bag more durable and definitely helped the fabric sit better. 

Once all my denim pieces had interfacing, I marked the folds on my back and front pieces. I pinned the folds in place so that I could make the pleats. I absolutely love this detail of the bag. I hopped on over to my sewing machine and sewed along the back of the folds. 

I folded the fabric to the length of my handbag and sewed the fold in place. 

It was finally time to start putting this bag together! I pinned the front piece to the bottom and side pieces, right sides together. 

I headed over to my sewing machine and sewed the two pieces together along the edge. I just loved seeing this handbag come together! 

I pinned on the back piece of fabric and like I had done before, sewed it on along the edges. 

Once that was done, I turned the bag right side out to make sure that the bag was looking good and just as I had imagined it. 

To give this bag a gorgeous finish I knew I needed to add a lining to the bag. I used a scrap piece of fabric and cut it flat. 

I cut the shape of my front and back pieces and also made sure to cut a long 4-inch wide strip of the scrap fabric. 

I sewed the lining pieces together. I then turned my bag inside out and pulled the lining piece over the interfacing. Although I used scrap fabric, I totally love this lining with the denim. I had removed the straps of the bag to make them a little shorter but you can do this step with the straps intact. 

Once the lining was in place, I hand sewed it on. I left the two sides open so that I could reattach my sleeves later. 

I had shortened my sleeves and to reattach them, I slipped them in between the lining and the denim and sewed them in place with a straight stitch. I couldn’t wait to see the end result. 

I then decided to add ties onto the bag so that I could close it. You can add a zipper instead if you prefer. I took two small strips of the scrap fabric and folded them to create a small tie. I then hand sewed a tie onto each side of the bag opening. 

I am totally obsessed with this upcycled mini denim bag! What details would you add to this bag? Let me know in the comments below!