Blue Jean Leg Purses, Pouches and More

Your old blue jeans too long? Too short? Out of style? It's not over for them yet! Use old denims to make new things that are useful and easy to create. Cut the legs off the jeans - or other pants - and make purses, pouches and all sorts of other carriers. If you sew, that's great, but if you don't you can still make these projects.

Cut a section of a leg off of a pair of jeans and you can make a cute purse. Decide how long you want the purse to be then measure from the ankle, up, and mark that section, straight across. Cut this section of the leg off to make the purse. Look at the material and decide which is wider, the cut area or the ankle. The widest end will become the bottom of the purse. (Purses are best made from jeans that don't have a really narrow ankle.) If the ankle is the widest, simply align the front and the back and stitch straight across. If the cut end is the widest part, fold the edges down an inch, all the way around, then once again. Stitch all the way around.

Use a piece of ribbon, binding or hemmed fabric to make a strap for the purse. Sew or glue one end to each side seam, near the top. Use Velcro, a button or a snap to make a closure. You can make the bottom of the purse look much more attractive by purchasing fringe and sewing it on.

Cut legs off of denims, pajama bottoms or other pants to make all sorts of carriers. What you want to make will decide how much of the leg to cut off. After deciding, and cutting off the section, sew around the top, then stitch the bottom shut. Attach a strap and you've made the carrier.

Cut a long section from a jeans leg that's almost the same size, all the way down, and use it to carry a poster or other rolled paper. Cut a leg from a child's pant leg and make a holder for his artwork. Cut a long piece from a wide pant leg and you can make a pouch for a folding camp chair or even for a telescope.

A couple of things you need to know about making denim purses and pouches: household machines may have a little trouble stitching over the thick side seams and hems of denim jeans. For best results, use a heavy-duty machine, but if you don't have one, use 16 gauge needle. Walk the machine over the thick areas, and if needed, put the needle up and down several times, until it will pass easily through the material. Also, the best pant legs for these projects are ones that aren't made from stretchy fabric. If you're using fabric glue check the label to see how long to allow for drying time before carrying anything in it.