Thrifty Tips

Inexpensive gift ideas

Last week I shared with you how to make a "Birthday cake box" that can be changed according to the occasion. When I gave my 6 year old niece the "birthday cake box" I put this cute little denim purse that I made inside it! She loved it. I used a pair of blue jeans that my daughter outgrew, and a sewing machine. You could also use adult jeans for a larger purse. If you don't own a sewing machine, you could use needle & thread-but this will take a lot longer. Another option is to use tacky, or fabric glue if you don't sew at all!

Here are some easy step by step direction on how to make this purse:

1. Start by laying a pair of blue jeans on the table. Make sure the zipper is up and there are no wrinkles in the denim. Cut across the jeans, just below the back pockets, staying under the zipper, and making sure to cut the crotch seam completely out. You don’t have to cut straight across; you can cut the purse rounded at the bottom, if you want.

2. Next, Turn the jeans inside-out and stitch across the bottom. Take the time to make a double stitch seam, as was previously in the crotch seam. If you don’t have a machine you can also use fabric glue to hold the seam together. Denim is very thick so use an abundant amount of the clear-drying glue. Read the label to make sure the glue is washable.

3. Then you'll need to go back to the leg pieces that you cut off. Cut a strip at least 2 inches wide down the length of the leg to make the strap. The outside of the leg is usually a little bit straighter. Cut the strip to the length you want, so that the purse will hang where you want it to. Leave the strip a bit wider than you want, so that there will be a seam allowance for the next step.

4.Fold the strip in half, and use your iron if needed to make it flat, and pin it if it will help to keep the two halves together.

5. Sew it closed along one side, trying to keep the seam as straight as possible and parallel to the seam you already have. Or you could use fabric glue for this step as well.

6. Sew the strip to the inside of the purse, near where the hips should be. Sew a sturdy joint at this point, since it will be holding up all the weight in the purse. A square or criss-cross pattern will help keep the sides from flopping.

Voila! You're finished!

Tip:

*You could use a scarf, or belt for the strap instead of making one. You could also use your creativity to decorate the purse anyway that you'd like!

I tried my best to explain how to make this, and I hope that you enjoy making this as much as I did!