This week I have been working on a new recycled idea. A crocheted rag bag using recycled denim. I had a few old denim shirts that I didn’t want to throw away so I decided that I needed to get the ole’ creative juices flowing and use them in a project. It turned out to be a really heavy duty bag. I didn’t trim or fold the strips so that’s why you see the fibers from the material. But I think it turned out cool with the fibers kinda sticking out as they do.
So… this is the result, a recycled denim rag bag!
I used one of the pockets from the shirt to create an inside pocket as shown below.
I hope you enjoy trying this week’s recycling craft idea and as always — here’s the free pattern.
Free Crocheted Recycled Denim Rag Bag Pattern
Bag measures 11 inches wide and 10 inches long.
Material: Two denim shirts cut into 3/4 inch strips (See notes below on different methods.)
For complete pattern click on read more link below.
Craft a recycled denim Christmas stocking this holiday. I used a pant leg of some old jeans and a printed stocking panel to make this unique Christmas stocking. I then topped it off with a crocheted top edge and a jingle bell.
Here is the back of the stocking. I left mine plain but you could add embellishments. Another option is to just make your entire stocking like this one and not use a printed panel as I did on the stocking above. Either way your recycled denim Christmas stocking is sure to be one-of-a-kind!
Below is a mini tutorial showing the steps to make your denim Christmas stocking.
This is my new denim eyelet tote bag. I am so excited about how it turned out. I bought this big piece of denim from a yard sale and set out to make a nice new purse for myself.
It is my first time using eyelets on a tote bag for the handles. In the past I’ve always found it tough sewing the heavy denim handles or straps to the bag. Most of the time your sewing machine doesn’t like sewing through the thick layers of denim so I wanted to try putting in eyelets. They worked out great and I just threaded my denim handle straps through the eyelets and tied a knot at the end to secure each side.
I did take lots of pictures as I created this tote bag and will detail them below for anyone who would like to make their own denim tote bag.
Picture Tutorial for a Denim Eyelet Tote Bag
Materials needed:
One piece of denim 28″ long by 16″ wide
Two denim strips 3″ wide by 38″ long for strap handles
One scrap piece of denim for flap
One piece of lining fabric 28″ long by 16″ wide and extra scrap pieces if pockets are added to lining
One magnetic closure
Thread for denim and lining
Four 7/16″ eyelets
One hammer
Here is my completed recycled denim tote bag with tutorial. I recycled an old pair of my son’s jeans to create this tote bag pattern. I used just one pant leg for the body of the bag and the other pant leg to make the straps. I lined the bag with some thrift store material that I bought for only a dollar. I want to remind readers here that I have stated in the past that I am not a seamstress so if my tutorial isn’t quite right, please be gentle. First and far most I am a recycler who tries to crochet and sew green, eco-friendly products. So with that being said, here’s my step-by-step instructions on how you too can sew a recycled denim tote bag.
First get a pant leg as shown.
All pictures are clickable complete tutorial click on the read more link here […]
I know it may be early to start crafting for Christmas but I just had to share these mini recycled denim Christmas socks that I have been making. I used one of my crocheted small Christmas stockings as a template and traced around the sock to create the shape on a piece of paper. I then used the template to cut out two sock shapes from old denim jeans.
The sock shapes before sewing are about 8 inches long and 3-1/4 inches wide. Just use a stocking shape you like and the size of your sock can be bigger or smaller depending on your preference.
Put the right sides together and machine stitch a narrow seam around the sock. Leave the top edge unsewn as you will fold in the top edge about 2 inches to create a finished edge without having to sew along the top opening. The crocheted top and loop is then added to the top edge of the denim stocking.
Below the denim sock is shown with the narrow hem sewn and before it was turned to the inside.
This month over at the Trash to Treasures group on Ravelry we are having a fabric and clothing scraps challenge. So I broke out some old jeans I have been saving and recycled them into some baby bibs.
The first bib is larger and I used the trimmed side seams from a pair of jeans for the bib ties. This bib is more suitable for an older baby or toddler.
My next bib is smaller and features ribbon for the ties. I thought the ribbon would be gentler for a younger baby’s skin than the denim ties.
Below you will find a picture tutorial showing how I made each of these recycled denim heart bibs.
Got some old jeans? Well how about recycling the hems into some cool coasters. I saw the idea over at Going Green Crafters where they used the hems from old jeans to create denim coasters.
I just love recycling denim and had to try this craft project. I used two inside hems from a pair of old jeans to create my coaster. Trim the edges very close and evenly with a pair of sharp scissors.
Next I spliced my two hem strips together with a thread and needle. Just do a few hidden slip stitches to secure your two denim pieces together. You can click on any of the photos to supersize them.
Using a fabric glue, roll up your denim hem and apply a line of glue along the inside of the strip. Work your way along by tightly rolling up the denim and applying the glue until you get to the end. I added a extra bit of glue at the end and left the coaster to dry for several hours on a flat surface to make sure the coaster would set up nicely.
Here is my finished denim coaster. It measures about 4 inches wide. I left the bottom hem end on it as I thought it added character. You could cut it off or add another hem strip to make your coaster larger as desired. Now I’m ready to go out and enjoy a hot cup of coffee using my new recycled denim coaster.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I have crafted some recycled denim heart purses.
Here are two of my creations.
I want to provide a tutorial on how to make these easy and cute little purses. I have included the following picture tutorial for your use so you too can take those old jeans and turn them into some wonderful re-purposed purses.
Here is my first machine-sewn recycled denim jean bag. I’ve been wanting to get this posted for quite awhile. I’ve been working on sewing denim totes from old jeans that I have. This is my first attempt and please understand that I am not a seamstress. This is truly a work in progress to create a small denim tote bag. I made this using only the pant leg of some old jeans. Then I added the outside pocket which I stitched around through the original pocket stitching to secure it to the tote bag.
I recycled an old curtain and cut it up to make my lining. I added in some pockets from an old denim shirt I had. This picture was taken when I just had the lining pinned in place.
Here is a picture of the handles I made for this bag. After I trimmed the seams, I turned them right side out. I then top-stitched the handles.
click to view larger
Here is a picture on how I attached the handles. I put them inside between the denim and the lining. I then stitched around the top to secure the lining to the bag with the straps in place. Make sure you use a machine needle designed for heavy denim as they work much better and don’t break like regular sewing machine needles do. The finished size of this bag is 7-1/2″ wide x 11″ long with 18″ straps.
click to view larger
I am working on a picture tutorial for a denim tote bag with a zippered lining. It will have step-by-step pictures. Once I have it completed, I will post it here for everyone. Recycling old denim jeans is really a lot of fun and I hope you’ll give it a try!
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