Recycling Jeans

Denim Stand-up Bag

If you are like me, you probably have a pile of worn-out or out-grown jeans waiting to be recycled. Denim jeans are a great source of free fabric and are good for a variety of projects.

This project uses one leg of a pair of jeans.

Cut the raggedy edge off the bottom


Measure 12-18 inches up from the bottom of the leg. My example is 12"


Mark with a marker and cut.


You will now have a "tube" . Set on top of a flat piece of denim fabric from the jeans you are using. Using a marker, mark around the fabric the tube is on, about 1/2" out from the edge of the tube.

Now your fabric will be marked like the picture below. If you look closely, you can see my black marker dots marking the fabric. My bag bottom is oval, but you can also set the tube in a more circular shape and make it round
.

Cut it out.

Pin to the bottom of the tube, right sides together and stitch, using a 1/2" seam.

Fold top down, toward the wrong side, about 1/2" to 1" .

Stitch close to raw edge, leaving an opening for the drawstring.

Now your bag looks like this:

Cut a piece of string or cording about 1 yard long. Pin a safety pin to one end to make it easier to thread through the casing

Knot the ends of the cord to keep it from
fraying.

Decorate with buttons, ribbons, or other decorations.

Now you have a bag for lunch, toys, gifts, or anything else you can think of,

and best of all it is fast (less than 30 minutes) and free!