upcycled denim tote

8/12/2019 Upcycled Denim Tote

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Upcycled Denim Tote

Upcycled Denim Tote

We were so inspired by

Suzanne's fabulous Denim

Grocery Bag, featured in the

Stitchers Showcase, we had to

make one of our own! Workingwithout a pattern, Suzanne

created an absolutely adorable

denim tote. We wanted

everyone to be able to make

one like it, so we asked Kenny

to stitch one and share the

instructions.

Not only fashionable, this

sweet bag is also green, as itupcycles an old pair of jeans

just sitting in your closet,

transforming them into

something reusable and useful.

Bravo, Suzanne!

Read on for instructions to

make one of your own!

le:///F|/Source/ELProjects/html/PR1760.html (1 of 14) [7/5/2012 2:25:01 PM]
http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/showcase_elp.aspx?page=SH_041112_Bhttp://www.emblibrary.com/EL/showcase_elp.aspx?page=SH_041112_Bhttp://www.emblibrary.com/EL/showcase_elp.aspx?page=SH_041112_Bhttp://www.emblibrary.com/EL/showcase_elp.aspx?page=SH_041112_Bhttp://www.emblibrary.com/EL/showcase_elp.aspx?page=SH_041112_Bhttp://www.emblibrary.com/EL/showcase_elp.aspx?page=SH_041112_B


2/14

Upcycled Denim Tote

Supplies Needed:

**Two pairs of old jeans (for

front border pieces, back, and

handles)

**13" by 13" piece of denim

fabric (for embroidered panel)

**1/3 yard cotton fabric -- 45"

wide (for belt)

**1/2 yard fabric (for inner

lining; I used linen)

**Medium weight cutaway

stabilizer

**Temporary spray adhesive

**Air-erase pen

**Tape measure

Designs used:

I used the medium sizeof theAmerica the Beautiful Lighthouse Medley. The

Statue of Liberty Medleyand the Pledge of Allegiance Eagle Medleywould alsobe beautiful on the tote.

Special project notes:

In the instructions below, I will be making the large size tote -- great for groceries and

taking to the beach. If you would like a smaller tote (book bag size) see below for

dimensions of the fabric pieces and simply follow the instructions just as you would

for the larger tote. You can probably get enough fabric from one pair of jeans (for

either size of the tote), but, I used two pairs so there were more shades of denim to

incorporate into the tote.

Finished size:

Large tote: 16 1/2" wide by 21" high by 6" deep

Small tote: 12" wide by 15 1/4" high by 4 1/4" deep

Use these dimensions when cutting pieces for the small tote:

Center square -- 8" by 8" (cut one)

http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/Products.aspx?Catalog=Emblibrary&ProductID=G4406http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/Browse.aspx?Catalog=Emblibrary&Mode=1&Ref=g4406http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/Browse.aspx?Catalog=Emblibrary&Mode=1&Ref=g4394http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/Browse.aspx?Catalog=Emblibrary&Mode=1&Ref=g4399http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/Browse.aspx?Catalog=Emblibrary&Mode=1&Ref=g4399http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/Browse.aspx?Catalog=Emblibrary&Mode=1&Ref=g4394http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/Browse.aspx?Catalog=Emblibrary&Mode=1&Ref=g4406http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/Products.aspx?Catalog=Emblibrary&ProductID=G4406


3/14

Upcycled Denim Tote

Side border pieces (on front) -- 1 3/4" wide by 8" high (cut four)

Top and bottom border pieces -- 12 3/4" wide by 2 1/4" high (cut four)

Back panel -- 13 1/8: wide by 13 7/8" high (cut one)

Bottom panel -- 13 1/8" wide by 5 1/8" high (cut one)

Side panels -- 5 1/8" wide by 13 7/8" high (cut two)

Straps -- 5" wide by 32" long (cut two)

Inner lining --Front/back panels --12 3/4" wide by 15 3/4" high (cut two)

Bottom panel -- 13 1/8" wide by 5 1/8" high (cut one)Side panels -- 5 1/8" high by 15 3/4" high (cut two)

Belt -- 32 3/4" long by 5" high (cut two)

First, using an air-erase pen,

draw an 11" by 11" square on

the denim fabric leaving a

couple inches of excess fabric

around the shape. Measure

and mark the center of each

side of the shape by measuring

and dividing by two. Draw lines

connecting the marks; where

the lines meet is the exact

center of the shape.

Create a paper template of the

design by printing it at full size

using embroidery software.

Then, poke a hole in the center

of the template and align it with

the center point on the fabric.

Make sure the design fits well

within the shape. There should

be at least one inch space

between the outer edges of the

design and the edges of the

shape.



4/14

Upcycled Denim Tote

Spray a piece of medium weight

cutaway stabilizer with

temporary adhesive. Smooth the

fabric on top and hoop the fabric

and stabilizer together by

aligning the marks on the hoopwith the lines on the fabric.

Attach the hoop to the machine

and load the design. Move the

hoop so that the needle is

aligned with the center point on

the fabric. Embroider the design.

When the designs have finished,

trim away the excess stabilizer

on the backside of theembroidery.



5/14

Upcycled Denim Tote

To prepare the side borders, cut

the legs off the jeans. Cut up

one of the seams and lay the

fabric flat. Next, cut four pieces

of the jean fabric to 2 1/2" wide

by 11" high. Pair up the piecesand align together, right sides

together, pin in place, and sew a

1/2" seam along one of the long

sides. Press the seams open

with an iron.

Align the assembled side border

pieces on top of the

embroidered center square

along the left and right sides.Pin in place and sew a 1/2"

seam along the pinned edges

only. Press the seams.



6/14

Upcycled Denim Tote

To prepare the top and bottom

borders, cut four pieces of thejean fabric to 17 1/2" wide by 3"

high. Pair up the pieces, right

sides together, pin in place, and

sew a 1/2" seam along one of

the long sides. Press the seams.

Align the border pieces along

the top and bottom edges of the

center square/side border piece,

right sides together, pin in place,

and sew a 1/2" seam along the

pinned edges only. Press the

seams.



7/14

Upcycled Denim Tote

Next, to prepare the back panel,

I pieced together some of the

jean fabric; specifically I used

pieces with the original seams.Simply piece the fabric together

using 1/2" seams, press the

seams, and then cut the shape

to 18" wide by 19" high.

To prepare the bottom panel,

cut one piece of fabric to 18"

wide by 7" high. Align the

bottom piece along the bottomedge of the front panel, right

sides together, pin in place, and

sew a 1/2" seam along the

bottom edge only.



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Upcycled Denim Tote

Align the bottom edge of the

back piece with the open edge

of the bottom piece, right sides

together, pin in place, and sewa 1/2" seam along the bottom

edge only.

Next, lay the fabric flat. To

prepare the side panels, cut two

pieces of fabric to 7" wide by

19" high. Align the side panels

with the left and right edges of

the front panel, right sides

together, pin in place, and sew

a 1/2" seam along the outeredges starting at the top edges

and stopping 1/2" from the

bottom edge.



9/14

Upcycled Denim Tote

Align the bottom edges of the

side panels with the short ends

of the bottom panel, right sides

together, pin in place and sew a1/2" seam starting at the side

seam and stopping 1/2" from

the opposite side.

Align the remaining raw edges

of the side panels with the side

edges of the back panel, right

sides together, pin in place and

sew a 1/2" seam along thepinned edges.



10/14

Upcycled Denim Tote

Measure around the entire top

edge of the outer shell of the

bag (mine measured 46" incircumference). Cut the waist

band off the jeans just under

the belt loops.

Measure the length of the

waistband. If the waist band is

longer than the circumference

of the top edge of the outer

shell, cut it down at the back

removing as much as you

need. Zigzag stitch the

waistband back together.

If the waistband is shorter than

the circumference of the top

edge of the outer shell, button

the waistband at the front, tack

it in place just under the button

with a few zigzag stitches, and

cut through the waistband at the

back center. Then, to extend

the waistband, take the amount

you are short plus two inches --this will be the width of the

"extender" fabric (mine is 9 1/2"

short, so 9 1/2" plus one inch

equals 11 1/2").

Measure the height of the

waistband, multiply it by two,

and then add one inch. This will

be the height of the "extender"



11/14

Upcycled Denim Tote

fabric (mine measures 3" high,

so 3" multiplied by 2 equals 6",

plus one inch equals 7").

So, I cut a piece of fabric to 11

1/2" wide by 7" high. Next, fold

the short ends in 1/2" to the

wrong side and press. Fold the

fabric together, right sidestogether, align the long edges,

pin in place, and sew a 1/2"

seam along the long raw edges

only.

Turn the fabric right sides out

and insert the raw ends of the

waistband 1/2" inside the

openings, pin in place, and sew

a 1/2" seam along folded edges

of the fabric.

Turn the waistband inside out

and align it with the top edge ofthe outer shell, right sides

together. Pin in place and sew a

1/2" seam along the entire top

edge. Press the seam.



12/14

Upcycled Denim Tote

To prepare the straps, cut two

pieces of fabric to 5" wide by

32" long. Then, fold the long

edges in 1/2" to the wrong sides

and press. Fold the fabric withthe long folded edges aligned,

wrong sides together. Pin in

place, and sew a 1/4" seam

along the long edges.

To prepare the inner lining, cut

the following pieces:

a. Front and back panels: 17

1/2" wide by 21 1/2" high

b. Bottom panel: 18" wide by

7" high

c. Side panels: 7" wide by 21

1/2" high

Assemble the inner lining just

as you did the outer shell. Fold

the top edge of the inner lining

1/2" to the wrong side and

press. Insert the inner lining

inside the outer shell, wrong

sides together.

Then, insert the ends of the

straps about 3/4" in betweenthe layers with the straps about

2 1/2" from the corners of the

tote and pin in place. Align the

top edge of the inner lining with

the top edge of the outer shell,

pin in place, and sew a 1/4"

seam along the entire top edge

sewing back and forth over the

ends of the straps to secure



13/14

Upcycled Denim Tote

them in place.

To prepare the belt, cut two

pieces of cotton fabric to 45"

long by 5" high. Align the

pieces together, right sides

together, and sew a 1/2" seam

along one of the short ends.

Press the seams.

Fold the short ends in 1/2" to

the wrong side and press. Also,

fold the long edges in 1/2" and

press. Fold the fabric again with

the long folded edges together,

wrong sides together, press,and sew a 1/4" seam along the

entire outer edges of the fabric.

Insert the belt through the loops

and tie a bow at the front.



14/14

Upcycled Denim Tote

Make your own upcycled denim

tote, and you'll have a

fashionable and functional bag

for the grocery store, the beach,

the library, and anywhere else

you go!

And check out other upcycled

projects: the No-Sweat Toteand the T-shirt Tote, for

other ways to turn old things

into new things!

Click here for a printable

version of these project

instructions.
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