Sewing a Bootie Purse
A pair of denim jeans turns into an ironically-named bootie bag when the legs are cut off. Only basic sewing skills are needed to complete this project. For those who don't have access to a sewing machine, small, even hand stitches works as well. The French seam makes the bootie bag look more finished, and adds extra strength to the bottom hem.
Instructions
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1
Lay a pair of blue jeans on your workspace. Use tailor's chalk to draw a line across the hips of the purse, just above the crotch seam. Cut across this line, through both layers of the jeans. This removes the legs and leaves the top part of the pants, with an open bottom, like a very short skirt. Put the jean's legs aside for now.
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2
Turn the top of the pants inside out. Pin the bottom opening closed from hip to hip. Sew across this seam, with a 1/4-inch hem. Trim the hem allowance to about 1/8 of an inch. Turn the jeans right side out again. Sew across the bottom seam again with a 1/4-inch hem, trapping the raw hem edges inside this hem. This is called a French seam.
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3
Turn the jeans inside out again. Measure from one bottom corner up 1 inch. Draw a line across the corner at this point, making a 1-inch triangle. Repeat on the other side. Sew across these two lines. Trim the corners, leaving a 1/4-inch hem. This allows the bootie bag to lay flat.
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4
Cut three 28-inch strips of fabric from the legs of the pants. Each strip should be 2 inches wide. Hold the strips together. Feed the ends through the belt loop closest to one of the side seams of the bag. Tie a knot in the end of the three strips, to keep them from slipping out again. Braid the three strips, then feed the other end through the belt loop at the opposite side and tie another knot.
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