Upcycled Denim Tote

Upc yc l ed Deni m Tot e

We were so inspired by
Suzanne's fabulous Denim
Grocery Bag, featured in the
Stitchers Showcase, we had to
make one of our own! Working
without 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 it
upcycles 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!

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Upcycled Denim Tote


Suppl i es 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

Desi gns used:

I used the medium size of the America the Beautiful Lighthouse Medley. The
Statue of Liberty Medley and the Pledge of Allegiance Eagle Medley would also
be beautiful on the tote.

Spec i al pr oj ec t not es:

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.

Fi ni shed si ze:

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 t hese di mensi ons w hen c ut t i ng pi ec es f or t he smal l t ot e:

Center square -- 8" by 8" (cut one)
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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.
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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 hoop
with 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 the
embroidery.
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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 pieces
and 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.
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Upcycled Denim Tote



To prepare the top and bottom
borders, cut four pieces of the
jean 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.

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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 bottom
edge 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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Align the bottom edge of the
back piece with the open edge
of the bottom piece, right sides
together, pin in place, and sew
a 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 outer
edges starting at the top edges
and stopping 1/2" from the
bottom edge.
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Align the bottom edges of the
side panels with the short ends
of the bottom panel, right sides
together, pin in place and sew a
1/2" 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 the
pinned edges.
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Measure around the entire top
edge of the outer shell of the
bag (mine measured 46" in
circumference). 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"
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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 sides
together, 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 of
the outer shell, right sides
together. Pin in place and sew a
1/2" seam along the entire top
edge. Press the seam.
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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 with
the 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 between
the 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
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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.
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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 Tote
and the T-shirt Tote, for
other ways to turn old things
into new things!
Cl i c k her e f or a pr i nt abl e
ver si on of t hese pr oj ec t
i nst r uc t i ons.




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