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How to turn a pair of jeans into a bag Dig an old pair of jeans or velour trousers out of a closet. Done? Now I’ll tell you how to turn them into a bag. Creating a new item out of something that isn’t fashionable anymore or just something you got tired of is a task for a real craftsman (or craftswoman)! This bag can hold all the necessary paraphernalia: knitting needles, knitting threads or an embroidery kit. Materials A pair of jeans Sewing threads, same color as the stitching on jeans Scissors, pins A piece of cardboard How to turn a pair of jeans into a bag. Cutting For the job, you’ll need one trouser leg together with the waistband. Measure the length of your future bag, starting at the top hem of the waistband, add 8 cm and draw a mark. You’ll need allowance for the bag bottom. Cut one leg only. Rip the leg seam and also where the zipper is sewn on. Remove the zipper. How to turn a pair of jeans into a bag. Assembling Fold the trouser leg with its right side inside, aligning along the side seam. Align the edges, if necessary. Pin the fabric along the side and the bottom seams of the future bag. Sew them together with the straight stitch and whip stitch the edge. Join the stitch lines on the side and the bottom seams. Fold them at an angle. Draw the mark from the corner center. Draw a line perpendicular to the corner, it should equal the width of the bag bottom in length. Stitch with straight stitches along the line. Turn the bag the right side out. Cut out four strips of fabric for the handles. The length and width of the handles should equal their width plus turn-ups. Fold the strips together with their right sides together and stitch along one long side. Press open the seam, fold each seam allowance inside and press. Fold the halves of the handles wrong sides inside and secure with pins. Select the triple stitch on your sewing machine. Stitch along the long sides. Whip stitch the short edges. Pin the handles to the top of the bag. Stitch the handles to the top of the bag, stitching exactly as you did previously. In order to strengthen the bottom of the bag, you can cut a rectangle same size as the bottom out of cardboard. Your bag is ready! Original text by Irina Lisitsa

Embroidering a pocket: Kitteh This adorable and perky kitteh captivated me the moment I’ve seen the design. Lisa Prass, who created it, suggested giving some volume to this cutie. Read on to know what became of it. For a long time, I've had a soft spot for felines. When I was a child, I used to bring home kittens in my pockets, and they peeked out just like the one does in the design, which I instantly named KitteH. The embroidery took very little of my time. For it, I needed the design rendered in the Photostitch technique, an embroidery machine, a pair of jeans with pockets (a pocket flap, too, fell victim to the Kitteh’s charms and was pitilessly ripped off), embroidery threads, and, of course, the cheerful mood. First of all, I ripped off the pocket flap; in case your jeans come without one, skip this. After that, I undid the seam (the ordinary, not the decorative one). It was the inner seam in my case. I conceived my Kitteh puffy, and now was time to think how to add the volume. Having discussed the matter with the creator, I decided to embroider the cute kitten’s paw separately. I embroidered the paw on organza stabilized with the solvent stab and understood that it was too soft. Having tried several options, I finally chose the three-layer “sandwich” that consisted of a solvent stabilizer, fine mesh fabric, and organza as my base fabric. The embroidery took about 15 minutes. While the machine was going, I had time for a cup of coffee. That’s why I love machine embroidery: the machine is doing the work while I rest :-) Having stitched the paw, I trimmed it close to the stitching, washed out the stabilizer under the tap, and finished the organza edges with a lighter. The paw was ready! Now was the time to embroider the rest of my kitteh. I hooped the tearaway stabilizer. I should note that denim is quite stable as it is, so I don't reinforce it with adhesive stabilizers as a rule. With a temporary spray adhesive, I glued my denim piece to the stab and pinned it for better security. Using a layout grid and the machine’s display, I aligned the design to the pocket entrance. I checked the hooping accuracy with an outline, marking the place where the paw would go. Then I changed the thread color and stitched the paw to the main part. After that, the kitteh’s body and head were embroidered. All done. Some time, a good mood and an embroidery machine were all it took. Easy stitching to you all and have a good day! Original text by Irina Lisitsa Design available here

How to embroider hard-to-reach areas of clothing? If you like one-of-kind jeans or wish to revamp your favorite pair, you can do it with comparative ease, using just an embroidery machine and your imagination. In this article, I’ll tell you how to embroider the pocket of jeans thus turning them into something original. Small items of clothing, such as jeans’ pockets, belts, straps, yokes, cuffs are somewhat difficult to embroider, being impossible to hoop. There are, however, some ways of doing it quickly and easily. I’ll be happy to tell you about them! For the embroidery, you’ll need: Embroidery machine or sewing and embroidery machine, Your favorite pair of jeans, Embroidery stabilizer (Filmoplast adhesive paper by Gunold will do nicely.), Embroidery threads of the necessary color (Madeira Rayon #40 or Gunold Poly #40), Bobbin thread of the same color as the fabric (Amman Belfil C #120), Thick threads for the jeans, same color as the stitchout (Madeira Aerofil #35), Machine embroidery needles of the corresponding thickness, with a reinforced blade (Schmetz Jeans), Embroidery needle (Schmetz Embroidery #90). First, rip off the pocket and iron it, removing the excessive threads. Carefully inspect your pocket to see whether it has any metal eyelets or decorative stitching. A layout grid comes with your embroidery machine. With it, you may position the design on the pocket the way you like. If there eyelets and rivets in that place, they should be removed so as to save your needle from breaking during the embroidery. If you don’t need the decorative stitching as part of your design, rip it off. Press the pocket with an iron once again. Prepare the stabilizer and the hoop. Filmoplast is an embroidery stabilizer with an adhesive layer covered with paper. Hoop it with the paper layer facing up. Position your pocket on top of it and jot down the placement marks with a marker. If you only embroider one pocket, it’s better to place it in the center of the hoop. In order to attach our pocket before the embroidery, you’ll need to remove the upper layer of the stabilizer (the paper one). Gently peel off the paper and press the pocket onto the adhesive area between the marks. You’re now done with the preparation. You may proceed to the embroidery. It is crucial to correctly position the design in the hoop because the entire design has to fit in. I used my Husqvarna Designer sewing and embroidery machine. Its full-color touch panel display allows you to choose an appropriate hoop (which now circumscribes your pocket) and position the embroidery where you want it. With the help of a layout grid in the hoop and another one on the touch panel display, it will be an easy job. You can check whether everything is correct by touching the design positioning button. On the screen, you’ll be able to see whether the design should be shifted a bit or rotated (see the manual that comes with your embroidery machine or ask the seller). Your embroidery is ready. Take the hoop off the machine. Carefully tear off your embroidered pocket from the stabilizer. It will be easy to do while still in the hoop because the needle soft of cuts it along the edges of the embroidery. You only need to iron the pocket and sew it back on. Thus, you have decorated your old jeans. With a sleight of hand and no fraud, you are now the owner of a one-of-a-kind pair of jeans! Wear it happily! Original text by Irina Yemelyanova