Blue Jeans-o-rama

Today Clare asked me if her dad had some old blue jeans he had "grown out of." Knowing my husband was in earshot and that he has been stressed at work lately, I saw an opportunity for excellent wife points. "You know, he's been looking so svelte and fit lately, I bet he has some that are too big that he could give up!" He rolled his eyes, but knows it's not too far from the truth.

And so he did indeed find a pair of jeans, and they brainstormed all of the different things you could do with old jeans. Book covers, purses, skirts, handbags, belt pockets, sword sheaths (!), and doll clothes were all discussed.

So Clare is now curled up in the window seat, still in her PJs, hand sewing a handbag from a pant leg that will have a matching coin purse that used to be a back pocket. She got the sewing box out and prepared the thread and needles all on her own. She designed what she was going to make, and just started right in. She is always proud of the things she makes, and is so focused while making them. It's good to remind myself, and her, that this is the kind of thing a person can get done if they decide, every once in a while, to turn the TV and Webkins off.

Dad's Jeans Purse Set
Shoulder bag:
1. Cut an 8 to 10 inch length off the bottom of a pant leg and turn inside out.
2. Line up the section so that the seams are at the sides, but not directly on the edge (the seams are very hard to get a needle through and you'll ens up with two small gaps at the edges)
3. Use a medium to heavy-duty needle and double up the thread.
4. Sew the cut edge together with a whip stitch, then add a 2nd straight seam about 1/2 inch in from the edge.
5. Turn the purse right side out.
6. Cut a length of a double stitched seam (usually the inseam) from the rest of the pant leg. Make length desired for shoulder strap. At each end of the seam leave two 1 inch by 1 inch tabs of leg material.
7. Sew strap onto purse, using the tabs (the seams are thick and hard to hand sew).
8. Sew a large snap onto top edge of purse to close it.

Coin purse:
1. Cut a back pocket of off the jeans. Cut close to the pocket seams.
2. At the pocket opening, cut straight up towards the waist band until you reach a waist seam, then cut parallel to the waist and straight back down to the other pocket opening corner. This will become the purse flap.
3. Iron on, then sew on for durability, a length of velcro to the flap, and the place the flap meets the pocket. The goal is to be able to keep coins and bills safely inside the little purse.

If desired, decorate with fabric paint, sparkly glue, patches, etc! Go shopping with pride and panache!