Thinking of throwing out those ancient jeans that you can’t fit into anymore? Think again. Your new best bag might be hiding in those blue denims. Turn your old jeans into the handbag of handbags. It’s time to let your creativity out. Here are a few helpful tips on making your own denim handbag.
Plan your creation.
Pull out some paper and start drawing your ideas. Begin with a simple shape one that is very doable for your part. Think of what you’ll put inside, the shape, size and how much. The simplest you can start with is square shape that can fit your wallet, phone and keys. If you’re still having a hard time brainstorming, take out one of your bags and follow its lead. To see your vision more easily, you might want to make a mock-up. Lay out everything you want on the fabric or check if the items it’ll carry will fit. Remember to be creative but practical.
Add a few accents.
One of the simplest strategies in designing into denim is done with some bleach. That’ll give a simple wash look. A cut-out pattern may be able to help you more when pouring or squirting bleach. With a computer you can printout a photo or a design to stick on the fabric. If feeling a little bold, paint. Nothing can be more unique than a hand painted bag. You may use a simple fabric dye, fabric markers or ink or even acrylic.
Remember that water-based paint may just fade so pick carefully. There are a lot simple items that you can add such as tassels, buttons, rivets, or even some cheap jewelry. Just sew them on to produce the pattern you like. You can make your denim handbag into a beaded artwork or add some classic embroidery.
Stitch it up well.
Make sure to stitch up the edges of the hem to keep the fabric form unweaving or you might run out of fabric. A good strong stitch will make your denim handbag last long.
Denim Trivia
Before the birth of the denim handbag and the denim jeans, the tough fabric has been used since the 18th century for workers. Believe it or not but denim is actually just rugged cotton twill. The name denim however is said to have been a contraction of a French phrase, serge de Nimes which was originally a mixed weave of wool and silk. Until synthetic dye came, the traditional dye for the denim’s warp yarn came from the durable natural dye, indigo. However, the denim has proven its versatility with it’s reinvention in the 21st century.
Eventually, the exploits of denim in fashion led to the making of various collections of denim handbags. And like the versatile jeans, denim handbags can be matched with almost anything. Today, you’ll see denim handbags varying in the latest shapes, sizes and elaborate patterns. Various top designers have taken the famous fabric into their collections of bags and even furniture. The limit of denim is yet to be seen.
