From Denim Jeans to Panel Bag

Every well dressed young Miss needs a fab bag to go with her fab outfit .... and this thoroughly modern Miss prefers to upcycle in the most sustainable way she can ....
Denim would have to be one of my favourite fabrics to sew with.... and sewing with recycled denim is even better - it's soft and strong and full of character.

My friend Nicole and I made this bag using her unwanted jeans. I was keen to try Nicki's new Panel Bag pattern and I was also keen to add a feature of the shrinking sheet effect that I have used previously.
I altered the pattern by adding 5cm extra length to the bottom panel pieces of this bag - I wanted to show off as much as the feature fabric as I could. The shrink sheet is placed underneath the feature fabric and stitched - I used a serpentine stitch with about 3cm gap between each row of stitching. You then steam iron with the iron hovering above the fabric - not touching - the steam makes the fabric shrink and shrivel right before your eyes.


Of course denim loves to be topstitched - I used this Guterman thread - it's an upholstery thread with a denim 100 needle - worked a treat ...


I reused the jean pocket for an internal pocket ...
Added the obligatory brassy rings ... and I also stitched on the jean tag - though it did rip a little as I tried to unpick it - but stitched it on regardless ... the red piping really highlights this bag ...

and a brass magnetic closure ....
And ..... where is she off to this weekend?