How To Make A Tote Bag Made of Belts from Old Jeans

As I was scrolling through Facebook, I saw a video of a girl buying clothes from a thrift store and turning them into something fashionable and new. She uploaded them online and started selling them. She customized everything that she got from the store and designed it very uniquely. In that video, she said she did it as a hobby and wanted to become a fashion designer, but she had to get the materials from thrift stores because of a lack of budget. Her friends noticed how her clothes were very eye-catching and asked where she got them. They were amazed when they learned that it was all hand-made.

I was so inspired and moved by her video that I started looking through my old clothes to see if there was anything that I could turn into something new and fashionable. As I was lying on the bed in my free time, I searched for some ideas on Youtube, and I found an interesting video from Sewing Ideas. She cut the belt part of her old jeans and turned them into a chic tote bag.

I got very excited, so I got off the bed and immediately gathered all the needed materials and started working.

Materials:

• Old Jeans
• Scissors
• Electric Iron
• Sewing Machine
• Tools for sewing kits
• Zipper

Directions:

Step 1:

Cut the belt part of your old jeans using fabric scissors. For the tote bag, you’ll need at least five jeans belts.

Step 2:

Dissolve the belts. Use a thread remover to pry off two to three stitches from the outside and the inside to completely pull the thread out. Repeat these steps until all the belts are dissolved.

Step 3: 

After you remove all the belts, use an electric iron to straighten the belts. You will now have to strengthen the belts with non-woven or dublerin to accurately sew the bag. Use the electric iron to glue the dublerin to the belts.  Cut the belts to a length of 40 centimeters. It will serve as the width of the bag.

Step 4:

In random order, lay out the belts into two piles. Lay out an equal number of belts because the two piles will be the two sides of the belt.  After laying out, you will have to sew the belts between the shears at least one centimeter from the edge.  So iron the part where you sew it so it will straighten and look more natural.

Step 5: Fold the sides of the bag in half and cut it into a semicircle. Do this on both sides of the bag.  You will now piece the two sides together using a piece of cotton fabric and cut it into the same shape as the front and back. The fabric will act as the inside part of your bag.

Step 6: 

If you want to put pockets on your bag, you can also cut a pocket lining and customize it according to your preferences. You can also add zippers or sticker patches to customize your bag.  You can now continue sewing and connecting everything after you are done customizing your bag. You can also add shorter or longer handles depending on how you like it.

And that is how you make a cute tote bag from your old jeans.

You can also watch her easy-to-follow step-by-step video on her channel, Sewing Ideas. The result can be fantastic with a little patience. I customized my tote bag with cute patches that I also got from an old shirt. I then finished my tote bag with a keychain to make it look extra.

How To Make A Tote Bag Made of Belts from Old Jeans