The procedure for sewing backpacks from old jeans with your own hands

To make a denim backpack with your own hands, you don’t need to spend a lot of money. In any apartment you can easily find several pairs of jeans that you feel sorry to throw away, but you don’t want to use them anymore. The ideal solution would be to sew an original backpack from them that a girl, a boy, and even an adult can wear. But how to sew a backpack from old jeans with your own hands, patterns and other aspects of this truly creative activity can be found by reading the article.

How to choose a material

In order for the backpack to be high-quality and durable, it must be made from a strong material, the structure of which will allow you to easily care for the finished product. Such properties are typical for denim fabric that is dyed only on the outside. Nowadays, jeans are usually sewn using synthetic materials such as lycra and viscose. They are needed to give the finished product additional elasticity and strength. Of course, in such cases, the fabric will hold its shape perfectly, let air through. It will be resistant to dirt and durable. These characteristics are ideal for making a bag or a cute backpack with your own hands. But choosing such fabric for handicrafts is fraught with some disadvantages:

• Shrinkage of denim fabric - just a few washes and a product made from such material will dramatically decrease in size.
• Poor color fastness - a bag made from jeans will fade during washing, so accessories should be washed separately from other clothes.
• If the material care requirements are not met, it has the ability to lose its properties and color.

If you want to sew a backpack for everyday use, it is better to use old men's jeans. They are more durable than women's models, and they simply have more material that can be used to make an accessory. Since denim is very durable, you should use thick needles, double threads and an awl to cut out the desired product from it.

In general, it would be better to choose pants that are made from a single piece of fabric. The more seams on the selected material, the more difficult it is to sew the material.

What tools are needed

To start cutting out a backpack from jeans with your own hands, you should stock up on the tools that will be useful in the work. Any sewing master classes will require the following items:

• Scissors. In such a case, it is recommended to use tailor's scissors - they have long and sharp blades. And since denim is quite dense, it will be extremely difficult to cut it into pieces with ordinary scissors.

• A piece of chalk or soap. Any of these items will be needed when marking and cutting out denim fabric. Experienced needlewomen use special markers.

• Sewing machine. A tool you shouldn't start sewing without. With its help, the sewn accessory will have very strong seams that won't tear after several wears.

• Threads. You will need two types: regular threads used for sewing, and finishing threads for finishing edges.

• Measuring tools. A tape measure or a long ruler will do for cutting.

In addition to the listed tools, it is worth having on hand interlining, cord, rivets, zippers and other items that will come in handy for colorfully decorating the backpack.

The best master classes with patterns

There are several basic master classes on cutting denim backpacks. They can be used by both professionals and those who have decided to try sewing something with their own hands for the first time. But, regardless of the chosen sewing option, you need to follow some general recommendations:

• To ensure that the product holds its shape, interlining or lining fabric is used to strengthen the bottom.
• A rigid, non-stretchable material is additionally sewn into the handles and straps.
• Before you start cutting, you need to think in advance about where pockets, zippers, and decorative elements will be located on the finished product.

Simple backpack

This accessory is very easy to sew, since you don't even need to make a pattern of jeans to make it. It looks vaguely like a bag, but it is quite roomy and doesn't take up much space.

To make a backpack, you should prepare all the necessary tools and materials in advance. After completing the preparatory stage, you can start sewing the product. This should be done step by step:

1. Take old jeans and cut off unnecessary material. The size of the planned backpack will depend on the length of the cut.
2. The seams of both legs are ripped open on the inside. Then they are folded together and stitched so that a fabric tube is formed from them.
3. The bottom of the product must be additionally strengthened. For this purpose, it is made three-layered. Teak pads are inserted between the layers, and the entire structure is glued with interlining.
4. The lining is cut out based on the dimensions of the backpack and stitched on the inside.
5. The shoulder straps are being made. A belt tape is ideal for them. But you shouldn't take too hard. If there is no other, you can additionally sew soft inserts.
6. A flap is made from denim and a button is attached to the closure. It is worth remembering that the pockets of the jeans that remain on the finished item will not only play a decorative role, but can be used to store keys, a wallet and other small items.

Backpack with decorative textile inserts

The backpack will look very original and beautiful if you complement it with various fabric inserts. Therefore, if you have unnecessary jeans and fabric scraps in your apartment, you can sew a stylish accessory from them.

To make such an accessory, in addition to the basic tools, you will need additional materials:

• Lace.
• Fabric of different colors and textures.
• Large button.
• Eyelets – about 6 pieces.
• Metal rings to secure the harness.

To start cutting out the pattern, you need to have several blanks on hand:

• For the bottom of the backpack you will need an oval 27 x 16 cm.
• For the base of the product you will need a rectangle measuring 73 x 37 cm.
• For the straps, you need to prepare two strips measuring 100 x 10 cm.
• Valve.

The backpack is made according to the following instructions:

1. Patterns are made from three blanks: base, straps and valve. Trims of multi-colored fabrics are sewn onto them.
2. Two pieces of the same size are cut from old jeans, which will be the body of the product. On one side they are stitched using a sewing machine, and on the other side a blank decorated with fabric is installed and also stitched.
3. To make a flap, take two pieces of fabric and stitch them from the inside, then sew on a loop.
4. After this, the bottom is tried on and attached. The top is lined with eyelets and a lace is inserted.
5. Straps are sewn onto the back of the backpack.

Patchwork technique

The essence of this technique is sewing items from scraps of fabric, which allows you to create original and unusual things. Therefore, it is used when making backpacks from jeans with your own hands.

With this sewing method, you should stock up on jeans of different shades and textures. Both light and dark tones will do. If desired, you can use scraps of other material.

The process of making a backpack using the patchwork technique is carried out step by step:

1. In order to understand how the patches of different colors will be located, you need to make a pattern of the future product. If you are planning a small backpack, you can take pieces of fabric measuring 13 × 13 cm, plus a 1 cm allowance.
2. The base is cut out from serpyanka, taking into account the seam allowance. Then all the patches should be laid out on it and carefully ironed. This will help to avoid rough seams that will appear when sewing denim.
3. The sintepon is cut into two parts. The serpyanka with pieces of denim fabric will be sewn onto one, the other will be used to make the bottom.
4. Additionally, the patches can be decorated with rep tape. It is stitched along the edges of the pieces, first horizontally, then vertically.
5. Additional seams are secured with a zigzag stitch.

Spacious model

A large backpack size does not always mean that it is roomy. It depends primarily on the cut of the item.

A large capacity backpack is made according to the following scheme:

1. The legs are cut off so that the jeans become shorts.
2. The seams of the resulting shorts are ripped apart on the sides.
3. The front part is taken and placed on top of the back. They are pinned together to avoid seam displacement. Stitching is done along the waistband.
4. The remaining pant legs will also be put to use. One of them will be useful for making the handle and straps, the second will be used to sew the back of the product.
5. The side seams are stitched.
6. An old T-shirt can be used as a lining. The neck is cut off and one side is sewn together to form a bag.
7. The gasket blank is secured with pins and stitched.
8. A flap is made from the leftover fabric and attached to the back of the backpack. Buttons on pancake laces can be used as fasteners.

Backpack for children

A children's backpack should be roomy and compact at the same time. It is also important for a child to wear a bright and unusual thing. To make it, just take a pair of jeans, a few colorful decorative elements and get to work.

First, you should prepare everything that will be useful in the sewing process:

• Old jeans. To make the item look beautiful, it is better to use two pairs of pants.
• Lining fabric.
• Non-woven fabric.
• Lightning.

Once everything is ready, you can start working. To get a neat model, each piece is stitched with an overlock stitch. Otherwise, the item will have a fringe.

Sewing a backpack is done step by step:

1. The main part is prepared from two rectangular parts. A pocket is sewn to the outside, and straps are attached to the inside. The handles, like the straps, are stitched from the inside and turned inside out.
2. The bottom is made of plastic, interlining is attached to it and attached to the pattern. Then the main and lower parts are connected to each other and stitched.
3. At the final stage, a lining is sewn inside the backpack.

How to design a backpack

Denim fabric itself is quite a versatile fabric that does not require additional decoration. However, if desired, you can add various decorative elements and get a thing that no one else has. For this, fringe, rhinestones, sequins, beads, colored ribbons and much more are used.

It is possible to create various applications or designs on the surface of the backpack. To do this, a sketch is made on the surface of the denim fabric, which is then painted or the selected material is sewn on.

You can take all sorts of buttons, rivets, eyelets and other metal parts and use them to create a modern accessory.

By and large, the design options for a backpack or bag made from jeans are limited only by your own imagination and the availability of the necessary material.

So, if you want to have a backpack that is different from all the others, you don't have to run to a store that sells designer items. It's enough to find an extra pair of jeans in your closet.