May 22, 2018

Recycled Denim Purse with Cricut and Simplicity

This recycled denim purse is such a fun project using Cricut and a Simplicity pattern! This is a great way to use old denim that needs a new purpose. Enjoy!

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Recycled Denim Purse

Although this is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut and Simplicity, the opinions and text are my own.

My Cricut Maker has been going non-stop lately. I have been cranking out projects and pushing my little machine to its limits. I am so excited to share my latest project with you!

Cricut is the future of sewing! Both Simplicity and Cricut are hard at work to develop and release more sewing patterns in the near future. Having the patterns cut on the Cricut machine saves time, fabric, and energy! I can’t wait to see what else they will come up with in the future!

Cricut has a great partnership with Simplicity sewing patterns. There are many options available in Cricut Design Space for sewing patterns that you can use with your Cricut Maker. This recycled denim tote bag is easy to download and cut out in minutes. The fabrics I used for this project came from my large scrap bag of old jeans as well as a remnant of a cotton batik pillowcase. The pant legs were removed from the jeans, flattened and cut to fit on the Cricut mat.

Cutting Denim with Cricut

1. Remove bulky seams as much as possible. For this denim bag, it was helpful to view each cutting layout in Design Space on the mat before it was cut. I was able to plan out where the denim seams would fall (and place them in between pattern pieces), and keep them out of the way of the cutting knife as much as possible. The Cricut Maker can cut through a lot of material, but cutting through the bulky denim seams is rather risky. I had to restart my machine once or twice when it got stuck on the seam. The Cricut was able to cut through the side edge seam of my pair of jeans. You can see it in the photo above at both the center front and back of the purse. It looks very natural as if it was planned to be there!

2. Use a clean fabric mat. Denim shreds a lot of debris when cut. By using a clean mat each time the pieces were cut, you will achieve crisp adhesion and get clean cuts with the fabric blade. Be sure the fabric is truly stuck to the mat, I used a Cricut rolling tool to be certain it adhered as much as possible.

3. Place fabric right side down on the mat. As per cutting directions, the right side of the fabric should be face down.

4. Use a dark colored pen for marking. I realized too late that my blue fabric marking pen is much too light in color to show up on the denim fabric. Use a dark colored fabric pen in the Cricut Maker for marking when using denim.

Supplies

Cricut Maker (with rotary cutting blade)
Simplicity Ruffled Purse sewing pattern
one pair old denim jeans legs removed, about 5/8 yard total (can be several different pieces)
cotton batik printed fabric for ruffles and purse lining, about 5/8 of a yard
Pellon craft fuse interfacing, 1/2 yard
thread
fabric grip mat (12 x 24″)
hook and loop tape (optional)

Cutting Directions

Download and print the PDF sewing directions for the Simplicity Ruffled Purse pattern from Cricut Design Space.
Handcut the denim pieces to fit on the mat. Keep in mind the direction of the grain as specified for each cut.
Cut one 9 x 23″ piece of interfacing.
Next, cut one 10 x 16″ piece of contrasting print batik fabric for purse lining with the grain running parallel to the 10″ side.
Cut one 8 x 20″ piece of contrasting print batik fabric for purse ruffle with the grain running parallel to the 20″ side.
Cut one 12 x 20″ piece of denim with the grain running parallel to the 20″ side.
Finally, cut one 4 x 20″ piece of denim with the grain running to parallel to the 20″ side.

Assembly Directions

Apply fusible interfacing to the wrong side of both the purse front and back pieces.
On a sewing machine, sew the long ends of ruffle using a 3/8″ narrow hem.
Gather ruffle with a 5.0 basting stitch while sewing along the marked center line. Stitch to the front of the purse with 3.0 topstitch along the center of the ruffle.
Apply to interface to denim purse handles. Stitch ends of handles together.
Sew both the purse front and back in place on handles while matching circles and notches. Clip curves and then press.
Assemble lining, repeating step 5. Attach lining to purse with the right sides together while matching circles and notches. Leave an opening at the bottom for turning.
Turn right side out, then topstitch bottom opening closed. Press seams. Tie ends of straps together.
Handsew hook and loop tape on the purse for closure if desired.

Thanks to Cricut and Simplicity for sponsoring this post!