{"id":18658,"date":"2015-05-21T11:10:07","date_gmt":"2015-05-21T15:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=18658"},"modified":"2015-05-21T11:10:07","modified_gmt":"2015-05-21T15:10:07","slug":"how-to-recycle-jeans-into-a-fashionable-handbag-tutorial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-recycle-jeans-into-a-fashionable-handbag-tutorial\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Recycle Jeans into a Fashionable Handbag [Tutorial]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"recycle<\/a><\/p>\n

Last month in honor of Earth Day, I read about several big apparel companies encouraging customers to donate their old denim jeans. This was a much-needed initiative to teach the public that the trash and landfill isn\u2019t the place for unwanted textiles<\/a>. From home insulation<\/a> to crafts, there\u2019s a lot of use for ripped or stained clothing.<\/p>\n

When we\u00a0put a pair of jeans in the trash\u00a0rather than donating them,\u00a0we\u2019re wasting much more than fabric. We\u2019re wasting natural resources like cotton and water, and the time and energy required of seamstresses to sew the fabrics. The process of dyeing denim jeans also is one of the harshest in the apparel industry. The toxic chemicals have been known to pollute local water sources and cause health risks to factory workers. We, as informed customers, can make a stand to buy organic<\/a>, and to recycle jeans\u00a0in new ways!<\/p>\n

If your used jeans are in good shape, consider donating them to a thrift store or to someone in need. Or in the case of my husband\u2019s raggedy jeans, they were just too \u201choley\u201d to pass on; so, I used a portion to make a handbag.<\/p>\n

Step-By-Step Instructions<\/h3>\n

The inspiration for my denim handbag was based on Jessica Rebelo\u2019s tutorial<\/a>, with a few tweaks of my own. It\u2019s super easy to make, and the perfect size for date nights or packing a snack on the go.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll need the following materials:<\/p>\n