How to Turn Old Jeans into a Funky Backpack

It’s amazing how fast children grow, and how fast those jeans wear out in the knees. Rather than toss them or patch them again, make them into something useful, and cool!

Photo credit: richardmasoner

Turn those old jeans into a funky backpack. Here’s how:

Step One:

Measure and mark. Turn the jeans inside out. Using a fabric tape measure, measure from the waist band down to two inches below the crotch. Make a mark with pen, not a sharpie because it might bleed through.

Step Two:

Cut the jeans at that mark. Youíll have what now looks like an inside out pair of cut offs.

Step Three:

Cut the straps. Using the remaining legs, cut two long straps from them. Make them twice as wide as you’d like the backpack straps to be. For example, if you want the straps to be one inch wide, cut them two inches wide.

Step Four:

Fold and sew the straps. Fold the straps in half width wise and sew along the edge.

Step Five:

Pin the straps to the top inside edge, the waist that will be against your back when you’re wearing it, of your cut offs and sew them on.

Step Six:

Turn the jean cut offs right side out, pin the other end of the straps to the legs on the same side the top straps are sewn on. Put the backpack on and adjust the straps as necessary so the backpack hangs where you want it to. Sew the straps.

Step Seven:

Close the bottom of the backpack. Turn the shorts inside out again and cut through the crotch. Sew one long seam, about 1/2 inch in, to close the bottom of the bag.

Step Eight:

Closing the top of the bag.  Turning the shorts right side out, you now have a backpack you can wear. If you want to close the top of the bag, which is the waist of the shorts, you can grab a bandana, a belt or even a piece of string or twine to keep the items stored safely inside.

You can personalize the backpack with a bedazzler, patches, pins, and fabric paint. Enjoy!

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