The So-Called "Booty Bag"

Wow, y'all. It's been a long time since I've posted, and even longer since I've posted about sewing! I feel like I've been neglectful. Accept my apology?

So, I found this pattern for a purse that you make from pants, and I had to try it.

Here's the finished project:

And this is how I got there:


I started with a pair of pants that were too big for me, and it's no surprise to anyone that I like big bags. I also liked this pair of pants because it's the color of Trey's team and I had a great ribbon that coordinated as a trim.


I measured the rise from the top of the pants to the crotch. Eww...it's gross, typing that word.


I measured that distance from the waistband down the leg all the way across and drew a line. I cut the legs at the line.


Don't forget to cut out the crotch so that it looks like a skirt!


Turn the pants inside out. Cut out all the tags. In order to make the front and back of the pants lie flat, I needed to sew a new straighter seam down the middle. I laid the crotch area flat, marked the area with a straight line, and then sewed along that line and trimmed the excess fabric.

I repeated the process on the backside of the pants. Since the backside is more curved, the line for the new, straighter seam will extend further up the backside.

I then pinned and sewed across the bottom. This part of the bag was done--now onto the handles!


I used the pant legs to make handles. Cutting the legs apart, I cut the length I needed (maybe 12 or 15 inches) and four times the width I needed for each handle. I folded the leg in half lengthwise and pressed, then folded each side into the center, and pressed again.

I attached the handles and then stitched in the ribbon, which I just happened to find in a remnants box! I didn't think I'd ever find anything to go with that ribbon, but it's perfect with this purse.

On the whole, I am very happy with how this bag turned out. Come spring, I'll take it to Trey's baseball games!

Toodles!