Make a field bag from recycled clothing
It's nice to have a small field bag for nature walks — to hold your art supplies and also to bring home any treasures you might find.
An old pair of pants can yield 2, 3, or even half a dozen bags depending on the size. We've made many a field bag from an old pair of jeans. Jack and I made this bag out of an old pair of khaki camo pants he had outgrown.
(Denim and khaki are great materials for a field bag because they are tough, durable, and hold their shape without a lining.)
First, find an old pair of pants. Any size will do!
We thought that knee pocket would make a great detail on the front of Jack's bag.
These back pockets would also make a great bag front. If you are using jeans, you can use the front pocket as the front of your bag and the back pocket for the back!
Mark where you want to cut your fabric, and make sure your sketchbook will fit inside your finished bag!
Right away you'll notice one great thing about making a field bag out of your old clothes — you won't have to sew very much, because you can take advantage of the seams that are already there. We cut this bag out of the middle of one leg, so we sewed the bottom and around the top. If you used the bottom of the leg, and the bottom hem of the leg became the top of your bag, you would only have to sew one seam!
Cut along the marks you made. Since we cut out of the middle of the leg, we now have a tube of fabric.
Turn your material inside-out and sew the bottom seam. We triple-sewed ours for extra strength.
Fold over the top and sew around, making the top seam. You can pin it in a couple of places if you are worried about it moving around on you, but uneven seams give extra character.
Jack really wanted a matching strap, but you could also make the strap out of any old ribbon or woven tape you have in your stash.
We cut a strip of fabric about 2 1/4 inches wide and then used that strap to cut out another.
Since there is no pattern for this project, you don't need to worry about how wide your strap ends up being — there is no right or wrong!
Sew the two long sides of your strap — but not the ends! Because next you need to turn it inside out.
Sew the strap onto the bag! We went back and forth a few times for extra strength. We are expecting this bag to get some heavy outdoor use.
All done! Wasn't that easy? While we were at it, we made another one:
You can decorate your finished bag by sewing on patches, sticking on your favorite pins, embroidering them, or anything else you can think of.
Then fill them up and take a hike!
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45 comments
Awesome!
This is brilliant! We've made bean bags from jeans, but not a nature bag. We'll have to do this .... I can see how great it would be to have such a durable fabric (and such strong side seams!) for a nature bag. Thank you!!
Love it. I have started with the same thought, but made it too complicated by avoiding pockets and waistbands, and adding lining and top flap. Your use of these features makes for a completely unique and so-cool bag! I'm off to raid the pants supply...
thank you, lori! :^D)
we made some super-cute bags for girls out of jeans and they used wide heavy ribbon for the strap and embroidered them — so pretty, but of course i can't find a picture. and still durable!
annette, thank you so much - lol - yes, you probably made a real bag, whereas this is skewed toward being a kid project! ;^) avoiding lining and using the seams that are there make it really durable and easy for a kiddo to put together.
don't forget to share pictures!! :^)
"Uneven seams give extra character!" Love it!
This bag is adorable (don't tell your sons I used such a girly word for their bags). Thanks so much for the idea and the "recipe".
hey, this is *handmade* beauty! ;^)
thanks so much, jill! hope you guys get a taste of spring soon. it snowed here today! grrrr...
I love this. I made the xact same thing for my daughter for Christmas- I posted it on my blog then. There are some cute "paintbrush holder" sections too if you want to take a look :)
hi kelly! i'm zipping right over to look! :^)
kelly, i love aliah's bag! it's fantastic! :^D and i agree - so bohemian. ;^)
let me know if it's ok & i'll publish the photos here with a link to your post - i couldn't find a permalink.
What a great tutorial! I'm really liking the idea of using gently recycled clothing for various different craft projects. Thanks for sharing.
excellent tutorial Lori :- )
thank you so much, angie! :^) i can't promise these pants were *gently* used. ;^)
thank you, susana! a simple project, but fun. :^)
i'm sorry. all i can think about is how adorable his hands are.
;)
aw. he's my cutie. :^)
This is genius! I love that you did it with the zip pocket part, for extra storing space. I was just going to cut some pants to shorts for my son, but now I will save the bottom half and make a bag. His legs are smaller, so I may have to use both bottom legs to make one bag. Thanks.
thank you, marie! if you send me pictures, i'll share them here. :^) i think i'm going to work up a backpack next!
He's so hip!
Of course now that you have set the trend, all of my kritters are gonna want one, too.
hmmmm...
well...
we can use my machine if you want!! :^)
but you're going to have to supply the pants!
How appropriate to have found this tutorial on earth day and to have just come across an old pair of pants that need to be transformed into something else. Thanks.
you’re welcome, kathryn — let me know how it goes! :^)
and happy earth day!
So cool! Thanks for a great project! :)
thank you, andrea! :^)
I love that. I need a sewing machine *crossing fingers for Christmas*
i hope you've been a good girl, candy. ;^)
We've started working on ours. I'm surprised by how excited Gerrick is. :)
http://livingandlearningnow.blogspot.com/2009/01/field-bags-work-in-progress.html
sherry, i love it!! :^D)
I'm so excited that I actually made this! I just had to send you the link now! :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this great idea!
http://livingandlearningnow.blogspot.com/2009/01/gerricks-field-bag.html
you got them sewed together! now the fun part of filling them up! :^)
It was Hillarious seeing that little boy's hand cutting the jeans. At first i said "eh?... is that a 1yr old cutting the pants?"... so adorable
I knew there was a reason I kept the kids' old jeans!
What a great idea! How smart you are to use the already-made pockets!
I just found this linked on some other site and I'm glad I did. This is a great idea! I've used the legs from worn out sweat pants to make gift bags, but this seems even more useful. I could see making a bag and adding in a sketch book plus some colored pencils as a birthday present for a kid.
hi, tricia, and thank you! :^)
(I found this blog following a chain of links. LOL)
I am very impressed. I've seen many "bags from pants" but never one that used pants with a zipper in such a way. Brilliant idea! It was also great of you to show the "X" stitching connecting the strap to the bag. I've seen it before, but most likely would not have thought about it.
I know my sons have similar pants they've outgrown (and most likely worn out) - I need to go raid their closets!
Thank you for a great idea with great, descriptive pics!
thank you, topaz! :^)
my son loves the fact that so many people like this post and make bags of their own!
All kinds of cute ideas popped into my head for the idea of making girls' bags--thank you for the inspiration!
Wow! I can not wait to share this idea!
I just discovered your wonderful blog last night. This morning I showed my son this post and this evening we have 3 new bags in the house.
http://myyearofcreativity.blogspot.com/2010/01/january-7th-field-bags.html
Thanks so much! Next monday I'm going to use your watercolour tutorial.
thank you so much! :^)
Awesome! I have been scouring etsy for field bags with an extra long strap and it finally hit me that I can make my own! Thanks for this; you've given me a huge amount of inspiration!
thank you, rachel! have fun! :^)
Great! I needed to make a bag for my upcoming field trip, and this rocks!
:D <3 <3 Aliyah
yay! thanks, aliyah, hope it worked out great for you! :^D)
Thank you for posting this cute, easy project! A great way to repurpose the pants that our kiddos grow out of all too quickly! My 8 year old daughter and I made a little purse for her out of her favorite khaki pants to carry her binoculars and bird book in while she climbs trees and identifies the birds in our backyard!
I love how you chose a sort of cargo, military pant for this project. It suits the purpose very well. Also I think first tutorial I've seen that's not geared towards girls.
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