Denim Backpack Tutorial & Pattern

How to Upcycle Old Jeans into DIY Backpack. Easy Backpacks From Old Jeans Backpack Handmade Old Denim Bags DIY.

 Materials Specifications
• 1 spool of SULKY® COTTON 30 in copper (color no. 1056)
• 0.20 m SULKY® THERMOFIX (roll width 25 cm)
• SULKY® SPRAY ADHESIVE KK100
• ORGAN JEANS needle size 90 or 100
• 0.10 m faux leather in gold metallic
• 0.60 m denim or a pair of old jeans
• 0.60 m blue and white striped fabric or an old shirt (lining)
• 0.60 m batting (e.g., Thermolam)
• 3.00 m pre-shaped bias tape in light gray
• 1 zipper, 50 cm long, in denim blue
• 1 zipper, 25 cm long, in blue or gray
• 2 bar buckles, 2 or 2.5 cm wide
• 2 D-rings, 2 cm wide

Size: approx. 21 x 28 x 9 cm

Cutting

(The 1 cm seam allowance is included in the cutting dimensions; the template does not include seam allowances.)

DOWNLOAD PDF PATTERN 

Denim
2 pieces 23 x 30 cm (front + back)
1 piece 23 x 16 cm (front patch pocket)
1 piece 46 x 11 cm (bottom/side panel, outer)
2 pieces 49 x 6 cm (outer zipper binding)
2 pieces 115 x 8 cm (strap)
1 piece 30 x 8 cm (handle)
1 piece 25 x 9 cm (strap for straps + handle)
2 pieces 12 x 10 cm (strap end/belt loop fastener)

Battery fleece
2 pieces 25 x 32 cm (front + back)
1 piece 48 x 13 cm (bottom/side panel, lining)
2 pieces 49 x 7 cm (zipper trim lining)

Fabric for lining

2 pieces 25 x 32 cm (front + back)

1 piece 23 x 16 cm (patch pocket front)

1 piece 48 x 13 cm (bottom/side lining)
2 pieces 49 x 8 cm (zipper trim lining) 

 Stitching the Front and Back 

On the front and back pieces made of denim, draw two intersecting lines at a 45° angle using a soft pencil or silver pen. Place both pieces on top of the batting pieces, right sides together. Secure the two layers with KK100 spray adhesive. Stitch along the two lines with a straight stitch, using Cotton 30 thread for both the top and bottom. Starting from there, stitch further lines 3 cm apart, using an edge guide, until the entire area is covered.

Trim the excess batting to the size of the front and back pieces. Transfer the pattern to the back piece of batting (easiest with a thin felt-tip pen), making sure to transfer the four joining arrows/matching marks.

  Cut out the front and back pieces, adding a 1 cm seam allowance to each.

Sewing the patch pocket with appliqué 

Place the patch pocket pattern and the lining right sides together. Slide one side of the zipper between the layers, aligning the edges, so that the top side faces the jeans. Sew the fabric layers together, making sure to catch the zipper. 

Fold the two fabric layers away from the zipper and topstitch parallel to the zipper using Cotton 30 thread.

For the appliqué, transfer the crown template onto Thermofix. Roughly cut out the template and iron it onto the wrong side of the faux leather. Set your iron to a maximum of 2 dots; first test on a hidden area to see how your faux leather reacts.  

Be sure to cover everything well with silicone or baking paper while ironing. Cut out the crown precisely and fix it to the front of the patch pocket using KK100. Topstitch the crown close to the edge with Cotton 30. 

 Place the open zipper on the front according to the marked line in the pattern, with the finished pocket facing upwards.

Stitch the zipper open, close it, and fold it down. 

 Ideally, you should topstitch the patch pocket close to the edge along the bottom and both side edges, and trim it along the curves at the bottom edge to the size of the patch. 

Place the prepared patch on the corresponding lining piece, with the right side of the lining fabric facing down. Secure the patch to the lining, either with a few hand stitches or close to the edge with a topstitch, and trim the lining to the size of the patch.  

If you like, you can also sew an inside pocket onto the lining beforehand.

Sewing the Edge Trim & Zipper 

The surrounding ring for the edge consists of: • the bottom/side panel and • the zipper with the corresponding zipper tape. The total required finished length of the ring is 90 cm. 

Place the bottom/side panel on the batting (right side up) and both together on the lining piece (right side down). Secure the layers with KK100 spray adhesive. 

 Topstitch the strip with parallel lines at 1 cm intervals using Cotton 30 thread. Trim the lining and batting to the size of the jeans.

For the zipper facing, place one outer fabric piece and one lining piece right sides together. Slide the zipper between them, aligning the edges, so that the right side of the zipper is facing the outer fabric.  

Sew the fabric layers together, making sure to catch the zipper. Fold the two fabric layers away from the zipper and topstitch close to the edge, parallel to the zipper, using Cotton 30 thread. 

Slide the strip of fusible fleece between the denim and the lining fabric and secure the three layers with KK100 thread. Add a few more lines of topstitching with Cotton 30 to secure the layers. Trim the lining and fusible fleece to the size of the denim.

Cut the zipper facing to the same width (= 11 cm) as the bottom/side panel and sew everything together to form a ring. 

 

The seam allowance is 1 cm. To be sure, measure again to make sure it's actually 90 cm. Cover the visible seam with a piece of bias tape.

 

  Fix the fabric layers around the outside with a zigzag stitch; this way, nothing will shift later. Make 4 marks at equal intervals on the ring; these will make it easier to insert the ring-shaped edge.

Attach the ring to the prepared front panel, paying attention to the four markings. Make sure your zipper is open when inserting the ring. 

The rounded corners are easier to attach if you make small snips in the edge strip at the appropriate points and secure it with plenty of pins before sewing. 

Finish the visible seam on the inside of your backpack with bias tape.

Sewing the Straps and Handle 

For the two straps and the handle, fold the strips in half lengthwise and iron them well with steam. Unfold the strips again and fold the outer edges to the center of the ironed edge. Now iron well again with steam so the strip retains its shape. Fold both halves together and topstitch the two straps and the handle close to the edge along the outer edges using Cotton 30 thread. 

 Thread one end of each strap through the buckle, fold the open end over by about 5 cm, and sew the end securely. Thread a D-ring onto the strap.

Thread the open end of the strap back through the buckle. 

 Through the D-ring, thread a detached belt loop from the jeans, overlap the ends, and sew them securely. 

 This belt loop will later be used to attach the strap to the backpack.

Fold the two open long edges of the mounting strip for the strap and handle over about 3 cm to the back. Place the strip across the back, 6 cm from the top edge. 

Tuck the open ends of the handle and the strap under the strip and sew everything securely.

For both strap end holders (belt loops), fold the fabric along the 12 cm long edge of both pieces about 2 cm to the wrong side and baste the fold with a few hand stitches.  

Fold the fabric in half crosswise and sew along the fold line with Cotton 30 thread. Cut the fabric into a triangle using a ruler.

Attach the triangles to the prepared back piece, with the openings (where the strap ends will later be inserted) facing diagonally upwards.

Place the prepared back piece onto the corresponding lining piece, with the right side of the lining fabric facing down. Attach the back piece to the lining piece, either with a few hand stitches or with a close-to-the-edge seam, and trim the lining piece to the size of the back piece. If you like, you can sew an inner pocket onto the lining piece beforehand.

Insert the back piece into the surrounding ring and finish the open seam with bias tape.

Finishing: Turn the backpack right side out, insert the ends of the belt loop into the opening of the side triangles, and sew them securely.