Sew Powerful Purses # 146-147 for 2026

Here are 2 purses made from scraps of denim jeans I had leftover from making purses. I used all scraps and covered in tulle and quilted the pieces. After quilting, I added rickrack or gimp braid, yarn couching, buttons, and a Handmade label. A Shabby Chic look? Donating these to Sew Powerful Purse Project.

Various colors of denim scraps in this one.

On the back I added this flower that I cut from an old felted sweater.

Close up of the wool felted flower. The center felt circles were not wool. I snipped all around the lavender circle to make it look like fringe.

Here is the 2nd purse, also using a variety of colored denim scraps. I used a gimp braid on this one, along with yarn couching.

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purses #143-145 for 2026

3 more purse to donate to Sew Powerful Purse Project. These 3 were great scrap buster flaps! But alas, I end up with just as many scraps after cutting the purse body and lining fabrics 😬😄.

I LOVE how this flap turned out! I used 2" squares to create the strawberry. I might reduce the strawberry next time as it is a wee bit too large, but it works. I like the large dramatic strawberry.

Here you can see the whole strawberry as well as the scrappy pieced denim blue jeans scraps that I made the purse body out of.

More patchwork on an entire flap. I placed the same fabric on a diagonal row

                                                                 for each print I used. 

The flap lining is a patchwork print and the purse body is bright plaid.

A four-patch on point with scrappy fabrics all around. The same purse body as the purse above.

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purses #64-68 for 2026

5 more purses completed to donate to Sew Powerful Purse Project.

Scrappy pieced rectangles.

This was a Spiderweb quilt block I had that I turned into a purse flap.

Another heart finished for the February challenge at the Sew Powerful Facebook group.

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purses #55-57 for 2026

3 more finished purses to donate to Sew Powerful Purse Project. 2 with appliqué and one is scrappy pieced. 

Scrappy upcycled denim jeans for the flaps with added appliqué, ribbons and buttons.

Scrappy pieced bee fabrics. I stitched the button on like a little flower with embroidery floss, but the white beads are inside this button and that makes it an interesting looking button.

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purses #49-54 for 2026

6 More purses to donate to Sew Powerful Purse Project. Some with appliqué hearts, some with the word LOVE on them, some quilting, some rickrack and ribbons and flower appliqué added, some with batik fabric, commercial fabric and some upcycled denim jeans.

Upcycled denim jean flaps with ribbons, rickrack, appliqué word, Love, & a flower.

These flaps I used scraps of denim from upcycled denim jeans. The flap on the left I added tulle over the flap and quilted it first before appliquéing the heart. The flap on the right I stitched the scraps and using a zigzag stitch and then added ribbons and rickrack over the joined pieces. I much prefer the tulle overlay and quilted flap. The ribbon was a bit much in the end, but I thought I would give it a go and see how it turned out. I do have lots of ribbons too, so that was another reason to try this. I made another one at the same time as I made this flap as you can see below.

2 more scrappy pieced hearts that I appliquéd to the flaps and then added rickrack all around. Both flaps were started like the other denim flap above, with the denim scraps, tulle and quilting. 

These were finished in February, so I will add them to the Love is in the Air album on the Sew Powerful Facebook page for the monthly challenge. 

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purses #506-507 for 2025

I had fun playing with the leftover scraps of denim that I had from making purses from upcycled denim jeans. The decorative stitches add a nice touch to the flap, along with some buttons and hotfix crystals. I even made the other purse body pieces using up scraps of the denim as well. All will be donated to Sew Powerful Purse Project.

Upcycled denim jean scraps and decorative machine stitches to create purse flap.

Upcycled denim scraps from jeans for purse body along with decorative machine stitches.

Scrappy pieced flap and appliqué curved center with decorative machine stitches.

Zentangle piece I made years ago that I used for the flap lining.

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purses #360-361 (for 2025)

These 2 purses were made with donated panels that I added scraps to make the flaps large enough. I used denim jeans for one purse.

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purses #159-162 (2025)

3 Scrappy selvage flaps and a scrappy pieced flap all paired with denim jeans that have been upcycled into purses. Donated to Sew Powerful Purse Project to some sweet girls in Zambia.

Selvage scrappy flaps.

Back pockets.

One selvage flap and one scrappy pieced flap.

Front jean pockets for an added front pocket.

Always fun to use the back denim jean pockets for an additional pocket.

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purses #157-158 (2025)

2 more purses donated to Sew Powerful Purse Project. Using up more scraps and upcycled denim jeans for purse bodies.

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purses #154-156 (2025)

3 More Sew Powerful purses to donate. I loved using up some of my fabric scraps to make these purse flaps. Paired with denim jeans that I upcycled into to purse bodies.

Scrappy purse flaps.

Denim jeans that were upcycled into these purses.

Back side all with pockets.

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purses #151-152 (2025)

2 more selvage purse flaps paired with upcycled denim blue jeans for the purse bodies. These were donated to Sew Powerful Purse Project. I upcycled both the selvage fabric edges as well as using denim jeans that I upcycled into the purse bodies. Waste not want not 😄. I hope the girls who receive these enjoy them. I really wanted to use up the denim jeans and selvages that I had on hand and this is a great project for using them both!

Pin It Now!