Transform Old Pants into a Shoe Tote Bag

If reuse, recycle, restyle is your mantra, you can transform an old pair of pants into a shoe bag with compartments.

Make a Shoe Tote Bag to Protect Your Shoe Investment

The legs of an old pair of pants can be restyled into a compartmented shoe bag, saving the expense of buying a new tote bag for shoes. Reusing the fabric also keeps a little bit of excess garbage out of the landfill.

Make sure the shoes slide inside the pants leg before cutting the pants. You will get the best result from pant legs made of lightweight fabric, but you can use pant legs made of thicker materials, such as denim, if desired. If you use pant legs made of heavy fabric, you will need a heavy duty sewing machine.

What You'll Need to Make a Compartmented Shoe Bag

• 1 old pair of pants
• Straight pins
• Shoes
• Ruler or yardstick
• Fabric marking pencil or tailor's chalk
• Scissors
• Sewing machine
• 4 grommets and grommet tool
• 1 yard drawstring (estimate)

How to Make a Shoe Tote Bag

1. Turn the pants right side out. Line up the side and inner seams so you are looking at a side view of the pants. Make sure the hems are straight.
2. Fold the center front and center back of the hem 1 inch inward. You can just tuck or push the fabric in with your fingertip. The fold will allow a little bit of extra ease, or space, when you put your shoes in the bag.
3. Pin the pants legs closed and the folds together, right on or just above the hems.
4. Place one of the shoes on top of the pants, 3 inches from the pinned, hemmed end.
5. Measure 6 inches past the heel of the shoe and make a mark, using the fabric marking pen. Then place the yardstick or ruler horizontally across the pant legs and draw a straight line. For most pants, you will only need to mark the top layer of fabric. Set the shoe aside.
6. Cut the pants legs off, using the scissors and following the drawn line.
7. Sew the folded hems together, through all of the layers of fabric. If the material is too thick to go through your machine, sew just above the hem where the material is thinner. Remove the pins.
8. Set the sewing machine to make a finishing stitch, then sew around each cut leg opening. Fold the edges under 1/2 inch. Set the machine back on a straight stitch. Sew around the leg openings again, stitching right on top of the finishing stitches.
9. Fold the center front and center back folds the rest of the way up the legs, until you reach the top edge. Pin the inner folds of fabric on each side together.
10. Sew the center front 1/4 inch from the folded, pinned edges, starting 3 inches from the closed-off hemline. Do not sew through the outer folded layers that are not pinned. Repeat on the center back.
11. Position a grommet on each outer section of fabric just below the top, finished edge. Center the grommets in the outer parts of the fabric. Use the grommet tool to set the grommets.
12. Feed the drawstring through the grommets, and tie the ends together in a tight knot.

More than four grommets can be used for a tightly closed bag, but four is the minimum you can use without the shoes falling out. Fewer grommets will leave a droopy, uneven opening.

Copyright Laure Justice. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication. Originally Published on Suite101.