Denim Hipster

It's been a while since I shared a tutorial...so long, in fact, that I can't remember what the last one was. A scarf? A necklace? Either way, I figure we're due for another one. And, by coincidence, my weekly blog challenge is to post a "tute". Ain't it funny how things work out like that...

This project came about after I had removed the legs from a pair of jeans (to repurpose into a yoga mat bag and two purses). I had used one of the pockets on my mat bag and was left with the second pocket and waistband. 15 minutes or so later, I had a handy pouch to hold my Blackberry and ID!



1. cut pocket area from pre-loved jeans, leaving a 1” flap along the top edge and cutting close to the edge of the sides and bottom of the pocket itself.
2. cut-off waistband. (I like to leave a few frayed-bits/threads, but you may trim these off.)
3. decide where on the band you would like your pocket. (I have placed mine about 8” from one of the ends.) With a seam ripper, open the bottom edge of the waist band seam – about 1” wider than the top width of your pocket.
4. insert the flap of denim that you left at the top of the pocket into the opening in the waistband and pin into place. (Make sure that the top of the pocket front is not tucked into the opening!)
5. top-stitch through the waistband and pocket flap, following the original line of stitching.
6. embellish pocket as desired with buttons, pins, paint, studs…
7. Note: I like to wear mine quite low on my hips, but if your waistband is much larger than your hips, or you want to wear it higher, feel free to add additional buttons or a buckle to fasten.

The Suitcase Desk

To make a long story short – I bought a new (tiny) laptop and needed a new (tiny) desk.



With limited open real estate on our main floor, the desk had to meet the following conditions:
- it had to take up very little space
- it had to be easily moved or tucked-away
- it had to provide storage
- it had to be cute

I had mulled over a few options, including narrow bookcases with shelf extenders, folding wall-mounted tables, and re-purposing my already re-purposed antique sewing machine/dressing table. Nothing seemed exactly *right*, though, so I kept searching.



As it turned out, the solution was right under my nose all along. Or, rather, it was at the bottom of my stairs…in the form of my Nana’s old hard-side suitcase. Small? Yup. Portable? Uh-huh. Storage? Yes’m. Cute? And how!



Once I decided that it would be my new laptop desk, the conversion of the suitcase itself was a fairly easy and inexpensive process. I already had an IKEA folding table to sacrifice for its legs, so all I needed to purchase was a few short lengths of pine for the inner structure, a piece of ¾” MDF for the desk top, angle brackets, hinges and some paint.



With measurements in hand, I made one short (by my standards) trip to Home Depot where I was able to pick up all of the things on my list AND have my wood cut to size. Back at home, all I had to do was remove the legs from the folding table and attach them to the “deep” side of the suitcase, and build the desk insert. By using a few time-saving techniques (hello, angle brackets!), I was able to complete the entire project (including painting!) within a couple hours.



I think it turned out pretty darned cute and I am over-the-moon by how functional it is. Not only is it the perfect size for working, it keeps all of the computer cables and junk tucked away and easily accessible, thanks to the hinged desk-top. As a bonus, it closes up to hide my laptop when I’m not using it and can be locked-up to keep all of my secrets secret! The only thing that I plan to add is a small notice-board in the lid to organize notes and photos…and then it will be *perfect*.



I think Nana would be proud.