RENCONTRE AVEC LUBA DUBIL｜ créatrice de sacs

Luba Dubil is the creative mind behind Home Junkie, an independent England-based business dedicated to transforming old denim into one-of-a-kind bags. With a passion for sustainability and a love of design, Luba gives forgotten fabrics a second life—ensuring that no two bags are ever the same.

Luba is also a member of our Denim Upcyclers. Her posts consistently get great engagement, and many group members have become fans of her bags. We started chatting after a small issue with one of her posts, and I could immediately sense her kindness. She even offered to send me one of her bags as a gift—a first for me! I felt a bit uncomfortable accepting it, so I suggested this interview and blog post in exchange 😊

The whole experience was amazing, even though I definitely need to work on my interviewing skills (lol)!

In the interview, Luba answered all the denim upcyclers FAQ:

What type of jeans does she use?
How does she deconstruct them?
What interfacing does she prefer?
What tools and sewing machines does she use?
How does she make those beautiful bag handles?

I was astounded when Luba told me she had only been sewing—and making bags—for one year! The interview is super inspiring, and packed with valuable tips. I highly recommend watching it.

Link to the video

But if you're more of a reader, here’s a summary of the key points we covered:

Luba's bags

When it comes to design, Luba has a few go-to shapes that she reuses, mainly totes and duffle bags. She usually starts with the back pockets of a pair of jeans, cuts out a large square around them, and uses that as the main piece for her bags. For wider bags, she adds extra sections, lays everything out on the table, and starts playing with pockets, belt loops, buttons—moving things around until the design feels right.

The fun she has during this creative process is truly palpable—and it shines through in her playful, one-of-a-kind designs.

Luba’s Denim Stash

Let’s be honest, we upcyclers are often low-key denim hoarders 😅 I’m always curious about other people’s stashes! Luba’s seemed surprisingly contained (although I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a few more bundles hidden under the bed 👀). Most of her collection is made up of non-stretch, 100% cotton jeans, which she prefers to work with. She has worked with stretch denim before, but finds it less satisfying to sew.

Luba’s Favorite Deconstructing Tools

When I asked Luba about her favorite tools for taking jeans apart, her first answer was: scissors. But not just any scissors—her favorites are all-metal scissors from Japan, she swears by them.
She also uses a traditional plastic seam ripper, but also use a finger curved blade, she mentioned that blade to be very handy and assured that you did not need to change the blade too often.
She also uses a thread snipper which is always handy. The tool I was the most surprised about is a nail file. She uses it to frays the denim edges which I thought was brilliant.

Sewing scissors (Amazon link)
Traditional seam ripper (Amazon link)
Curved blade seam ripper (Amazon link)
Thread snips (Amazon link)
Nail file (Amazon link)

Luba’s Sewing Machines

Luba started sewing just one year ago, with second-hand vintage Singer Melodie 20 gifted by a friend. It handles multiple layers of denim like a champ! Recently, she treated herself to a Singer Heavy Duty, which she loves just as much.
The main difference? Speed and power—the newer machine has a stronger motor. She now uses both: one is threaded for linings, and the other for denim.

Singer Heavy Duty (Amazon link)

Luba’s Sewing Space

Luba set up her sewing room in her home’s guest bedroom after her children moved out last year. The space is filled with thrifted and upcycled furniture, and her denim stash lives in a big plastic bin. She has a large table by a window for layout and design, and a second table beside it for sewing.
On one side, there’s her Singer Melodie 20, a pile of second-hand thread spools, and a rivet press, which she also uses to flatten thick denim layers before sewing. Her newer Singer Heavy Duty sits at the back.
According to her: “It’s always chaos in this room!”

Presse à rivet (Amazon link)

Luba’s Interfacing Choices

Luba uses two types of interfacing:

A stiff interfacing called Decovil (Amazon link) which she attaches to denim using spray glue (she prefers this over fusible interfacing with heat). * "It seems that in Canada and the United States, the company is called Vilene. I haven’t found the version without the fusible backing. If you try this product, I recommend buying a small quantity to test it first."
A fluffier, thicker interfacing that offers volume but remains flexible.

Let’s Talk Bag Handles

For bag handles, Luba uses faux leather that she thrifted, and they look amazing. To make them sturdy, she inserts denim side seams inside—genius, right?
She hand-sews the handles onto the bags using thick waxed thread, giving the finish a very high-end, artisanal look.