How to sew a cute girls purse

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Seeing it's September and sewing month, I've decided to try and enter the Sew5 challenge. It might motivate me to actually finish some projects I've had on the go for awhile...

I am crediting La Maison Reid's blog: but I did change a couple of things when I was making the purse. The size is a lot smaller as I wanted to make a little one as a tester. Also, the material used wasn't burlap or hessian as suggested in the pattern, just some scrap fabric that I had lying around. When I get around to making a full size one, I will use a gorgeous purple hessian cloth that I found at Fabric Barn with a nice matching pretty fabric for the lining too.

For the bottom of the purse:
Cut two of: outside fabric 25cmx13cm
lining fabric 25cmx13cm
I think in hindsight, I would have made this 30cm x 9 or 10cm for a nicer cut

Make 4 pleats along the top (front of fabric facing towards you) then pin and baste. Measure the top of the curve and make sure all pieces of material are the same width across! Do this for the lining and outside fabrics, front and back pieces.


I originally made 6 pleats in total but it ended up making the top opening part too small for my liking so the next one I make will only be two pleats on each side of the middle.

Using the measurements you made earlier (top of curve), cut two more pieces of each of the outside and lining fabrics. Mine measured 14cm wide and then you want the height to be 6cm. Pin your top piece to the bottom piece (right sides facing in towards each other) and sew following the curve at the top and easing it into place. Do this for the front and the back pieces then pin the front to the back (right sides together) and sew the edge seams. You should now have an outside piece and a lining to go inside.

This is the finished lining. Turn it inside out and place inside the outside piece.


Pin both top hems so they are the same height and make the straps ready to go inside.

I made my straps by cutting 2x pieces each of the outer and inner fabrics at 4cm x 24cm. Or you could make them all of the outer fabric. I put the right sides together, sewed down one edge, pressed then pressed the other edge to match and top stitched down both sides to make it even. but you can sew both sides (with right sides together) and simply turn right way out if you prefer doing it that way.

Put the straps between the lining and the outside and then sew all three layers together along the top of the purse.



Add a rosette (Click here or here to see how to make these) - I just inserted a layer of the lining material inside it before making and then glued it on with a glue gun.



And you're done!


Don't forget to check out La Maison Reid's blog for more info if you get stuck following the tutorial.