I’ve needed a new purse for quite some time now (the old one was literally falling apart) and had decided to make one myself since I couldn’t find anything I really liked in the store. I looked online for patterns, but once again I didn’t find anything that was “just right”. So what did this creative gal do? Well I designed my own purse from scratch of course!
First I had to decide what materials to use for the body and lining. I intend for this purse to last a long time, so I wanted something durable. I remembered some teal blue car upholstery fabric I’d been given a few years ago and when I unearthed that swatch of fabric I also found a bit of navy blue fabric as well. I love this stuff! It’s tough, but really soft and not too difficult to hand stitch (not nearly as hard as stitching leather).
I also repurposed a small round purse (too small to be of practical use) with a the word LOVE in green leather on blue suede. I carefully cut the applique out and ended up using the zipper as well. It turned out to be just the right length. I really didn’t want to have to go to the store or buy anything to make this if I didn’t have to. And it seemed like just the right things came to me as I need them.
This cute cat charm is one example of finding just the right piece, just when I needed it. I was going through my stash of beads and things looking for something to use as a zipper pull. I had a handful of “maybes”, and then I found this cat charm, which I’ve had for many years, and I knew I’d finally found the perfect use for it. I mean, it even has a blue belly!
I used a pretty pink fabric for the lining. I’ve learned that it’s so much easier to find things if a purse has a light colored lining. Even a small purse can turn into a black hole when it’s got a dark lining- things just disappear into the deep dark depths! I added two interior pockets with Velcro closures. This purse is roomy enough to hold everything I need without being too big and bulky. I’m just not into purses that could double as luggage 😉 It measures about 8″ long and 6″ tall.
I used the teal blue fabric for the sides and outer pocket and the navy blue for the bottom and the strap. Hand stitching the thick leather LOVE logo to the front pocket (which also has a Velcro closure) was a slow and somewhat painful process, but I was determined! I also reused the hardware from my old purse to attach the strap to this one. And that strap took a LONG time to stitch by hand!
And I had a deadline for completion of this little project. I had an event to attend and I really wanted to have the purse done in time. I hadn’t planned the outfit and the purse ahead of time, but it totally worked out 😉 I managed to get the purse done ONE day before my deadline, and even though my poor fingers were still hurting days later I was really happy with the way it came out. It’s actually pretty rare for me to make something for myself (I’m usually too busy making gifts or things to sell online). But when I do make something for myself I make sure it’s exactly what I want and perfectly suited to my needs: not too big, not too small, the right amount of pockets in the right size, the right color and decorations- something that makes me smile when I use it 🙂 I took my time creating the pattern for this, trying and rejecting several paper patterns before refining the size and shape to perfection. It was challenging but fun. Figuring out how to make the lining and install the zipper took some time, but I think it came out pretty good. And the zipper works even better than the one on my old store bought purse. I really am pleased with this one, and it’s something I’ll get a lot of use out of.
Thanks for sharing another of my creative adventures!
~Michelle
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