This is where purse sewing all began for me. About a year ago, I discovered that I had accumulated a rather large box of remnants. The remnants were, I judged, too large to throw away, but too small for any projects. Then I began wondering what kinds of projects used small pieces of fabric. I googled terms such as "small fabric projects." (Yes, I laugh now at my lack of ideas and lack of terminology!) I soon learned that the phrase I needed was "stash buster." So I googled "stash buster ideas," and came across all sorts of purses. I looked through a number of free patterns online, determined to find one that did not require me to make any purchases. The whole point of this project was to use what I already had in my sewing box, and in my box of off-cuts. This one seemed to fit the bill.....
http://www.sewmamasew.com/media/blog/SMSSimplePartyClutch.pdf
I didn't know what Peltex was. At that point, I had only ever used two different types of interfacing.... the first was the very thin kind, which is on a permanent sale at Fabricland for $0.99 per metre in a bag. The second isn't really interfacing at all, but is used as stiffening in Highland Dancing jackets and waistcoats; it's actually cotton canvas. Having made a few Highland dancing jackets and waistcoats, in the recent past, my box of off-cuts included cotton canvas.
I also didn't have a magnetic snap, but I did have a number of regular snaps, and figured I'd just use a largish one of those, and hope it works out.
So, I was all set! The fabric I selected was a remnant of a blazer, skirt, and hat that I made as a Church outfit. It's called "crepella," and is one of the nicest fabrics I have ever sewn. I have no idea what it's made of, but if you encounter it, I recommend it for any of the aforementioned projects.
So, my purse... here it is!
Okay, so you'll see I have a few variations here. Firstly, the strap is longer. That's purely a matter of personal preference. I wear my purses cross-body, so I made the strap longer. Secondly, I added a bow. (That was actually my reject one that I originally made for my Church hat, but didn't quite have the heart to discard, so it became a purse decor item!) See, nothing ever wasted!!
Then you'll see my co-ordinating pieces :) I made a little coin purse and a card purse to match. The coin purse is the simplest thing ever: it consists of two pieces of exterior (blue) fabric (each lined with a piece of white fabric, and a zipper, with a seam at the top and bottom (so, yes, there are rough edges inside). The card folder is constructed similarly, but has a piece of boning in either side of the top, so that it sort of snaps open and closed. I didn't use patterns for either of those; they were just more or less to complete my set, and because I just HAPPENED to have a white zipper and two pieces of off-cuts of boning in that length in my box of remnants. (I needed two zippers for other projects, but Fabricland sells three for $0.99, so I bought a white one, too, and it came in useful, as you can tell).
So, that more or less got me hooked on purses! What started off as a "what can I do with my pretty off-cuts?" became a year-long love of sewing purses. (Except now I've actually invested in some purse-making supplies..... magnetic snaps, more zippers, and, my recent friend, PELTEX!) Maybe I should give this Party Clutch another go with the right stuff!
As an aside, that was an extraordinary use of four metres of crepella fabric.... blazer, skirt, hat, clutch purse, zippered coin pouch, and card pouch. I'd admired that fabric for a few months before it finally came on sale (I was NOT prepared to pay $22 per metre!!)
As always, I welcome questions, comments, etc. below :)
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