I was in the mood to make another dainty-looking purse again ^w^ This time I made use of some tiny scraps such for the corner patches, while the top section is made from the last bit of faux suede paisley that I’ve had since high school! I used it to make a long jacket initially, and I’ve been using the leftovers for other little crafts ever since. I’m kind of a sucker for putting together purple and gray, so the rest of the details for this purse just came together from there. I wanted something that looked a little feminine but also classy :B

Difficulty:

While the techniques are basic (pleats, straps, lining, etc.) there are a lot of them, so take it one step at a time if you’re green.
Makes one purse that is 10” wide, 8” tall, and about 3” deep

Materials & Tools:
• ½ yd. of medium to heavyweight fabric for main fabric (canvas or twill would be perfect – I used interfaced linen)
• ¼ yd. of medium to heavyweight fabric for contrast top and corner patches (canvas or twill would be perfect – I used faux suede)
• ½ yd. of lightweight fabric for lining (I used quilting cotton)
• Matching sewing thread
• Basic sewing tools (sewing machine, scissors, iron, needles, pins, fabric marker, seam ripper)

Before you begin:
1. Print out the project pattern here
2. Assemble the pattern pieces, see the page here for more help
3. Lay out the pattern pieces on your fabric and cut them out
4. Mark the fabric pieces with the markings from the pattern

1. First we’re preparing the corner patches for the purse. Start by grabbing one of your corner patch pieces from your contrast fabric and the lining fabric. Line up their raw edges and sew them together along the curved edge. Leave the straight and notched edges free, as those don’t need to be sewn. When you finish, trim the seam allowances then turn the piece right side out and press it nice and flat. Repeat this with the remaining corner pieces until you have 4 completed corners.

2. Now to attach the corners to your purse. Simply line up the notched edges of your corner pieces with that of the front side of your purse. The right sides should both be facing up. Pin the corner piece in place, then edge stitch around the curved edge, so now the corner is permanently affixed. Repeat the same thing with your other corner pieces and the remaining corners of your bag for both the front and back side.

3. Up next are the pleats at the top of the purse. The pleats are created by folding one marked area of your purse towards another – this is indicated in the pattern guidelines. I chose to keep the pleats in place by matching up the lines, then sewing them in place about 1” or so from the top edge. When you finish, be sure to iron the tops of the folds to complete the pleated look.

4. With the pleats completed, you can now add the top section of your purse. Line up the bottom edge of your purse top piece with the top edge of your purse bottom. You’ll know that you have it right when the single notch marks match up properly. When everything is all lined up, sew the two edges together to create the top contrast section for your purse. The front and back of your purse are now practically complete!

5. With the front and back of your purse looking good, you can now sew up the sides and bottom. Line your front and back pieces up, matching up the raw edges with right sides together. Sew down the side and bottom edges of the purse, leaving the top edge free and also skipping over the corners, as we’ll be sewing those next.

6. To create the corners, fold your bag diagonally so the side seams and bottom seams match up at the corner openings. When you do so, the raw edges should line up nicely. Sew along this raw edge to create some depth for your bag.
This is where you’ll want to go back and repeat steps 3-6 with your lining pieces. Except during step 5 remember to leave an opening in the bottom seam of your lining as the pattern indicates for turning the purse right side out later.

7. With your outer purse and lining all complete, you can now sew them together along the top edge. Nestle the outer bag into the lining with right sides together, then match up the raw edges along the top. Sew all the way around the perimeter of this edge. Turn your purse right side out through the opening in the lining, then press the top seam of your purse so it’s nice and crisp.

8. To keep the top edge looking crisp, sew an edge stitch around the perimeter of the top edge of the bag.

9. This is where you’ll want to go back and sew the opening in your lining closed. You can do so with a hand-sewn ladder stitch, or a quick machine edge stitch as I’ve done here.

10. With your main purse complete, you can now move onto the straps! Start by sewing your strap pieces together with right sides facing. Be sure to leave the large opening in one side as the pattern indicates for turning the strap right side out. When you finish, trim the seam allowances, then turn the strap right side out with a chopstick or similar turning tool, being sure to get the points nice and crisp. Turn under the seam allowances in the opening, then iron the strap flat. Repeat this with your last 2 strap pieces to create 2 completed straps.

11. To keep your straps looking nice and crisp, you’ll want to edge stitch around the perimeter of your strap. This will also close up the opening you left before for turning the strap right side out. Your straps are now complete! All that’s left is to attach them to the purse.

12. To attach your straps to the purse, simply line up the end of one strap along the pattern guidelines indicated for the top of your purse. Sew around the perimeter of the small overlapping area. Sew the other end of the strap to the other pattern guideline on the same side of the purse. Then repeat this all over again with your second strap and the other side of your purse. Now go show this off someplace fancy because YOU’RE DONE!

It felt so good getting to use up those last little bits of scraps that I had held onto for so many years. Do you think they came together well? Let me know in the comments!
I hope you enjoy making this project, but if you’d rather have the one from the photos, you can purchase it from my Etsy.
And if you do try making the project, I’d love to see it! And I’ll send you exclusive free patterns as a reward!

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