Quick Purses You Can Make Yourself
Now fold the two pieces in half, equally. Stitch the sides together, then turn. This leaves the top of the purse open. Stitch in a zipper by starting with one side of the purse and one side of the zipper. Go to the other side and stitch the other half of the zipper. This makes a small clutch purse that can be any size you want, depending upon how large you cut the original rectangles.
You can make pockets to stitch to the outside front of the purse to allow you more room to store things. Cut simple squares, fold the top under and hem, then fold the sides and bottom under before stitching them to the purse. You can use denim for the purse then colored fabric for the pockets or you can also use pockets from a former garment to attach to the purse.
The purse can be carried as a clutch or you can add a strand of beads for a handle. You can also make a fabric handle and attach it to the side seams before stitching closed. A piece of leather belt could be used for the handle as well. And, the purses don’t have to be made of regular cloth; they can also be made from vinyl or suede.
For a similar but different purse, cut two rectangles once again, making them rather long this time. Sew the two pieces together, turn and stitch shut. Press. Fold one edge over, about two-thirds of the way up. This will form a purse with a flap that folds over and fastens. Stitch the two sides shut, leaving the flap open. Fold the flap over and use a snap, velcro or tie to hold shut. Pockets can be added to this purse as well.
Purses made from denim look great when you use fabric paints and other enhancements to decorate them. You can use sequin, piping, decorative buttons, pieces of leather, and other embellishments to make the purse look professionally made.
A totally different purse is made by, once again, cutting two rectangles of equal size. Trim the corners to make all sides more rounded. Place the two pieces, right sides together, under the presser foot and sew almost all the way around, leaving a small opening for turning. Turn the purse, stitch shut, and press.
Fold the fabric in half and sew the sides shut. Stitch a piece of quarter-inch elastic inside the top edge. Make sure you stitch the fabric down far enough to where it can’t be seen from the outside of the purse. The elastic will hold the purse shut to where the contents won’t spill yet will stretch to allow access to the inside. Instead of elastic you can hem the top edges and put in a set of drawstrings.
The above purse can also be made by originally cutting two circles rather than rectangles. After stitching the purse will have a shape like a half-circle. Add elastic, drawstring, velcro or even a zipper to close.
You’ll find all types of enhancements for your purse at a sewing department or craft store. Consider brass monograms, belt buckles, rub-on appliques, wooden beads and other embellishments. You’ll have so much fun making these purses that you’ll end up with one to match every outfit in your closet.
