A New Fall Purse

I had a cute decorator remnant fabric piece just ichin’ to become a purse for fall…  so I helped it out a bit!! 

I cut two outside bag pieces

15” by 14”.

I traced around a CD to round the upper corners.

Then I cut on the lines, then laid the pieces on the lining fabric

and cut two lining pieces out.

I measured 9” up from the bottom and made a little clip to mark where the top flaps will end the bag side will start.

Then I used the leftover scraps from the outer bag and the lining to cut out a big pocket (6” X 10”) for one side and

a smaller cell pocket (4” X 6”) for the other side.

Yogi was actively helping make all these design decisions…  in his dreams…

I sandwiched some batting between the outer and lining pieces and quilted the two sides with some awesome heavy variegated thread!

With right sides together, I sewed the each pocket to it’s lining and then turned them right sides out and top-stitched across the top of each, then pinned the bigger one to the lining side on one side and stitched all around the three sides then also stitched to subdivide it into 2 pockets.

And sewed the cell pocket on the other side.

Now, on to the strap!  I cut one 4” by 42” piece of outer bag fabric, and a piece of batting 1 1/2” wide by 42” long.

Press one long side under 1/2”, and the other long side under 1”.  Lay the batting strip down the middle next to the wider flap.

and fold the flap down over the batting…

Then fold the other side over and pin it.

Stitch down the pinned center edge, then down each long side.  Set aside for now.

With right sides together on the outer bag pieces, sew from the clipped mark on one side and all the way around to the clipped mark on the other side.  Do the same with the two lining pieces, but remember to leave a 5” opening in the bottom seam for turning it later.

Turn the outer bag right sides out and slip it into the lining bag, which should make them right sides together.  Pin around each top flap.

Trim and clip around each flap seam.

Now, carefully pull the outer bag body through the opening you left in the bottom of the lining.

Then stitch that opening closed.

Push the lining down into the bag body.

Pin all around the top flaps and

topstitch around both flaps.

To box the corners, align one side seam with the bottom seam, then measure down 2”…

Stitch across that line on both corners.

Then topstitch around the point.

These points will be folded up on each side and a button will be sewn on each through the bag body to hold the points flat against each side.

Back to the straps!  I used lining scraps to face each end of the strap- to make the ends pointed.

I stitched the facings with right sides together

Then flipped the facing to the wrong side!

Creating a point!  YAY!

Pin the strap ends onto the sides of the bag just below the flaps.

Carefully stitch through the bag at the strap ends.

Get out your button box and sew a button onto each strap end and bag points at bottom.

Soooo…  I had this pile of cool buttons out…

And Yogi was just brimming with excitement…

Soooo…. I sewed a few on one of the flaps… then a few more, and then a few more and then a few more!!  They are really cool buttons!!

So, VOILA!!  New fall bag done!!

Whatcha working on these days???