Ladies spend a lot of money buying different purses of various colors. But you can save a lot of money if you know how to sew a purse on your own. Once you learn the art, you can make a custom purse of different colors, materials, and sizes as you may please. Therefore, I will teach you to make your custom purse in this article.
Making a purse might look difficult to learn and do, but it becomes a lot easier when you learn it step-by-step from a mentor. I have tried to use the same step-by-step technique along with pictorial representation. In this article, I will stitch a stylish bag with fixed belts and an inner pocket. So just jump onto it.
Things you need
Before you start, here is a complete list of things you need to arrange to make a purse from scratch.
- Outer layer fabric
- Inner lining
- Interface cloth
- Wall fiber tape
- Zippers
- Paper
- Ribbon / Piping
- Ruler/measuring tape
Step-by-Step Procedure for Making a Purse
Step 1. Preparing Pattern
First, you need to take a piece of paper and make marks on it, as shown in the figure. After making the markings, you need to cut out the paper in the marked dimensions. These cuttings would work as stencils for your purse-making project.
Step 2. Cutting the Fabrics
Now you need to use the paper stencils to cut out the fabric of the given dimensions. Cut 2 pieces of outer fabric, 2 pieces of lining, and 4 pieces of interfacing cloth for the body sides and bottom. You can use different colors for the bottom outer fabric to make a contrast.
Step 3. Preparing the Outer Body of the Purse
Now we will prepare the outer purse body. First, we need to attach the interfacing to the back of the cloth for the body. For this, you need to iron the lining on the back of the respective cloth.
Then we need to paste the wall fiber tape on the lining. Make sure you cut out all excessive tape and make it neat and clean.
Now we will attach another layer of interfacing cloth over that with the help of iron.
Do the same for the body, sides, and bottom.
Step 4. Preparing the Belt
Now we can prepare the belt. To give a contrast to the belt, we would use two different colors for the belt. I am using black and pink, while you can choose your own.
First wrap the fabric around the stencil and iron it to give it a clear crease. Do the same for the contrast cloth.
Now place one side of the belt cloth inside another side of the belt cloth and sew them together.
Now you can sew the belts on the bag as shown in the figure. Also, cut out the excessive parts of the belt.
Step 5. Preparing Pocket in the Lining
We would also attach one pocket inside our purse. You need to cut a lining fabric of appropriate pocket dimensions for this. Sew a zipper between the edges of that lining, as shown in the figure. If you don’t know how to sew a zipper, you can watch the video at the end.
Now to give the zipper an appropriate position in the pocket, you can stitch the pocket as marked in the figure.
Now you need to make an opening for the pocket zipper on one of the body linings. Place the opening onto the zipper and attach it with pins. Now you can sew the pocket in the lining.
Step 6. Preparing Main Zipper
Now take the main zipper and wrap the closed end of the zipper inside a piece of fabric. You can use the same fabric as that of your outer body.
Now sew the fabric with the zipper and close the edges of the fabric. Make sure that you only sew the bottom of the zipper with the fabric and not the sides.
Now turn the fabric inside out, and it will look like this.
Step 7. Preparing the Sides
Now we need to attach the ribbon on the sides. You can either use a ribbon or piping. 1 have used ¼” ribbon in my project.
Place the ribbon such that it sandwiches the body and lining inside the ribbon. After that, pin the ribbon before sewing. Now you need to sew the ribbon. Do this for both sides.
Step 8. Assembling all the Parts
Now the only thing left is to assemble the parts and sew them together.
First, pin the sides onto one of the body fabrics along with the zipper. The arrangement is shown in the figure.
Then sew them together. And cut out the excess fabric from the zipper.
Do the same for the other side. Now pin the bottom fabric to the bottom opening of the purse and sew it together.
Then sew a ribbon onto the bottom edges of the purse.
Now all you need to do is to turn the purse inside out, and your bag is ready to be used.
Final Result
Here is the final form in which your purse will look like.
Concluding Remarks
Now, I hope that you have not only made your first purse but have also learned how to make a purse on your own. So, go ahead and try the same technique for making purses of different sizes and designs. You can also use a different material for the body to add more flavors to your designs and colors.
Hello, My name is Malinda Spicer. in my 10th grade, my granny gifted me a mechanical sewing machine. Since then, my whole life revolves around sewing. I made my hobby into a profession by getting a professional degree in fashion designing. I had learned quite well about sewing in the past 20 years. I hope to be of help by sharing these experiences and expert advice with my fellow sewers.