I have some cute little clutch bags and little bags that require 'holding', in the sense of constant, conscious effort to carry them around. Although I don't go out on the town super often I have been thinking it would be nice to have a bag of a similar size to a clutch but with a long strap to wear across my body so I dont have to carry a bag, and a drink, and wave my hands in the air like I just dont care all at the same time. :)
I had made some little practise bags with cos fabric on the outside (from when my sister, as a teenager, had wanted a cow print mini skirt but never made) and an old Debenhams work shirt for the lining, but without zip or strap. So I made up a new one.
Et Voila:
They're super easy to make- as a purse or simple bag. Decide how big you want your bag- for example 10cm x 10cm- and cut out two pieces in your outer fabric this size and two the same in your lining. Then place a lining piece face up, the zip on top (lined up with the top edge of your lining), then a piece of outer fabric face down on top of that. So you have a zip sandwich, but you shouldn't be able to see the zip :) It can be confusing to work out what should go where and which way up so pin the zip in place then flip the outer fabric over and see how it looks. Then sew in place, then do the same for the other side of the zip.
Then open the zip (this is important for later on). Then move both pieces of outer fabric to one side, and the lining to the other and sew around the edges of each (the fabric will be right sides together for this). But leave a 2" gap at the bottom of one of the side seams in the lining. If you want any kind of strap now's the time to put it in. For the shoulder strap on my bag above I left two gaps in the tops of the side seams in the outer fabric then I fed the strap through these holes (remember your bag is inside out as you sew it so you need to push you strap through to the other side which will become the outside) so only the very ends were visible and then sewed them into the seams.
Now use the hole you left in the lining to turn the bag inside out, and then put the lining inside the bag. And it should all look pretty and finished off. You can either hand sew the hole in the lining or just leave it if its not too noticable. But for a purse you may find money disappearing into the lining occasionally!
I had made some little practise bags with cos fabric on the outside (from when my sister, as a teenager, had wanted a cow print mini skirt but never made) and an old Debenhams work shirt for the lining, but without zip or strap. So I made up a new one.
Et Voila:
They're super easy to make- as a purse or simple bag. Decide how big you want your bag- for example 10cm x 10cm- and cut out two pieces in your outer fabric this size and two the same in your lining. Then place a lining piece face up, the zip on top (lined up with the top edge of your lining), then a piece of outer fabric face down on top of that. So you have a zip sandwich, but you shouldn't be able to see the zip :) It can be confusing to work out what should go where and which way up so pin the zip in place then flip the outer fabric over and see how it looks. Then sew in place, then do the same for the other side of the zip.
Then open the zip (this is important for later on). Then move both pieces of outer fabric to one side, and the lining to the other and sew around the edges of each (the fabric will be right sides together for this). But leave a 2" gap at the bottom of one of the side seams in the lining. If you want any kind of strap now's the time to put it in. For the shoulder strap on my bag above I left two gaps in the tops of the side seams in the outer fabric then I fed the strap through these holes (remember your bag is inside out as you sew it so you need to push you strap through to the other side which will become the outside) so only the very ends were visible and then sewed them into the seams.
Now use the hole you left in the lining to turn the bag inside out, and then put the lining inside the bag. And it should all look pretty and finished off. You can either hand sew the hole in the lining or just leave it if its not too noticable. But for a purse you may find money disappearing into the lining occasionally!
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