Morning everyone! I am still on my crusade to show you cute and modern pattern ideas to use all of those scraps – and not only scraps of fabric but scraps of interfacing too. Sewing things are not free as a rule and even if they do cost us nothing in actual money, they cost resources and throwing them out costs the planet. Nope, we have these things so let’s find creative ways to use ’em!
Today, I would love to show you an easy pattern to make a little pouch. My focus this time is on foam interfacing. My choice is Vlieseline Style-vil (I cannot think of the last time that I DIDN’T use it in a make!) and I have a lot of off-cuts. They are not small enough to throw away and mostly they are not large enough for a major project. So I am faced with either facing facts and getting rid of them which feels like the waste that it is or just allowing them to build up to ridiculous amounts and clutter my sewing room.
Foam interfacing is the bee’s knees and I use it constantly. But it is difficult to join together to make a larger piece and I am never completely happy with the results to be honest. So that means we need to think of small things to make.
This project is a variation of a camera case that I made about five years ago for a company that I collaborate with in Britain. There are no zippers to do battle with and three easy pattern pieces. The lining will be perfect because it is stretched on, sewn and then the purse has external binding. It finishes with a snap stud closure. I don’t use mine as an actual camera case (although you could) but it is perfect for just about anything small that you need to carry around or to keep tidy in a drawer. Phone charger cables for example. I absolutely HATE cords which insist on doing their own thing in a drawer! A little purse like this is the answer. Shall we get started then?
What do we need…
These amounts are to make the smaller purse. If you scroll all the way down, the sizes are there for the larger navy one too.
- a scrap of fairly sturdy fabric (canvas or denim for example) 5 1/2″ wide x 10″ long for the main part of the purse and two scraps 2 1/2″ wide x 3″ long for the sides (these do not have to match the main part of the purse either). A Fat Eighth or a Fat Quarter is perfect too. If you have a fat quarter, you can make matching binding.
- some scraps of pure cotton for the lining. These need to be exactly the same size as the outer panels.
- a couple of scraps of foam interfacing. I love Style-vil by Vlieseline. See the cutting list for size guides and measure your scraps to see which one fits best
- a snap stud to close
- a small piece (another scrap) of leather or vegan leather about 1 1/4″ wide x 3″ long (optional)
- 24″ bias binding cut 1 1/2″ wide. You can use shop bought too if you like. We often have leftovers of this. Remember that scraps can breed anywhere!
Cutting List:
From the outer fabric:
- 1 piece 5″ wide x 9 1/2″ long for the main outer panel
- 2 pieces 2″ wide x 2 3/4″ long for the side outer panels
From the lining:
- 1 piece 5″ wide x 9 1/2″ long for the main lining panel
- 2 pieces 2″ wide x 2 3/4″ long for the side lining panels
From the leather or vegan leather (if using):
- 1 piece 1″ wide x 2 1/2″ long
From the Style-vil foam interfacing:
- 1 piece 6″ – 6 1/2″ wide x 10 1/2″ – 11″ long for the main panel interfacing
- 2 pieces 3″ – 3 1/2″ wide x 3″- 4″ long for the side panel interfacing
Press your scraps and trim them. If you are using a canvas or bark cloth (as I am), you can add a whisper thin fusible interfacing to the back to stop them from fraying. This is especially appreciated when you are dealing with small pieces. I am using Vlieseline G740 (sounds like a major political summit!) which is a really light fusible interfacing almost like gauze or cheesecloth.
As you can see, the foam interfacing needs to be that little bit bigger to allow the fabric to stretch onto the foam. You don’t want to run off the edge of the interfacing. If you are used to using this product and not really a beginner, you can get away with far less. Have a play.
Let’s begin with the outer panel preparation. We need to round some corners and you can use either a ‘proper’ ruler for this or just something like a tea cup upside down. I ended up using my roll of tape for the side panels. Round two of the corners on one short end of the main outer panel and the bottom edges of both of the side panels like this.
Round corners are MUCH easier to sew around believe me! Great for the bias binding too. No mitring needed. Yay! By the way, the corners that you round on the main panel are the ones that will be visible from the front when the purse is closed so think about which end has the nicest bit of pattern. I really wanted that big orange bit to the front.
Next we need to attach these panels to the foam interfacing scraps. Pin or clip the panel onto the interfacing quite close to one edge. As you can see, there is a tiny bit of space left (about 1/8″).
Now sew that edge first.
When you turn the corner, gently and very evenly stretch your fabric onto the foam as you sew. Keep an even tension on it. The aim is to sew the fabric perfectly to the interfacing with no pulling, distorting or puckering.
Now trim the foam back to the seam allowance
Repeat this for the side panels.
Next step is to take your main outer panel and the pieces of corresponding lining and pin or clip them right sides together along the flat edge (the one without the rounded corners)
Sew right along this edge
Now flip the layers the right way out and topstitch twice. The first pass is 1/8″ and the second is 1/4″ under that. You can use twin needle if you prefer.
So now we have two pieces of fabric, the interfaced outer and the untrimmed (no rounded corners) lining joined together on one end. Gently stretch the lining onto the outer (wrong sides facing) and pin or clip it.
Machine baste right around the outer edge so that the three layers (outer, interfacing and lining) are perfectly flat
Round the corners on the lining using the outer as a guide.
The outer is now finished and we do exactly the same thing in miniature on both of the side panels
Time to put it all together. You need the main outer panel and one of the side pieces. Pin (good) or clip (better) so that the two topstitched edges are aligned as perfectly as possible. The lining should face lining with all the raw edges to the outside.
I would consider hand basting these on, especially if you are new at this. That gets any bulky clips or pins out of the way. You will also find that the straight edge of the main panel will fight you a bit when you ask it to fit round the curve on the side panel. There is a trick to help – this straight edge has no bias stretch so we can make some TINY snips (no more that 1/8″ in) on the straight edge. This helps a lot.
Now sew the side on with the raw edges outermost. We are going to bind them at the end so they will all be taken care of. By the way, this is the most fiddly part of this whole make. This is the reason that I would not make this purse any smaller. Sew slowly and deliberately and do consider hand basting.
Repeat on the other side.
The last thing to do is to bind that raw edge all the way around. I prefect to do this by hand because I have more control and can make a neater job but if machine sewing is your super power, you do you!
Time to add the hardware! You can put the stud directly onto the flap if you prefer but I wanted to use a small off-cut of leather so I glued that to the centre of the flap. You read that right too! I glue these pieces on with PVA glue or similar and then back it up with either sewing or, in this case the hardware.
Don’t ever be tempted to use only glue. This is supposed to be a sewing project after all. But judicious use of glue is actually quite helpful.
And then I added the female half of the stud. I won’t go into the gory details of how to put the stud on here because each manufacturer is different but mostly, the hardware and instructions come with the studs and you only need to find a hammer.
Close the purse and see where the stud sits naturally on the front. Mine is 1 3/8″ down from the edge
Mark it, make a hole and add the male half there. The drawback with this method is that you can see the back of the stud from inside the purse but it is not really that much of a problem and it is far easier to do it this way.
And there you have it! The purse is finished! Go make more and cut a path through that interfacing pile. These make great gifts and you have my permission to make them in handmade quantities to sell at markets and online. Just let people know where you got the pattern and we are all happy. If you make one, I would love to see it. My Instagram is @ craftyvamp and you can use the hashtag #thefolkartfactory.
If you are a bag maker (and I am guessing that you are since you are reading this!), my brand new book is out now! It is called Take Two Fat Quarters: Bags and Purses and, pretty much what it says on the tin, there are 16 projects inside for bags and purses all using two fat quarters of fabric or less! It is available from the Search Press Websites in Britain, The US and Australia. Amazon has it too!
See you next time and happy sewing!
Debbie xx
PS: before I go – I did promise to give you the basics to make the navy purse too didn’t I! As I mentioned, I certainly wouldn’t go any smaller because those side panels are fiddly. However, you can go wider and taller. The trick is that the lining is the same size as the outer fabric and the interfacing is about 1″ larger than the outer pieces so I will give you the outer panel sizes and you can go from there. Here is the basic information for the other purse that you see in the photos
For the navy bark cloth model:
- 1 piece 7″ wide x 17″ long for the main outer panel
- 2 pieces 2 1/2″ wide x 6 1/2″ long for the side outer panels
- 40″ bias binding
And do consider adding bits and pieces – for example, there is nothing stopping you from turning the larger one into a bag with a cute strap.
PPS: Actually, before I REALLY go, how about a weekend sale! From Friday February 4th 2023 until Monday February 6th, all backpacks (and my backpack bundle which is even greater value) will be 30% off for readers of my blog only. You need a coupon code too…
LEL6AAYUZF
Simply copy and paste and use it on any backpack pattern this weekend! The shop will show you what to do next. And here is a shortcut to the shop
See you soon!
D xx