It all started with this.....

It all started with an antique quilt given to me by my Uncle Cliff in 1985. It was made by my Great Grandmother using original fabrics spanning from the 1860's to the 1930's, in a string quilt pattern. All strings were hand pieced. All fabrics were loved. I can imagine Grandpa's shirts, or Grandma's housedress or apron. And now I'm the fortunate steward of this wonderful bit of family history........all made by hand.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

How to make a purse to wear under your choir robe......

TUTORIAL ….…..

A friend needed a light way, discreet crossbody purse to wear under her choir robe to carry keys, lipstick, driver’s license and an occasional tissue during cold of allergy season.  She was using a seriously shiny gold lame purse, but she felt she needed something a bit less, shall we say…..risqué since it WAS for church use.  LOL….

So…she picked one of my leftover light weight upholstery fabrics (from my previous life) that still had some heft.  I bought 42” long web handle and a 9” zipper, pulled coordinating linen from my stash and off to the Bernina to begin.  My tutorial is rather simple, but here it goes.


1.      Cut 2 each 7.5”x11” outer fabric and lining fabric pieces.  Lay the outer fabric face up; lay/align the zipper on top so the pull is face down, then the lining piece face down on top the zipper.  Pin carefully and sew about ¼” from the zipper teeth.  Repeat on opposite side of zipper with remaining two pieces of fabric. 

2.    Press both sections away from zipper. Top stitch if desired.

3.    Pin handle on one end of the zipper so the handle lies over the zipper, sew across a couple times to secure.  Repeat other side, making sure the handle isn’t twisted.  Using a binder clip or rubber band, secure the handle so it’s out of the way for the next steps.


4.    Next gets a bit tricky.  Open the fabric up so the outer pieces face each other, and the lining pieces face each other.  BE SURE TO OPEN THE ZIPPER PARTIALLY at this point…..or you won’t be able to open it later.  Pin carefully.  Sew around the outer edges leaving a section wide enough to get your hand in to turn the bag inside out.  Make sure the handle doesn’t get caught other than where it’s already sewn.  It’s tricky and will be bulky where you sew over the zipper.  Take your time.  If your machine has risers use them.


5.     Trim corners before you turn inside out, being careful not to get too close to your stitches.  I might re-sew this area to be sure it’s strong….to be safe.

6.    Turn inside out.  Pin the area and top stitch very close to the edge to secure, or feel free to hand whip stitch.


7.     Voila!  Off to church she goes! 

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