This post is going to be a little different. I’m starting off with pictures of the end product:
This make started off after I read an article in Making Magazine on how to make a clasp purse. Ooh, I thought, I have all the fixings for one of these as I had bought 3 small purse frames on Ebay a month or two ago. They were silver coloured and would have made nice change purses. I say ‘would have’ because I have no idea where I’ve put them. I have turned the house upside down and can’t find them. Of course, now I had this idea in mind for a make, nothing would stop me. So I scoured Ebay again and found this seller. The clasp I chose was bigger than the ones that I’d lost but I thought it would make a nice clutch bag. It was only £2.77 with free postage but it was being sent from Hong Kong so I was a bit dubious as to whether I’d receive it or not.
I need not have had any doubts. The clasp arrived within a week and in perfect condition. The next thing was to select the fabric. I had just finished covering the chairs (see Post 20) and loved the colour of that fabric. I had a piece left over exactly the right size so decided to use that. I have no pictures of making the purse because I made it at the twice monthly craft group at our local library and had forgotten to take my camera. (I do have witnesses that I did make it though!).
I started by cutting the fabric out in the rough shape that I wanted. The fold of the fabric was at the bottom of the purse so only had to sew the sides of the purse. I was quite happy with this and brought it home to search through my fabric stash for a suitable lining. Then it all changed. A friend unexpectedly gave me a selection of fabric swatches that she had been looking at for curtain fabric. One of the pieces was big enough for the purse and I was actually thinking of starting again but then realised that I could use the new fabric for the outside and use the piece I’d already prepared as the lining.
Piecing the outside to the lining was a tricky process and took me several goes at sewing and unpicking before I got it right. In this particular clasp the fabric is glued into each side of the clasp. I honestly didn’t think that would hold but it has…so far.
