How To-zday: Vintage Cloth Purse~*

I'm pretty excited about this how-to!  Remember the purse from this post?  I've been using it every day since I made it & I intend to make another out of another vintage tablecloth I've picked up in my travels.  And then there is the one I'm making for Thing 3....

Anyway.

In addition to a sewing machines & the usual accouterments, you'll need a vintage cloth, fabric for the liner ( I used a lovely lime fleece that matched the tablecloth), a button and a coordinating ribbon.  I also used an awesome Alice in Wonderland tote bag that my sister gave me for my birthday as a pattern~*

Fold the vintage fabric with one side slightly longer than the other.  Lay out the totebag, & cut the fabric accordingly.  Do the same thing with the liner material.

Fold a hem on 3 of the 4 sides of the material, pin & sew.  Repeat with the liner material.

Fold both pieces outside right and insert the liner into the purse.  Sew the liner into the purse along the outside edge.

Fold down slightly less that 1/3 of the top of the purse to create a flap.

Create a ribbon loop and sew it to the top outside edge.

Align the button with the loop & attach.

Now you could stop there & have a cute clutch.  I, however, must have use of my hands or I wouldn't be able to speak & thus am not a clutch fan.  I either wave my hands around when I'm talking or I pace.  Its weird.  

Anyway.

To create a strap, cut an edge of the table cloth. I made the strap long enough to use as a cross-body, but the softness of the fabric also allows for knotting to shorten it to a conventional shoulder bag.  Fold it right sides facing each other, and sew along 2 sides.  Turn outside right & press.  Fold the unfinished edge in and sew.

Pin the strap to the outside edge of the purse and sew BELOW the fold line.  

And that's it!  Too cute, right?

This is definitely not a perfected method. I made it on a whim!  I have a few ideas for future versions {adding some vintage trim, creating a divided liner, using elastic instead of ribbon for the closure & more}, but I was too excited about it to wait to share.  Look for project updates over the next month or so to see the improvements!

Have a creative Tuesday everyone!