Sew a Coin Purse & Personalize It with Embroidery

Embroider & Sew A Coin Purse

Lately, I have had an abundance of coins in the bottom of my purse. And as my daughter always says my purse is a pit, everything is in the bottom mashed together. It makes it hard to find coins when I need them, so I wanted to make myself a coin purse. Well, I can tell you I still don’t have a coin purse. The one I made for myself went with my oldest daughter to France and I just made another one for my 13-year-old.

Materials

• 1/4 yard of two different materials-one for the outside and one for the lining
• 1/4 yard of fusible interfacing
• Purse clasp
• Embroidery hoop-if you want a design on the front
• Embroidery floss-again if you want a design on the front
• Needle
• Thread

 

 

 

This was all new territory for me working with these purse clasps. There are some video tutorials on youtube that show you how to make a pattern. I made my first pattern and was halfway through making the purse and didn’t like how it was turning out.

It was an odd shape and the lining didn’t sit inside very well. Instead, I came up with my own way of putting the purse together.

To make the pattern, I started by tracing around the outside of the purse frame, extending the sides from where the bottom of the frame hit by about a half inch where my finger is pointing in the picture below.

Then I drew the bottom shape I wanted the purse to have.  I cut the pattern in half and extended the bottom portion to make it a fuller purse but kept the top together.

Trace around the two pieces to get the new pattern.

The space that was created when I pulled the two pieces apart at the bottom will be gathered or pleated later. I drew another line about 1/4 inch outside for the seam allowance.

To personalize the purse, I embroidered a crescent moon on the fabric for one coin purse and a saying on the other. I cut square pieces big enough to accommodate the pattern. The embroidered designs were fairly simple and I made them up as I went. For ease of use with the embroidery hoop, I kept it as a square until I was ready to make the coin purse. If you don’t want anything on it, you can skip the embroidery.

Since I already had a square done with the design I needed to cut a second square from the outer fabric.  I cut two squares from the lining fabric and two squares from the fusible interfacing all the same size as my first square with the design.

Then I ironed the fusible interfacing to the wrong side of the outer fabric.

I put the lining fabric and the outer fabric right sides together and laid the pattern down centering the design.

I cut out the pattern for each side. Then leaving a space at the top, I sewed around the sides and bottom of the purse.

To ease the curves, I clipped notches around the sides and bottom of the purse.

Then I turned both right side out and poked the corners out at the sides.

I pressed each side and then had to do the dreaded hand sewing to close the tops of each side. It didn’t take long and it turned out fine, especially since it will be hidden in the frame.

After I had both sides sewn at the top, I pinned a pleat in the bottom of each side by folding about an inch of the fabric. The first purse I made, I gathered it rather than pleated it. I like the gathered better. I guess this step could be skipped but I think it gave the purse a better look.

Pinning both sides of the purse, right sides together, I then sewed around the sides and bottom again.  I turned it right side out and situated the frame on the top of the purse and hand sewed it on.

“Figure it out” is my 13-year old’s favorite thing to say. She thought it would be funny to have it on her purse.

I love the moon on this one! With as much as I don’t like regular hand sewing, I do love to embroider small designs.

Now I have to get started making three more. It is pretty easy to make so it shouldn’t take me too long.

I will be linking up with these parties.