Fringe Purse Tutorial

Hey y’all! I’m pretty excited about this post! Have you ever looked at a piece of fabric and just known what it was supposed to be? Well, when I saw this green suede my friend Marissa of Rae Gun sent me in a holiday swap, I just knew it had to be a fringe bag. Then Jess (you, know, the lovely lady behind this blog!) sent me this lovely Navajo print leather I knew exactly what the bag had to be.

Swoon! I love the way it turned out! Want to make your own? Here goes….

Fringe Purse Tutorial DIY.

---

 

 

---

MATERIALS:

• 2 Pieces main purse fabric 9″ X 9″
• 2 Pieces lining fabric 9″ X 9″
• 1 Piece of fringe fabric 8″ X 12″
• 1 Trim piece 8″ diameter semi circle
• 1 Strap piece 1″ X 48″
• 2 D ring strap pieces 1/2″ X 3″
• 1 11″ zipper
• 2 D rings
• 2 Purse clips
• Clover clips
• Leather needles
• (Optional) fabric glue

You can find the Navajo print leather HERE. (This Etsy shop has A LOT of cool printed leather, so shop around!)

---

 

HOW TO:

 

Let’s make the purse strap:

*Note: This strap length is for a cross body strap. You can make it whatever length you want!

• Fold one long side of the strap down 1/4″, clip, and sew.
• Fold the other long side down 1/4″, clip, and sew.
• Thread the short end through a purse clip and fold down 1.5″. Sew. Repeat for the other side.

Score the fringe piece:

We’re not cutting the fringes just yet, but we are going to mark them. Measure every 1/4″ across the fringe piece (lengthwise) and score it with a pencil or pair of scissors. (But don’t stab yourself in the arm with your scissors like I did! The pencil is safer!)

Sew or glue the trim piece and fringe piece to the front purse piece:

Place the fringe piece on top of the front purse piece 1/2″ down from the top edge. Place the trim piece on the fringe piece, lining it up at the top. Sew all the way around the fringe piece. My machine wouldn’t sew through three layers of suede so I glued mine instead. If you are using fabric glue, trace the shape of the trim piece on the back of the fringe piece and only glue inside that area. Glue it to the front purse piece. Then glue the trim piece on top. You’ll have to wait at least an hour for it to dry.

 

Get the D Rings ready:

Thread the D ring strap through the D ring and fold over 1″. Sew it down in a square shape. Repeat on the second one.

Sew on the zipper:

If you’ve ever made a simple zipper pouch this will be easy for you because that is how we’re constructing this bag.

1. Baste the D ring strap 3/4″ from the left edge of the back main purse piece. Make sure the right side of the strap is facing the right side of the main purse piece. Use clover clips to clip the zipper to the top edge and sew.
2. Repeat on the front main purse piece.
3. Clip the top edge of the lining fabric to the right side of the back main purse piece, over the zipper. Sew. Repeat with the front main purse piece.
4. Turn the purse pieces right side out and top stitch next to the zipper. Leave the 1/2″ from each edge un-stitched.

 

Bag Construction:

Unzip the zipper a little more than halfway. Clip the main purse pieces together, RST (Right Sides Together), and pin the lining pieces together, RST. Sew around the bag, leaving a 5″ hole in the lining to turn the bag through. You may have to switch to a regular needle to sew the lining. *If you are having trouble, see the disclaimer at the bottom. Clip the corners and clip off any excess zipper.

 

Cut The Fringe:

This is my favorite part! Turn the bag right side out through the hole in the lining. Carefully cut the fringes along the scored lines.

 

Sew the lining closed:

Fold the raw edges of the lining to the inside, press, and stitch the edges closed.

You’re done!

---

 

*DISCLAIMER: Let me tell you a secret: My sewing machine had a little trouble sewing certain parts of the bag. When the bag was sandwiched together and I tried sewing over the zipper, my machine just said NO. You know what I did? I used fabric glue. There’s no shame in it! If you are making this bag and your machine is having trouble, just glue it!

There you have it! I hope you’ll make one and share it to the Alida Makes Flickr Page!!

Thanks so much for stopping by, until next time…

Happy Sewing!