purse | Sewchet

November 8, 2018
by sewchet 17 Comments

Felt Owl Purse (With Secret Pocket!)

Browsing Pinterest with no particular goal in mind is usually dangerous in that it will take away hours of your life that you will never get back again.

On this occasion, however, this image caught my eye almost immediately.

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Now, owls are perennially popular and, when given a useful (not to mention cute) function, proved too irresistible a present-making opportunity for me.

I remember when my daughter was about ten she loved Polly Pocket and a large part of that enjoyment stemmed from its minuscule nature and the fact that, as it hung from a locket around her neck, it was a portable toy that could go anywhere with her, ready to play with as the urge arose. This purse had similar amusement potential.

Clicking on the image through to the original post revealed that the owl was a coin purse with – and this bit is crucial – a secret pocket!

Instantly I knew two little girls that would potentially love this, and I also had an idea for the contents of the secret pocket.

You can find the full tutorial here.

Made from scraps of felt, the only extras needed are a zip, D-ring and two buttons, all of which I already had so these were effectively ‘free’ projects.

Although if you were to count the hours spent (approx six for both) they’re probably the most expensive felt purses ever:)

The raw materials…..

….the completed front and back before final construction.

Here’s a peek at the insides.

A combination of hand and machine sewing make for an interesting mix.

I chose to include zips of contrasting colours, but you could match them to the felt for a more blended-in finish.

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I’m going to buy some sprung keyring clips to attach to the D-rings.

A bit of hand embroidery makes a welcome change for someone who rarely gets the chance to indulge in such things!

The tutorial calls for a magnetic clip to close the secret front pocket, but I literally just used my last one so improvised with a tiny piece of Velcro.

As for the secret contents, the obvious choice was a sleeping baby owlet.

I sketched out a quick pattern and cut out the pieces from neon-coloured felt.

At the last minute I decided to add a pair of legs, sandwiched between the front and back layers of the body.

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Another one made in opposite colours for the second purse.

Lift the flap and……a little surprise is revealed under the wing!

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So there we are, one each for two girls that will, hopefully, derive as much fun from a tiny toy as my daughter did all those years ago.

October 6, 2016
by sewchet 51 Comments

Christmas Commissions

I know that the kids have only been back to school a month and that The Boys are still wearing shorts to school (heck, I’m still in my flip-flops), buuuuuut……there’s no escaping the fact that Christmas is just around the corner.

For those of us who like to give handmade gifts to our nearest and dearest, if we haven’t at least started thinking about what we’re going to make by now, panic sets in.

I actually have made a start, if a ~~lot~~ little later than previous years, but I also have quite a few commissions already this year – yay, thank you, dear customers, for not leaving it until the last minute to place your orders!

I LOVE Christmas commissions, well, any commissions at all, really, as they give me an excuse to be creative and make something when I’ve got no other excuse to sit at my sewing machine – and they enable me to legitimately delay the boring stuff like housework:)

I was asked to make six coin purses, each one personalised to the recipient, so I started the fun part of the design process by choosing fabrics.

One request was for an adult who likes butterflies, so this is quite a grown up purse.

A lining of floral bouquets seemed appropriate for the butterfly theme, and the whole was brought together with a lilac zip and zip pull.

Next up was a little girl who loves Hello Kitty, so I teamed a funky flower print with a cat appliqué.

I decided to pick out the pink and add a pink mini-gingham lining and pink zip.

The next request was something for a “girly” girl, so I went to town with the florals with a flower motif appliquéd onto a small floral print.

A more subtle leaf print lining tones down the busy effect and a love heart zip pull continues the feminine feel.

The brief for the next purse was quite specific; it had to be a grey star on a blue background for a girl who likes the Dallas Cowboys – this is my take on it.

More stars on the inside and a love heart zip pull soften the design a little.

“Cupcakes” was a fun brief to interpret and I found a print that looked like it had ready-made sprinkles on it!

A cherry red zip and pull bring together the red accents in the design, with more “sprinkles” on the inside.

The final brief was “Sparkles” and had me stumped for a while – until I looked down at my engagement ring.

Is that sparkly enough do you think?!

A mini-star print provides more sparkles on the inside.

So here they all are, each one individual to its recipient.

I’ve certainly had a great time coming up with a suitable design for each brief.

What a thoughtful commission – to tailor something specifically to six different individuals. They’ll love them, I’m sure, and appreciate the lengths that this lovely lady has gone to, to find them each something unique.

July 22, 2015
by sewchet 50 Comments

Birthday Gifts – A Purse (Wallet) And Matching Tote

We were invited to No.1 Son’s girlfriend’s parent’s house (are you with me?) at the weekend, for a barbeque.

It was his girlfriend’s mother’s birthday (keep up!) so we wanted to take a suitable present, but there was a tiny problem – we’d never met, so I had no idea what she would like.

Obviously I was going to make a gift and, after a little indecision, settled on a purse (wallet, for our U.S. friends) and a matching tote.

I found this great tutorial at Confessions Of A Fabricaholic and got cracking straightaway.

I had some leftover vinyl from the One Hour Ikea Bag and searched through my (massive) stash before whittling it down to these grey and pink coordinating cottons, using just the dotty ones in the end.

The tutorial is pretty comprehensive and soon I had put the main pieces together.

After sewing the outside to the inside, it was simply a matter of turning through to the right side and top stitching.

Et voilá – one (very pretty) vinyl purse!

I chose to fit a magnetic snap closure simply because I’ve got loads of them and they really do give the best finish.

The inside is a purse of two halves – one side is pink, the other is grey.

The grey side holds all the real money.

Coins are kept safe in the zipped pocket….

….which is lined with the contrasting pink.

Notes are stashed in the open pocket below.

The pink side houses the ‘pretend’ money and can accommodate up to eight credit cards or similar.

Just in case there was any doubt I included a label from Hobbycraft.

I whipped up a simple tote using the same principle as the One Hour Ikea Bag but with dimensions and handles more suited to a shopper.

Box corners makes for a more spacious interior.

Matching grey webbing is perfect for two short handles.

I think they make quite a smart set for nipping down to the corner shop for a loaf of bread and a pint of milk. (In my dreams. We don’t have a shop in our village.)