Wednesday, October 22, 2008

chic and easy bamboo-handle purse


This is probably the easiest purse you'll ever make. Seriously. This one was made with a piece of upholstery fabric that was never going to get used. Upholstery fabric is a pretty sturdy weight, which is nice, but you can use whatever fabric you like.

Easy Bamboo Handled Purse Tutorial

What you'll need:

*Fabric, cut to 19 x 29" (or larger/smaller depending on your handles and what size you want)
*Bamboo purse handles – we used 8 ½ x 5 ½, but you can find bigger and smaller sizes. You don't have to use the bamboo style. They come in other looks, but make sure you get a round or half circle pair, NOT a U-shaped. These are found at most fabric/craft stores.
*Sewing machine, coordinating thread, and hand-sewing needle


Okay, let's get started!

1. Cut your fabric into a rectangle 19 by 29 inches. We serged the edges first so they wouldn’t fray. You can also overstitch using a zig-zag stitch. Really, the easiest way would be to use Fray Check on the raw edges (it's on sale right now at JoAnn.com!)

2. Fold your fabric in half right sides together and mark it with a pin 8 inches from the fold. This is to remind you where to stop sewing. Sew from the fold to the pin.




3. Iron the seam open. This next part is a little tricky to explain, but I'll do my best. Take the open, un-sewn part on each side and top stitch down from the top, around the place you stopped sewing the sides, and back up the other side, taking care to reinforce the section at the bottom of the "V". (If this sounds like gobbledy-gook, check out the pictures--they should help.)




4. Fold top part down on each side about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Iron. Fold one side of the opening over each bamboo handle. Hand sew shut. Turn bag right-side out and you're done.


You are now one hip chick!


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32 Comments

32 Responses to “chic and easy bamboo-handle purse”

Julia Ladewski said...

awesome!! thanks!

Rachael said...

That is so cute! I think I am going to make one now.

Lump said...

ok I love this. My mom gave me her old sewing machine, so I'm thinking I have to try this out! thanks! :)

Christy Amular said...

I'll definitely be making this! Thank you!

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

SUPER cute! I'll be linking to this!

Stacey said...

Very pretty, love the fabric choice!

Monica Gee said...

Have you made any of these with lining?

AndreaLea said...

Great tutorial. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Thank you SO much for this tutorial! I've got a pair of bamboo handles and some leftover jungle-y print upholstrey fabric. This project is PERFECT!

Anju said...

What a chic bag!! So great for traveling too because it won't take up a lot of space in your suitcase. I have some bamboo handles and I wasn't quite sure what to do with them ... but now I do. ^_^

Liz said...

Yeah! I picked up s pair of handles at the thrift shop for $1.00 and now I know what to do with them. Thanks.

mama dialogues said...

Thanks for this wonderful tutorial!! I linked to this post via my blog for my readers. : )

Thank you!

Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty said...

Thanks for the fabulous tutorial. The fabric you used is amazing -- do you remember the manufacturer? I've got to get myself some!

Little Birdie Secrets said...

Hi Monica Gee, no I haven't made one with lining since I used home decor fabric. THat would be really cute and easy to do. Let us know how yours turns out if you do one with lining. Love to see it.

Little Birdie Secrets said...

Hi Michelle,

I looked at the piece I have left and no name on it. Sorry. I bought it at Hancock Fabrics in their home decor section. I looked online and didn't see it. I do have a large piece left that you can make a bag out of. If you want it, send us an email and I will stick it in the mail to you.

Orange Peanut said...

Thank you for you tutorial! It was easy to follow and the bag I made turned out to be so very cute. I will post pictures on my blog once Christmas has come, as I am giving a few friends these cute handbags for Christmas!

Yolanda Gurule said...

Cute bag and looks easy to make. My Mom and I will absolutely make this one. Thanks!

Elizabeth said...

I finally got around to making one of these super cute bags! It's a great tutorial, thanks! See how mine came out on my blog http://ejewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/

Ondine said...

Thank you for this great tutorial - nice and quick to make. End result is here: http://thisisondine.blogspot.com/2009/02/quick-and-easy-tote-bag.html

Heather - Dollarstorecrafts.com said...

Super cute! I am going to try this method with some dollar store purchases and post about it on dollarstorecrafts.com (with a link to you, of course!)

heather

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tutorial. I'll make this bag for a swap ^___^

Christina said...

Hi

This bag is great! I'm in the process of sewing it, I'm stuck on how to sew on the handles. I have an 8in bamboo handle and I cant seem to get it correct. Any tipis?

Little Birdie Secrets said...

Hi Christina. Try wrapping one of the top parts around your bamboo handle and then hand sew together. You could try the machine, but that is really tricky. I've done it, but it was hard. Then repeat with the other side. Hope this is helpful. If not, email us again and we can see if we can get you more specific tips.

Unknown said...

i tried this to make a bigger bag by multiplying all the measurements by 1.5
the piece of fabric was 28.5 x 43.5the sewwing up the side was 12
it worked to make a really nice totebag that can be used as a book bag. i didnt try it with the bamboo handle (i used some braided felt) but you will probably need bigger handles.
i really liked it becouse it was quick and wicked easy
thanks!!!

Anonymous said...

This pattern really made my day-evening. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

Unknown said...

I made one of these tonight and I LOVE it! Thanks for the great tutorial. I can't wait to make more!

katevet said...

I've just finished mine and I really LOVE it! Thank you!

Unknown said...

I love making this bag. I have made a few and gifted them to friends and they all love it. Its so fast and easy! I was wondering if you are able to post a tutorial for this bag from Anthro...http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?subCategoryId=BAGS-ROOMY&id=18178780&catId=BAGS-BAGS&pushId=BAGS-BAGS&popId=SHOESBAGS&sortProperties=&navCount=50&navAction=top&fromCategoryPage=true&selectedProductSize=&selectedProductSize1=&color=009&colorName=BLACK%20MOTIF&isSubcategory=true&isProduct=true&isBigImage=&templateType=hybrid.

Just White said...

THANK YOU!!!

I WAS WONDERING HOW TO PUT THE HANDLE IN...SO IT IS JUST HAND SEWING...

Eliana

angry black chic said...

I'm new to the sewing game and I loved, loved making this bag! I made two yesterday as birthday gifts! I'm not a fan of hand sewing so I sewed the handles on using my zipper foot and my free arm.

Ana - Barcelona (España) said...

This is a great project. Thanks for sharing.
I hope you don't mind that I linked it in my blog:
http://licenciaparacoser.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

very cut bag.

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