Still in the Workroom, But....

Yes....I am still stuck in the workroom, but you don't have to be. So I stopped long enough to draw up a new purse pattern.

This was one of those middle of the night, maybe seen in a dream kind of things. It just popped into my head, full blown. Don't ask me why. Don't forget to poke the photos to make them bigger.
If you just want to enlarge this pattern and make it the right size in one of your programs, the squares are 1/4".

I cut all of the pieces out of lined index card. I find that they are just the right weight for purses and use them quite often. You could also use card stock, but I prefer the index card because of the lines. They help me keep things straight.
I cut the pieces out and glued fabric to all of them. Please note that the only piece that I left the sawtooth border on in card was the side piece. You need the card to fold under and glue to the back and front.

A little side note for those of you that haven't done much fabric covering before...Always cut little Vs out of the outer curves, like the bottom corners of the purse. Always simply make little slashes up to the edge of the card on fabric, when you are doing an inner curve. This will make all of your pieces lie flatter when you go to glue them to something else.

The first piece illustrates the cuts. The second and third pieces show the front side and inner side of the pocket flap.

The two straps are simply fabric strips folded and glued together without index card.

The last is the side panel that has the card left in the V points. More stability.

Basically, to put it together, you glue the side panel to one side and clamp the edges to hold. I use the old metal hair clips to do this. Let it dry...Do the second side. This one is a bit more difficult to do. A stylus or even the end of a pencil will help get it right. Clamp and let dry.

I used chain links from a necklace for the buckles on the straps, tab and outer pocket. There are six all together. Bend down about an eighth of an inch on the top tabs of the purse and glue the ring inside the bend. Then take one strap at a time and loop it through the top half of the installed loops and glue the end together. One strap goes on the two tabs on the same side of the purse.

Next you put a link around the closing tab and glue it. Then glue the tab over the center of both sides of the purse. The purse that I just made is not meant to open, but if you wanted to, you could glue lining pieces(the same size as the pattern)inside.

The last step is to bend the front pocket flap and glue the bent part to the purse front. Before you glue the flap down, insert another link and glue with about half of it sticking out.

There are a lot of variations that could be used on this pattern. Different findings and trim can make it look like a completely different bag.

Experimentation can be fun. Run along now and play. I have to go back to work.

Tessie already disappeared with the purse and left me holding the bag....Workroom cleaning, here I come.

See you tomorrow.