25 September 2012

Tutorial- Zipped Purse

I love the look of oil cloth. It makes a project look very finished and professional and is fairly easy to use. 

A simple zipper purse seemed like a good thing to make and it was so cheap. Honestly, a couple of pounds! These purses are great for keeping your phone and keys in so they don't get lost in the depths of a handbag. ( Please don't tell me I am the only one who has this problem?) 


Supplies: 
I got 1/4 of a metre of oilcloth but used only a scrap of that so you will have lots left to play with! 
One 8" zip
Pins
Sewing machine 


A few things to remember about oilcloth: 
- Sewing is a bit trickier because the material sort of sticks to the machine. A bit more force is needed to push it through and a longer stitch length of 3-4 helps

-DO NOT iron your oilcloth- it melts. Just folding it hard will do! 


1. Cut two pieces out of your oilcloth both 6" x 8. You don't have to cut your material to this size but this fit both the zip I had bought and seemed roomy enough for my phone and keys.
 

2. Grab your first piece of material and place it right sides together with the top edge of the zip. Pin in place if it helps but as the oilcloth is sort of sticky it will hold onto the zip pretty well. 


3. Sew a simple running stitch along this top edge, getting as close to the zip as you feel comfortable. I turn the piece over to do this so I can see where the zip is. Don't' be afraid to go over it several times if you are not happy with your first attempt as you can see I did in the photo below. 


4. Open the material out and press. Carefully top stitch along this fold. This is quite tricky so take it slow but it will create a lovely finish. 


5. Do exactly the same with your other piece of material and the other side of the zip. Right sides together, sew close to the zipper and then top stitch. When finished it should look like this: 


6. Undo your zip to about half way. Put the two pieces right sides together again and pin in place. 


7. Sew all three sides. The bottom and both sides right up to the zip. 

8. Undoing the zip to halfway means that you have a hole to turn the purse the right way round. Before you do this snip the bottom corners like this to make turning easier. 


9. Turn inside out and there you have it! A nice new purse to fill with make-up, keys, coins, you name it! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

This Post is part of my 20 for 20 project; twenty handwritten tutorials before I turn 21. 

4 comments:

Sian said...

I've never sewed a zip into oilcloth, but you have made this seem simple and achievable. A lovely project!

JO SOWERBY said...

ooh saw some oilcloth prettiness in Bath a few weeks back. now i have a tutorial to go get some,
jo xxx

scrappyjacky said...

Losing things in my bag is why I now always buy bags with lots of pockets!!
This is so pretty,Abi......a lovely project.

Sinead said...

So pretty - it looks like something you could buy in a Cath Kidston shop, so professional and useful! I also lose everything in my big handbags!
And because I'm just catching up on your last few posts, I also wanted to wish you the very best of luck for university. I'm just finished in uni since last May, and I'd love to go back and do it all over again :D Can't wait to hear all the stories! xxx