Pleated Purse

I have a long, illustrious history of making bags...well, sort of. Now and then I feel the need to make one, to either hold something I've acquired (a la my DS bag), or just to carry things around. They're never perfect but always serviceable, and now and then come out much better than expected. I also get better with each successive bag.

The pleated purse is originally based on a bag I spotted at a department store. I'm not a huge fan of leather and didn't feel like spending $70 on something marred with ugly logos, so I decided to make my own. Despite my inability to find the color I was looking for (which is a little sad, since that was main reason the original bag attracted my attention), I decided upon dark blue with a blinding yet classy orange lining. I also found some swank buttons that I was determined to work in.













  

Materials:
- 2 yds exterior fabric (I'm a huge fan of upholstry fabric)
- 2 yds lining (didn't use all of it)
- 1 yd support (you can use fusable interfacing, but I like canvas)
- Matching thread
- 3 zippers (two 7 inches, one 14 inches)
- 4 awesome buttons
- 2 D-rings
- 2 swivel hooks
- 1.5 yd of strap material

I am all for making things easy- or at least feasible- so despite my original inspiration, the final product ended up being mostly based on something I saw online. With more pockets. And my nemesis: zippers!

I will spare you complete diagrams of all my pieces and complete instructions- if you'd like them comment and I'll send them your way. Instead I'm highlighting some of my problems.

The big deal for me were the lining pockets, as I had never done one before. This bag actually has two, and while the both were successful the first one was a little rough. Just remember to give yourself an extra allowance around all edges to make sewing the back of the pocket easier, and try attaching the zipper with the heat bond strips for a cleaner look.

I also did things completely backwards, and instead of starting with the zippered top, I finished with it. This put a lot of strain on my cheap sewing machine- it actually stopped working for a while, but once it rested up overnight I was able to finish. Next time I'll do things the right way- but for this bag I was left with gross messy seams on top.

My swank buttons ended up coming in handy though- as I cut out (for lack of a better term) band aid shaped pieces of my exterior fabric, added button holes and wrapped those around the sides to hide those seams. It ended up looking much nicer than it should have.