sew an easy change purse (tutorial)

(Is it a coin purse or a change purse? A business card holder? Maybe a credit card keeper - I can't decide on a name)

I had one of those days where I felt the need for some freestyle sewing. No pattern, no set path. An idea had been running around in my head for a few days until yesterday when I decided to sit down, start sewing and see what came out. This time it was a change purse / credit card keeper /business card holder for my backtack partner. I wanted something low profile to go in a back pocket when you go out and don't want a purse. I liked the finished product so much that I thought maybe a tutorial would be fun, so here goes. (Let me know if you have any difficulties)

It's really basic; all you need is two pieces of fabric and a closure of your preference. Snap, button, Velcro, magic - whatever you have in the stash. I'm using a snap so I'll add it on last. You may have to make adjustments to add on your closure at a different point in the process.

1. Cut your each piece of fabric each into a 3.75" x 10.5" rectangle. You could make a template or draw it on a piece of paper to make a pattern piece. I'm a quilter, so I use a rotary cutter for precision, but it's not necessary. As long as the pieces match up, you'll be fine. If you're worried about making it perfect, cut your fabric out with right sides together. That way they'll line up when you sew them together.

2. Pin the pieces right sides together and sew all the way around with a 3/8ths seam allowance. Leave a 3 inch opening on one side (or wide enough to turn it right side out.) Backstitch on either side of the opening. It needs to be a little stronger here for when you turn it right side out. Later on when you stitch up the sides you'll stitch right over this hole to close it up.

3. Clip the corners and turn the piece right side out through the opening. Wiggle the corners out by rolling them between your fingers or use a bone folder to push them into place. I don't have a bone folder, I fake it with an envelope opener. Does the trick nicely.

4. Press. Press. Press. I can't emphasize enough the importance of pressing. Too often I see a perfectly good bag or purse made to look shoddy and homemade because the maker doesn't take the time to iron the seams properly. Press!

5. Fold the purse to create the pocket. Line up the sides and pin it leaving 2 inches at the top for the closing flap.  With a  1/8 seam allowance, starting at the bottom, stitch up the side, around the top and back down the other side. Backstitch over the tops of the pocket for reinforcement at the pressure points.

6. Fold the flap down to close the purse (I press here too!) and mark where you want to add your snaps. Pound those suckers on and you're done.

7. Sit back, smile and admire your handiwork. And when folks ask, tell them splityarn told ya how to make it!

If you don't have a sewing machine you can always check the etsy shop for ones that I've made. I'm hoping to keep these as a standard in the inventory. They're pretty cute! If you make the case a little longer, it would work as an ipod mini case too.

Comments

[Cathi]

Sooooo cute- I'm going to have to give that one a try. Thanks for sharing, Caro!

[sakegirl]

sweet mother of pearl (or purl!) - I *LOVE* it! You truly are the cleverest of clever Ms. Caro. I hope soon to be able to dust the mountains off my machine and join the sew-along.

[Ashley]

Super cute, Caro! I'm ready to bust out the sewing machine right this minute. Thanks for the tute!

[Donna]

Hey you crafty girl you! It is so adorable! I love it!

[pixie]

heya, would you be interested in submitting it to sewstitchy.com ?

I want to make a really cool online site with free sewing tutorials, no one makes any money, just for fun, a good way to organize free patterns on the web! Lots of credit to the creator and links etc. Let me know if you're interested!

[parikha]

Cute purse! Where did you get the personalized embroidered label?

[Bookish Wendy]

Man, I so need to learn to like sewing. I love the little purse. Nice work!

[Queta]

I love this tutorial! It was the first thing to show up when I typed in "coin purse tutorial" at google, glad my search was so easy! Thanks a bunch for sharing this with the rest of us.

[claudia]

it looks awesome!! i just bought a sewing machine and i'm definitively doing this.

[Amy Zettel]

Wonderful merchandise!!! How long have you been knitting? Do you know how to crochet, too?

Sincerely,
Amy

[spp]

Very nice!

[Beth H]

I just made up your purse project this week. It's great! Thanks for the tutorial.

[murphayyy]

i love these cute little bags! i was wondering where you buy your snap closures. i have a few closures, but you have to sew them and mine always falls off.

[Noadi]

This is too cute, I'm going to have to dig through my fabric scraps tonight and make one.

[Pam]

Love it!! Just what I need to add to my diaper bag for credit cards and extra cash, on short trips to the store. Thanks!! Pam

[Pam]

Love it!! Just what I need to add to my diaper bag for credit cards and extra cash, on short trips to the store. Thanks!! Pam

[sammy]

that is cute ..I actually made one a few year back that opens on the long side instead..but your tip was helpful..I like your idea of it open on the short end..so I made one for my ipod instead...thank you...:D

[memmu]

Hi! Thanks for the wonderful tutorial! These little wallets are easy and fun to make. I just made those for a swap. If you'd like to check out how they turned out, here's the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/memmu/1521899341

[Becky!]

Oh, this tutorial is perfect! I'm going to make a few of these.

Alose, if you alter the fabric size, you could turn it into cellphone case.

[Tori]

I was looking for a pouch idea for my new iPhone and I think this will work perfectly! Thanks for the great idea!