I started with some of my husband's old dress pants (out of the same stash I made my draft dodgers out of). I cut four rectangles, each 4 3/4" x 6 1/2", and stabilized two of them with interfacing. I rounded the bottom corners of each rectangle. I sewed the two stabilized piece together, wrong sides facing out; I stitched along one short side, along the bottom and up the other side, leaving the top open. I repeated the process with the other pair of rectangles. I turned the stablilized layer rightside out, then tucked the other layer inside. I used seam tape to finish the raw top edge. Using a small, silver belt buckle I bought as part of a lot in a thrift store, I created a leather strap.
It took me a while to decide on the adornment for the outside. I thought about some sort of flower (although I didn't want to break the Iron Craft rules by using more fabric) or maybe some buttons. I wanted something more dramatic, though--I'm only going to graduate from law school once, after all. I love the look of the zipper details that I've been seeing on the necklines of dresses and shirts. I bought a heavy duty jacket zipper with silvery teeth and unzipped it before starting. I basically just curled, looped, and folded the zipper until I got a shape that I liked, then hand-stitched it. I made the entire zipper detail before attaching it to the purse. I tacked it into place with hot glue, then stitched it down. I haven't decided on a closure for the top of the purse, but I'm leaning toward a simple invisible zipper.
the zipper detail is fabulous! i've seen zipper flowers a lot, but i really like the freehand design you did so much better!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I was a little intimidated to try it, but it turned out to be much easier than expected.
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic! Great job!
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