Sew-In Purse Frame Tutorial

Sooooooo...the little zippy purse I keep my lunch money in (what am I? seven?) has gotten pretty cruddy. If it didn’t have teriyaki sauce and salad dressing dotting the surface it would be pretty dingy looking anyway. I picked up a few sew-in purse frames at Joann’s the other day and figured I’d make myself a new one. Then I thought you might want to learn to make one too, so here’s a tutorial.

The brand on the frame package is “Everything Mary” and the little change purse size measures 2 ½ inches across the top and 3 ¼ inches across the bottom with a slight curve. I used scraps of fabric (you need exterior and lining) and fusible fleece (sew-in will work but I like fusible best). In addition to basic sewing stuff you’re going to need some strong thread to sew the purse to the frame. I gave Perle Cotton size 5 a whirl and it worked well.

Draw the Pattern
Let’s be adventurous and sketch out a pattern for ourselves. Even if your frame is a different size these instructions will work as long as the frame is a sew-in frame). Lay the frame down on a sheet of paper and trace around the outside edge (skip the clasp part and just connect the lines when you’re done tracing). Now, around the outside of this, draw a line a ¼ inch away (this is our seam allowance throughout). Make a marking at the top of the little side hinge (it’s about ¼ inch up from the bottom of the frame and is what the pink dots are in the picture below). This part is what we will be sewing into the frame so it needs to be precise.

Everything from the hinge on down is up to you. I went for a basic trapezoid shape (a square won’t leave you much finger-wiggling room) but I think a circle would be really cute too. If you want to make the version I'm making click here for the template. Make sure your scaling option is set to 'none.'

Cutting
Once your pattern is set cut out 2 for the exterior, 2 for the lining, and 2 of fleece. Fuse the fleece to the wrong side of the exterior fabric. If you’re using sew-in you might want to baste it, or just be generous with the pins when sewing it together. See those pink dots on the pattern? You’re going to want to transfer those to your fabric or mark with a pin...like I haven't done yet in the photo below.

Sewing the Purse
Take your exterior pieces, right sides together, and sew from one marking, around the bottom, stopping at the other mark. DO NOT sew across the top yet.

Now we'll create a flat bottom for the purse. Poke out one of the corners of the bag and flatten to create a triangle. Make sure your side seam and bottom seam are lined up. Draw a line that is one inch across. Sew across that line, and trim the excess. Repeat for the other corner.

Just a note: that IS a different fabric in this shot. I forgot to take a photo of this step so I did it while making a different bag. Just wanted to let you know you're not seeing things :)

Sew the lining the same way as your exterior, but leave about a 2 inch gap in the bottom for turning. Press the side seams open as best you can (it helps with the next step).

Put your lining inside the exterior – right sides should be facing each other. Match up the side seams as best you can. Sew around the entire top. Go around one flap, across the side seam, and then do the other flap and side seam.

This isn’t a very large piece to sew, and so the sides can get a little fiddly where it makes that bit of a y hinge. If you’re not feeling like doing this with the machine you can hand sew either the entire thing or just where the side seams are. I’ve done both methods and the end result is the same – it’s just whatever method feels more comfortable to you. Once you have that situated, pull the bag through the gap you left in the lining.

Push the lining down inside the purse. Make sure the corners are all poked out and the top is nice and neat, and give it a nice press. Now, take your frame and make sure it fits well around the top of the purse. If not, make whatever adjustments you need to. If it's too big/small it's going to be frustrating to sew in--ask me how I know.

Sew in the Frame

Once I know my frame will fit I like to sew the gap in the lining shut either by hand or by machine. It’s easier when you don’t have the added weight of the frame getting in the way.

Now, you just thread your needle with the sturdiest stuff you have that will still fit through your fabric, and sew. To start I bury the knot, and then come up through the lining.  Now go down through the first hole in the frame coming out on the outside. Then you just go up and down all the way around the edge, pulling it snug. It will look like you’ve skipped some stitches on the outside but when you get to the other end you simply stitch yourself back to the beginning, filling in the gaps.

I sew this with my needle at an angle so that I can do a better job of concealing the stitches under the frame. Once you're back at the beginning and all stitched make a knot and try to bury it. If that's not happening try to hide it under the frame (confession: this is the only part I cursed at, and it was a mild oath at that :) Give it one more light press and you’re done! Cute and quick, and really not that pricey for a sweet little coin purse!

Here's the other one I made - I really love this one. I am such a sucker for anything cherry. And hey - don't ask me how I can take the exACT same template, do the exACT same thing with it, and have one end up a half inch taller than the other. It's a secret that I'm not willing to share right now.

If you have any questions let me know! Happy sewing!

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