How to Make a Purse From Recycled Magazine Pages

Turn your favorite magazine into a purse by affixing pages to vinyl.

If you are on the lookout for original accessories, recycling pages from your favorite magazine to sew a purse is a project tailored for you. Create a handbag that expresses, in text or images, the topics that inspire you most. Sewing paper may sound like a crumpled, shredded disaster waiting to happen, but with the aid of adhesive vinyl, turning pages into a purse is accessible even for novice crafters.

Things You'll Need

• Magazine
• Roll of adhesive-backed clear vinyl
• Craft scissors
• Thin towel
• Iron
• Sewing machine with Teflon foot
• 1/2-inch metal snap fastener

Instructions

1. Cut two magazine pages to 8 3/4 inches by 10 3/4 inches, which is the standard size of most magazines. Trim the edges of each page with scissors to make the sides uniform.

2. Cut two pieces of adhesive-backed clear vinyl with large craft scissors. The measurement for each piece of vinyl should be 10 1/2 inches by 12 3/4 inches.

3. Lay one vinyl piece paper side up on your work surface. Separate the paper and vinyl at the top left corner. Peel the paper down until you expose 3 inches of the vinyl. Fold the paper back and crease it to keep the adhesive exposed.

4. Center one of the magazine pages face side down over the exposed adhesive. Press the top edge of the page onto the vinyl. Position the page so that a 1-inch border of adhesive remains exposed on the top and sides of the vinyl.

5. Run your fingers down the magazine page to smooth the paper as you affix it to the vinyl. Continue until you reach the creased paper backing.

6. Peel the paper backing down slowly. Smooth the paper onto the adhesive as you peel the backing. Continue until you remove the backing completely and the entire page is on the vinyl.

7. Repeat the process with the other paper and vinyl pieces.

8. Lay one purse piece paper side up on your work surface. This should be the piece you want on the inside of the bag.

9. Fold each side of the exposed vinyl border over onto the paper. Smooth the vinyl with your fingers.

10. Lay the exterior purse piece face paper side up on your work surface. Lay the interior piece paper side down on interior piece. The 1-inch exposed adhesive border should remain exposed.

11. Fold each side of the exposed vinyl border over onto the interior piece.

12. Fold the material into thirds like a letter. Lay a thin towel over the folded material. Press an iron set to low heat on top of the towel for two seconds to set the folds into the material.

13. Release one section of the vinyl so that only two sections stay folded together. The crease should remain in the third section.

14. Stitch a straight seam on each side of the folded section with a sewing machine that has a Teflon foot. Leave a 1/4-inch seam allowance on each side.

15. Apply a peppercorn-sized bead of hot glue to one side of a metal snap fastener. Leave both pieces of the snap together. Press the fastener glue side down on to the unstitched section of the vinyl. Position the snap near the top edge of the vinyl.

16. Apply another bead of hot glue to the exposed side of the fastener. Fold the top section of the vinyl onto the sewn section. Apply pressure to the top of the folded vinyl with your hand to glue the snap onto the purse.

Tips & Warnings

• This makes an 8 1/2-inch-by-3 1/2-inch clutch purse.

• Metal snap fasteners are the disc-like snaps that are common on children’s clothing.