How to Make Beaded Handbags

Admiring those beautiful beaded handbags that never, ever go out of style? Here are several ways you can add a beaded handbag to your cache of stunning accessories, and you don't have to be an expert seamstress to do so!

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Simple envelope-style clutch purse of soft fabric
• Sheet of tissue paper
• Soft lead pencil
• Paper scissors
• Fabric scissors
• 1/2 yard of beautiful tapestry or paisley material
• Iron and ironing board
• "Hank" of bugle beads and seed beads
• 1 yard of sequins
• Needle and thread
• Flat-beaded scroll work or other fancy sew-on designs
• Beaded fringe, enough to sew around the edge of the purse

1. Lay the envelope purse you want to make into a beaded handbag on the tissue paper. Draw around the purse using the soft lead pencil. Draw another outline about a 1/2 inch wider than the one you just traced. Fold the tissue in half and cut your new purse pattern out of the tissue paper, following the widest outline. Unfold your new pattern.Spread out the fabric you've chosen to be the new background for your purse and place the tissue pattern on top. Use the fabric scissors to cut out the fabric that you'll use to "upholster" your purse, once it's beaded.Using the iron and ironing board, fold under and press about a 1/4-inch "rim" all around the outside edge of the fabric. Decide which part of the pattern on the fabric you want accented with beads. Thread your needle, knot the thread and pick up a sequin on the needle tip. Push the sequin down to the knot and pull the needle through to the right side of the fabric. This leaves the sequin on the wrong side of the fabric, where it will hold the weight of the bugle beads much better than just a knot of thread. Again place a sequin on the needle tip and slide it up the thread length until it's lying flat against the fabric. Pick up two or three bugle beads on the needle, and slide them up the thread length to the sequin. Push the needle back through both sequins and knot the thread on the inside of the first sequin. You've just created your first bead "dangle" for your purse. Repeat these steps until you have as many bead dangles as you want scattered over the fabric.If you'd rather, you can also sew on just the seed beads or the bugle beads so they lie flat against the fabric, again accenting a particular part of the design printed on the fabric. Once you have all the beading in place that you want, match the edges of the fabric to the purse. Taking tiny stitches, and turning under the pressed edge so no raw edges show, slip-stitch the beaded fabric to the original fabric of the purse.Now you have a lovely, beaded envelope-style handbag to carry!

2. Sew the sequins and/or bugle beads directly onto the fabric of the envelope-style handbag for a simple and not-so-time-consuming beaded design. Sew the beads on in a random pattern if you want, or use a pencil of tailor's chalk to mark a special design on the fabric and follow that outline with the beads.

3. Use a beautiful ready-made beaded scroll work applique or lace cut-work with beads already sewn on for your beaded handbag. Take tiny stitches and carefully sew the beaded design element directly to the original fabric of the envelope-style purse.

4. Purchase enough beaded fringe to go all the way around the outside edge of the handbag you want to bead. Match your thread to the base thread of the beaded fringe and whip-stitch the fringe to the purse, using tiny stitches placed close together. This will give you a "Roarin' Twenties" style purse similar to what a flapper might have carried to her neighborhood speakeasy!

5. Go all-out and combine all of the simple techniques described here for a truly unique beaded handbag! Make the pattern, cut the fabric and press down the edge as described in Step 1 above. Add sequins and bugle beads like in Step 2.Sew purchased flat beaded scroll work or other fancy sew-on designs onto the new, intricately patterned fabric you want for the outside of your one-of-a-kind purse just like in Step 3. Slip-stitch the beaded fabric onto the original, again referring to Step 1.Top off your totally unique handbag with beaded fringe for the outside edge as in Step 4.Be sure to smile mysteriously when friends and fellow party-goers demand to know where you got such an outrageously gorgeous beaded handbag!

Tips & Warnings

• Beaded handbags made in these simple ways are stunning gifts for a bride to present to her bridesmaids.

• You could also create an unusual, never-found-in-any-store holiday gift for someone very special.

• If you're using a white handbag, consider using white dental floss to sew on the beads and sequins. It's stronger than almost any thread you can buy.