How to Make a Patent Leather Handbag
Many upholsterers throw away scraps of leather every day. If you know an upholsterer, you can ask her for any of the odd-size pieces that can be used to make purses. In this project, the material for the purse came from a bag of scraps sitting in the upholstery shop. The best part was that the upholsterer even threw in the liner material for free.
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Things You'll Need
- Scraps of patent leather
- 4½ inch quilter's template
- Scissors
- Scotch tape
- Coordinating liner
- Black nylon and Lurex thread
- Sewing machine
- Magnetic clasp
Instructions
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1
Use the quilter's template to cut out 32 4½-inch squares of patent leather. Lay them out four across and four down in a patchwork pattern. Place Scotch tape over the backs of the leather pieces at the seam line. This will help the feed dogs on the sewing machine to slide, rather than catch. Zigzag the squares together to form one four-by-eight section.
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2
Cut a lining 1/2 inch wider and longer than the measure of the outside of the purse. Stitch the sides of the liner right sides together and turn.
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3
Stitch the sides of the purse together. Fit the lining and the purse right sides together and sew a straight stitch around one side, leaving a 4-inch opening for turning on one of the side seams. Sew the other side, but leave another 4-inch opening on the other side seam.
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4
Flip the liner to the inside of the purse. Cut a 4-inch wide section of leather for the shoulder strap. If you don't have a length that long, continue to make sections that are 4 inches by 4 inches zigzagged together to match the length. Fit it so it is comfortable to your body. Cut a liner of the same size. Stitch the liner and leather right sides together and turn for a finished strap.
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5
Insert the raw ends of the shoulder strap into each of the openings. Zigzag across the opening, raw edges turned inside.
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6
Cut two tiny slits in the center of the opening on each side and attach the magnetic snap closure according to manufacturer's directions. The purse is ready to use.
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Tips & Warnings
If you don't have a sewing machine, take your pieces to a shoe shop where they will sew everything in place for you. They can add grommets for a tie closing if you like that better than a magnetic clasp.
The nylon and Lurex thread will break easily if you put too much tension on it. Use scraps of leather to test how well your machine works on this material and adjust length of zigzag and tension to accommodate the leather before you start the project.
