How to Make a Juice Pack Purse

Juice pack purses are made from those little pouches that various flavored fruit juices are packaged in. Turns out these empty foil pouches make for an exceptionally attractive purse crafting material for two reasons: The graphics are dazzling and colorful, making them fun accessories, and the material is waterproof. And let's not forget it's a fashionable way to recycle. If you are packing juice packs in your kids' lunch boxes, ask them to bring the empty packs home. Simple juice-pack coin purses can be created in under an hour.

Things You'll Need

• 2 juice bags, empty
• Knife
• Soap and water
• Sewing machine
• Sticky-back hook-and-loop fastener

Instructions

1. Slit open the bottom of two empty juice bags with a knife. Wash them in warm soapy water. Rinse and let them air dry.

2. Fold the top edge of one bag over about 1/2-inch to the back side and sew a zigzag stitch down the center with a matching or contrasting color of thread.

3. Take the second bag and fold it backside to backside almost in half. Allow 1-inch of one end of the bag to extend beyond the opposite end. This 1-inch extension reveals the aluminum backside of the pouch. Stitch along the folded edge about 1/4-inch in from the fold.

4. Lay the pouch from Step 2 flat on the table. The plain aluminum side is facing up with the folded over, zigzag stitched seam at the top. Place the folded and stitched bag from Step 3 on top of it with the 1-inch band of plain aluminum facing down. Make sure the 1-inch band is at the bottom. Match the bottom, unstitched edges and sides of both juice bags. Stitch along the three matching outside edges 1/4-inch in from the edge.

5. Fold over the longer flap and crease. Attach a sticky-back hook-and-loop fastener.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment with different styles of stitches with your sewing machine to make each coin purse unique.

• Once you stitch a seam on a juice bag with the sewing machine you really can't undo it if you make a mistake.

References

• Craft Bits: Juice Wrapper Coin Purse