Hobo Purse Tutorial

Hobo purses are large and carry lots of things.

Hobo purses are popular with girls who like to carry around lots of things. Fittingly, the name comes from the tied sacks that hobos used to carry on the ends of sticks. Both bags are slouchy and carry a lot of goods over the shoulder. Making your own hobo purse is an inexpensive alternative to buying one. An advantage to making one is that you can decide how long the strap is and choose what fabrics you use.

Things You'll Need

• Heavy fabric (3/4 yard)
• Measuring tape
• Scissors
• Pins
• Needle
• Thread
• Sewing machine
• Zipper

Instructions

1. Cut the purse body to size. The hobo purse can be any size you want, but a good size is 18 1/2 inches by 13 inches, including seam allowances. This rectangle will later be folded in half, so the finished purse will be approximately 9 inches deep and 13 inches wide. Use a heavy fabric to negate the need for a liner or interface.

2. Cut two rectangles for the purse's side panels. Each rectangle should be approximately 9 inches long (half the length of the purse fabric's longest side) and however wide you want your purse to be. Include an extra inch on the width measurement to allow for seams.

3. Pin the side panels to the body of the purse. Lay the fabrics out, so the inner side faces up. Place the side panels on either side of the purse body, so they're flush with the same end. Pin the pieces together to create two seams.

4. Turn the purse over, so the pinned seams are on the underside. Fold the purse body in half and pin the sides to the unpinned edges of the side panels. Pin the bottom of the side panels to the purse body as well. The structure should now look like an inside-out purse.

5. Sew the seams. This can either be done by hand or with a sewing machine. Keep the stitches tight and remove the pins as you go along. Hem the opening of the purse.

6. Position the zipper. Sew the zipper one side at a time to the opening of the purse.

7. Make the strap. Cut the strap, so it's approximately 20 inches long (can be longer or shorter) and twice as wide as the side panel. Fold the strap in half lengthwise, tuck the raw edges under and sew closed. Sew the ends of the strap to the tops of the side panels.

8. Turn the purse back right-side out. The bag can simply be left plain or decorated with buttons, buckles or other embellishments.

Tips & Warnings

• Make a liner out of a complementary fabric if you don't want the interior seams visible.

References

• JCaroline Creative: Hobo Bag