A Purse for Beth

When my friend Beth saw my purse, she asked me to make her one, too. I was more than happy to oblige, and since I see her wear lots of red, and has that gorgeous, enviably thick dark hair, I decided that making her a red purse would be perfect.

First, I laid out my fabric:

Then, to get to this:

At first, the fabric on the end (the red and black reversible) was supposed to be the main body of the purse, and the fabric on the far left was supposed to be purse trim and a pocket. However, the fabric was too thick and I didn't have the correct needle for the design. In fact, the fabric broke the needle in the machine, and I had to replace it.

I had to improvise. The fabric I had cut for the trim became straps. Thank goodness I had another piece of fabric handy. I put the right sides of the fabric together, and sewed the seams. I also pinched the bottom corners and sewed those so that the purse would have some depth. 'Cause you know, I want Beth to actually be able to use the purse. While the purse was still wrong side out, I sewed in the straps, and then flipped it right side out.

And you know what? I was happier with this incarnation than I was with the original design. I think Beth will like it very much, once I remember to give it to her...

Toodles!