Burda Style For people who sew

Description

Like my other project, Amy’s Bag, this Western Bag began with The Metropolitan IJ758. I’m a cowgirl at heart, with a great collection of barkcloth, so I thought it would be fun to make this Western piece into a fun, kitschy handbag.

I made a few changes to the pattern, and changed the construction. The top band and purse body are combined into a single piece. When the pleats are sewn, it forms a “paper bag” style shape with a flared top.

I widened and lengthened the handles. I attached them at wider points than the original pattern shows. They are sewn on to the bag at 2 points each, creating “belt loops” for my old Western belt. The handles and top edge binding are made from a faux tooled leather.

Instead of the flat bottom and wide corners of the original style, I boxed the corners to create a 2 inch reinforced bottom.

The purse is lined with chamois colored denim. I accented the top inside with bands of orange cotton (besides bringing out the orange in the print, it’s an ode to the color of the year!) I included zippered pocket and a divided patch pocket (I love pockets in my purses!). The purse closes with a magnetic snap.

Material Notes

Vintage barkcloth, denim, faux leather

Difficulty

Intermediate

Categories

For

Women

Garment Type

Accessories

Style

Bohemian, Casual, Romantic, Vintage, Rock

Material

Coating, Corduroy, Cotton, Denim, Leather/Fur, Linen, Suiting, Wool