Momma's Got a Brand New Bag...

I needed a new purse, so I pulled out the pattern for the  Potato Chip Bag.   I made my first one back in 2012, following the directions as written.

Then I made another, smaller one for my mom:

With two under my belt, I went off on my own and created a third bag for my own use, larger this time, and with a few bells and whistles like zippered interior pockets,an adjustable strap,  and patchwork for the front flap and back pocket.

After much use as my day-to-day purse, the larger one started to look a little faded and droopy.  Time to make new one.   My first choice for the purse was to use what was left of this border fabric from a recent quilt project:

I fussy cut the large floral to make the front flap, and used the rest for a pocket on the back:

On the inside is a pocket sized just right for my cell phone, a zippered pocket,  a "D" ring to attach keys, and a loop for a pen.  The Potato Chip Bag.  Betcha can't make just one!

New purse in town

The two Potato Chip bags I made last Fall inspired me to create another one for everyday use as a purse.

This one is bigger than the pattern calls for, and I really enjoyed playing with the details to make it just the purse for me.  I knew I wanted patchwork on the flap, so I started by cutting strips of fabric.

After sewing them together, I cross cut them into strips, and then sewed them back together seminole style.

The piece I used for the purse flap was cut from the center as you can see above.  It seemed a shame to waste the leftovers, so I sewed them together and made another patchwork piece for the back pocket.

The patchwork was going to be the only colorful part of the bag, but I didn't have enough of the dark blue batik to make the entire body of the purse, so I added the light blue fabric and a strip of pink piping to the bottom.

As Tim Gunn would say, I had to "Make it Work!"

When the bag is open, there is a pocket under the flap for my cell phone. I wanted to make the pocket out of the same fabric as the body of the bag, but again, I ran into the problem of not enough blue batik.  I ended up deconstructing some of the leftover patchwork to get enough blue fabric for the pocket.  I think you can see that it is made up of strips.

I put a buttonhole on the cell phone pocket for a bit of security.  Inside the handbag, are two zippered pockets, a flap pocket, a pen slot and a little D-ring to hold a spare key.

For the handles, I found one more use for the last scraps of the seminole patchwork.  I cut it into narrow strips and pieced the strips together.

I wanted the strap to be adjustable but I couldn't find the right hardware anywhere.  I ended up sacrificing an old handbag and stealing the hardware from that to use for the new purse.





Creating a pocketbook with details "just for me" was a lot of fun, and I've been using it for a couple of months now.  A great way to brighten up the gray winter.

Toby's version of "photobombing"

Here's a question for you.  Do you call it a "purse", a "handbag" or a "pocketbook"?  I used all three in this blog post.  I grew up saying "pocketbook"  (or "pockabook"), but now I say "purse".  Is it a regional thing?

Bagging it

I've been having a little fun making purses.

I made this one using a pattern by Paula Hughes, called "The Potato Chip Bag".  The red patch on the front is a pocket.  There are also 2 pockets in the inside.

and one more pocket on the back

The finished size is 6" wide by 7" long, big enough for the necessities, and great for a day trip when you can leave your checkbook and coupon organizer at home.

The purse is called the "Potato Chip" bag because you can't make just one, and that proved to be true.   I made a second bag for my mom.  

 As usual, I couldn't make anything twice without adding my own twist.  This second bag is a little smaller than the first, (per her request),  and I had some fun playing with striped fabric to add a little pizzazz.

This time, I eliminated the inner patch pockets, and put in a zippered pocket in the lining instead.

I also added a button closure for security.

Here are the 2 bags together:

I have a feeling they won't be my last.