My first Purse in over a decade- Any Advice for the next one?

I'm so very excited cuz I made my first purse since 1996 or so (and boy, that one was super amateur and made from leotard scraps to boot-perfect for my (at that time) Raver friend)

So here is my new one I just had to share! Boy does piping help give shape! Thank you to...uhhh...Decor-it yourself for that lil gem (it was for pillow/cushions)!

OH yeah, and the green parts are stripped form a hard cover book.

(taken before handle was attached)





It is by no means perfect! I'm still adjusting the pattern and figuring out the order of operations. Maybe next time I won't have to hand sew one side-although I kinda like the look, sometimes imperfections are fun, but not if they make it less durable, which is my concern here....

I really like the hand stitching, it adds to the individuality. The chunky zip too, I love it! I think hand stitching can be as durable as a machines, just depends on the strength of your thread and size of your stitch. How come you couldn't machine one side? Would a zipper foot work?

But love love love it! Well done!

Thank you! I feel pretty good about it... well except for the strap which needs a back or something cuz it's starting to rip.

I hand stitched the last side cuz I did this in a 'bad order'. It would have been fine, but the book material is rather stiff, and I used some pretty gnarly metal-wires-in-plastic-coating laundry line for the piping so it it SO hard to turn inside out, let alone scrunch it up to sew it.

Next time I'm just using super thick hemp "string" instead. It's not super uniform in thickness and it's more expensive than the laundry line, but until I find something else it'll do.

Maybe I should look for something here online? Most things I used are stuff I've held on to for over a decade, so I'm *TRYING* not to buy new stuff when I don't have to. .....I don't always succeed at that!

I love your forum name btw.