DIY handbag set: coin purse, tissue pouch, pen sleeve, eyeglasses case, business card pocket

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! This year I made myself my own Valentine’s gift. I loved the feel of this reversible fabric scrap that I got from FabMo. It’s woven but soft and thick like knit. The beauty of this craft project is it takes very little fabric. I started with a 15-inch x 17-inch piece, and I still have leftovers.

This purse set solves three common handbag problems: 1) I hate stuff rattling around loosely in my purse, 2) Digging things out of myriad purse pockets makes switching purses a chore, and 3) I own handbags that are perfect but utterly lack pockets.

At first I set out to make just a soft eyeglass case because my hard case is too bulky and heavy, but then the project grew as I thought of more and more cases I could make. By the way, I don’t actually use the change purse for coins (my wallet has one of those). I fill it instead with travel essentials: lip gloss, hair elastics, nail clippers, etc.

How to make a purse set (coin purse, tissue pouch, pen sleeve, eyeglass case, business card pocket)

SUPPLIES

small piece (about 15 inches square) thick, reversible fabric
⅝-inch-wide (I now recommend wider) polyester ribbon
⅜-inch-wide polyester ribbon
thread
4-inch zipper

TOOLS

sewing machine
rotary cutter and cutting mat
scissors
lighter
iron & ironing board

TIPS

Tip 1. Fabric sizes

eyeglass case: (adjust size as necessary) 6¼ x 4¾ inches
coin purse: (2 pieces) 4¾ x 3½ inches
business card holder: 4¼ x 5 inches
tissue pouch: 5¾ x 7 inches
pen sleeve: 1¼ x 9¾ inches

Tip 2. Folding & ironing the ribbon

Fold several feet of the wide ribbon in half lengthwise and iron on a low-heat setting (synthetics setting). You’ll use this folded ribbon to bind the edges of each pouch.

Tip 3. Melting the ribbon

Using your lighter, lightly melt the tip of your folded-and-ironed ribbon. Melt just enough to prevent fraying. You should not be able to tell with the naked eye that the end has been melted. Don’t get too close because you’ll burn the ribbon — the heat alone will melt the edge.

Tip 4. Sewing the ribbon

Wrap the folded/ironed/melted ribbon along one edge of the fabric. Line up the edge of the ribbon with the right edge of your presser foot. Change your needle position (stitch width) to the 1 or 2 position and stitch length to 3. Sew along the ribbon, back-stitching at each end. Cut off the excess ribbon after sewing. Melt the end (see Tip 3).

EYEGLASS CASE INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut your fabric (see Tip 1). Melt the tip of your ribbon (see Tip 3). Sew ribbon along one side of the fabric (see Tip 4).

2. Repeat step 1 to bind all four sides, overlapping the ribbon at the corners.

3. Fold the shorter side in half and sew along the bottom and side of the case, stopping about one inch from the end. Back-stitch a few times for added strength. Final dimensions: about 2½ x 6½ inches.

BUSINESS CARD POCKET INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut your fabric (see Tip 1). Melt the tip of your ribbon (see Tip 3). Sew ribbon along the two short sides of the fabric (see Tip 4).

2. Fold so that the short side of the pocket is 2¼ inches tall. Press in place. Bind the two outside edges with ribbon (see Tip 4). Final dimensions: about 2⅞ x 4⅜ inches. Holds about 12 business cards.

COIN PURSE INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut two pieces of fabric (see Tip 1). Melt the tip of your ribbon (see Tip 3). Sew ribbon along one long side of each piece of fabric (see Tip 4).

2. Sew both ribboned edges onto the zipper. Trim and melt the ends of the zipper so they are the same length as the pouch.

3. Match up the edges and bind the remaining three sides with ribbon (see Tip 4), overlapping the ribbon at the corners. Final dimensions: about 3¾ x 5 inches.

4. Cut a 5-inch piece of ⅜-inch ribbon. Cut the ends at a 45-degree angle. Melt the ends (see Tip 3). Push both ends through the hole in the zipper pull tab, leaving a loop of ribbon. Pull the ends through the loop of ribbon, and pull tight to create a knot.

TISSUE POUCH INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut your fabric (see Tip 1). Melt the tip of your ribbon (see Tip 3). Sew ribbon along the two short sides of the fabric (see Tip 4).

2. Fold so that the ribboned edges overlap in the middle. The ribbons should lie directly on top of each other. Press in place.

3. Bind the two outside edges with ribbon (see Tip 4). Final dimensions: about 3¼ x 6 inches.

4. Stuff with tissues. Holds an entire pack of mini Kleenex facial tissues.

PEN SLEEVE INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut your fabric (see Tip 1). Melt the tip of your ribbon (see Tip 3). Sew ribbon along the two short sides of the fabric (see Tip 4).

2. Fold so that the short side of the pocket is 4⅜ inches tall. Press in place. Bind the two outside edges with ribbon (see Tip 4). Final dimensions: about 1⅜ x 5⅜ inches.