https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/cute-book-purse • Posted by Amanda W.
This is a book purse I made from an old copy of Chekhov's plays at a thrift store and scrap fabric I bought at an art/clothing gallery close to me house. Sorry I forgot to take pictures!
This is a book purse I made from an old copy of Chekhov's plays at a thrift store and scrap fabric I bought at an art/clothing gallery close to me house. Sorry I forgot to take pictures!
The first thing you do is you take your hard cover book and your utility knife (or anything stabby) and cut or stab the pages out of the book leaving you with just the front and back cover in tact with the spine. Lay the pages of the book to the side. You might make something cool out of them someday.
Then measure out how much fabric you need to cover the inside of the book. You should also open the book up about as big as you want it to open as a purse and trace it on your fabric and cut out. This will the the sides so nothing falls out. You should have a rectangle piece and two semi rectangular/semi triangle pieces. Remember to leave some hem allowance!
Sew the linings so that you have three good-looking pieces of fabric. The rectangle piece should fit right over the inside of the book. Crazy glue it there so it wont run away. Be careful to not crazy glue yourself to it! Then take your semi-triangle side pieces and match the sides to the book crazy glue them in place. be careful to not leave any holes.
Already just from that you have a book clutch. While the insides dry you can cut a large strip on the same fabric from before and hem the sides so you have a long strip. It should fit over your shoulder and stop where ever you want the purse to hang. This is the strap. Crazy glue it where you want the straps to go. I glues mine on the inside center of the side pieces.
While those dry if you have an extra bit of fabric you can make a bow to put on the purse. Just cut out a relatively large rectangle piece. Hem all the sides. Then find where the center is, glue the ends to the center, pinch the middle and glue a strip of fabric around it. It should look like a bow. If the center wont stay with just the fabric strip holding it together then you can glue the parts of the center that touch each other together. When your bow is ready crazy glue it wherever you want! Now your purse if finished!