Fashion Faves

Womens handbags were traditionally, rather small and made of leather or similar materials. Remember the envelope handbags and the clutch handbags of the fifties and sixties- all the rage at the time and cutting edge designs. Times have changed and womens handbags are now almost any size and shape and made of almost any materials. They are used either to accessorize an outfit or to carry particular items.

Have you ever thought of making your own handbag. It is relatively straightforward to make a handbag from various materials, even if you are not particularly good at sewing. Try some of these suggestions.

A larger handbag design

A larger bag that can be carried on the shoulder can be ideal if you need to carry larger items.The classic shoulder bag can be very easy to fabricate. This can by any size from A4 to 2 foot by 1 foot. They become unmanageable if any larger than that. You can make a very useful, personal bag from rug making materials. Either buy one of the kits which come complete with canvas, wool and the needle or Design your own pattern and buy canvas and wool separartely. Then proceed as if you were making a small floor rug. When it is finished, fold is in half and oversew the seams, using matching wool. Line the bag with suitable material if you are likely to be carrying damp or small items

You can either leave the top open or if you want a closing top, use a zip or velcro.  Next you need the handle. This gives you lots of options. with a little pre-planning you could make this part of your pattern and attach it with the rug knots.  You could tie or sew a plaited or macrame handle directly to the bag. Make sure it is two or three rows down the stitches so that it does not pull the canvass apart. Another option would be to attach a leather belt by its buckle.  Students with lots of books to carry or mothers with all those baby necessities would find this type of bag very useful. – It is also ideal for those women who have to carry everything except the kitchen sink, just in case!

A smaller handbag design

Making your own smaller handbag design will guarantee that you have a unique handcrafted handbag.
More delicate materials and greater skill is required when making smaller bags. You could make a smaller version of the previous one by using a tapestry kit rather than a rug kit. You can choose your picture and colours to compliment your favourite outfit.
With a piec of strong colored material you can make a good evening handbag, starch it, so that its really stiff of use two layers and place cardboard between then make it really stand out by covering the whole thing with beads or sequins.

There are a whole raft of choices if you make other clothes. When making a skirt, make a handbag of the same material. It will give that put-together look and certainly get some attention.

outlandish womens handbags

Alternately you could make handbags in differant shapes – animals, geometric designs (triangles or hexagons) and even fruit. make a full-size paper pattern first. Then copy it onto stiff card to make two copies. Using the card as a template cut four pieces of material slightly large than the card. Next put the card between two pieces of material and sew all the way round. Repeat the process with the other side. Next, sew the pieces of material together. Really strong seams are needed,so it is recommended that you double stitch these, hence the extra size of material. There are many ways to close the top as with the large bag. a zip, velcro, buttons (if you are confident of making buttonholes) or press studs. Remember, if you are making straps for your bag (either to carry on your shoulder, or on your arm, then these need to be strong enough to bear the weight they are going to be carrying. You can use the same techniques as for the large bag, but you may need to strengthen or use multiple layers if using the same material.

Making your own womens handbag can be great fun. Let your imagination run wild and see what you can come up with. If it goes wrong, it won’t have cost you much