A Nice Summer DIY Handbag

It is a not a secret that most women, who are crazy about fashion and modern trends, adore DIY accessories. This is because they add beauty and style to any attire, making it look even more elegant, unique and one-of-a-kind. Summer accessories always look fashionable, personalized and extraordinary, especially if you create them yourself, using your own ideas and preferences. That is why I have decided to share the secrets of the creation of light summer handbags made of cotton. The whole process is not that complicated and tiresome and it takes not more than an hour. These facts make it possible to sew a couple of summer handbags to suit any summer attire in a few days only. Just have a look at the handbags I have just sewn and, if you like them, proceed to the creation of your personalized handbag right from the start!

• 2 square cut 35*40 cm pieces of light cloth for the handbag itself
• 2 square cut 35*40 pieces of backing cloth
• 2 square cut 35*40 cm pieces of fusible webbing
• 2 strips of different kinds of lace 40 cm long to sew down to your handbag
• 2 strips of different kinds of thin lace 30 cm long for the trimming of the handles
• 2 rings made of bamboo or any other material for the handles

Take two square cut 35*40 cm pieces of light cloth you have prepared in advance and cut out the 8*8 cm squares in the upper corners of the longer side (40 cm) of the cloth.

Sew down the lace to the sewing pattern you have just made. You can fix it in any place you like depending upon the design and idea you have, the cloth type and pattern etc.

Fold the parts in such a way that the face of the cloth should be inside and sew them down along three sides (look at the photo). Leave 0,5-0,6 cm from the edge of the cloth. Then evert the article and get ready to trim the places, where the handles will be placed.

Now that the handbag is almost ready, it is high time to prepare the places for the handles. With this purpose, you should trim the square places you have cut out in the first step using the strips of thin lace. At first, you should place the lace just as you want it to be attached and then stitch it on to the cloth using the sewing machine.

To sew the backing cloth down to the inner side of the handbag, you should initially combine it with the fusible webbing and attach both parts using the hot iron. Having done that, cut out the same 8*8 cm squares in the upper corners of the backing cloth just like you did with the face of the handbag. Then fold both sides of the backing cloth and sew them down using three stitches just as it is shown on the photo. Leave about 10 cm of the bottom part free to make it possible to evert the handbag afterwards.

Having stitched the edges, carefully place the face cloth inside the backing cloth as it is shown on the photo. Attach both parts along the outer edge using the pins and stitch the handbag along the perimeter of the upper edge, leaving 0.5-0.6 cm from it. Remove the corners and make the cuts just the way it is depicted on the photo.

Evert the handbag through the hole you have left unstitched and iron the article, paying special attention to the stitches. Do not forget to stitch up the hole using the sewing machine, because you won’t need it anymore.

The only thing that is left is to sew down the handles and your light summer handbag will be ready! You can embellish it with any décor elements you like to make it suit your favorite summer attires. By the way, this DIY bag may become a personalized gift for your friend or family member, for example. Good luck!