Fall in Love with Wristlets a Fun Tutorial

I love any small purse that can fit into my large purse or tote. For me it’s just another way to organize my stuff. The secret is that my necessities fit nicely into this small space, and all other things I throw into my tote or purse are for those – ” just in case I need it moments.”

Here’s another quick and easy tutorial on how I created this wristlet using recycled materials.

Materials needed:

Double sided cloth placemat (primary fabric)
Tablecloth or cloth napkin (lining)
Magnetic snap

1. Select your placemat, and trim the edges along the border where the two pieces of fabric are sewn together. Be careful not to cut the stitches so that you can have a finished wristlet strap.

Two placemats shown here to show the color combination on each side

2. After trimming the edges of the placemat, carefully separate the two pieces of fabric leaving the fusible web fabric in place. Decide how large you would like your wristlet. Here I cut a 3 inch strip lengthwise from the top of the placemat to position my decorative strip.

DSCF0803 — Select the best color combination and use the remaining fabric for the side and bottom panels of the wristlet.

3. You can overlay the fabric and sew directly on top of your primary fabric using a zigzag stich to secure the edges, or cut (four panels )- 4 inch width x 7 inch length strips, (two side panels)- 1 1/2 inch width x 7 inch length strips , (one bottom panel) 1 1/2 inch width x 8 inch length and cut the center panel in half. .

4. Sew the center panel to two 4×7 inch panels and repeat creating two sets (front/back). Sew the bottom panel to the front and back panels as shown below, saving the two side panels for last.

DSCF0811 — Sew the side panels connecting the sides and bottom.

5. Fold the edges 1 1/2 inches inside of the purse and iron to mark the fold. Turn the purse inside out. Cut your lining fabric from the tablecloth or fold your cloth napkin in half, trim to 11 inches length x 5 inches width. Fold the lining in half and sew each side together so that the purse fits inside. Trim the top of the lining so that it is 5/8 inches above the bottom of the purse folded edge. The raw edges will be sewn to the purse to hide them.

6. Place the lining inside the purse with the right sides together. Unfold the purse raw edge and align with the lining raw edge and pin together. Sew the edges together leaving an opening at the side panel to turn/pull the purse through to the right side. Once the purse is turned to its right side install the magnetic snap where the lining and the purse meet using the manufacture instructions. After the snaps are installed take the trimmed pieces saved for the wrist strap and measure your wrist size leaving 2 1/2 inches to attach to the purse. Place the strap inside the opening at the side panel hiding the strap raw ends behind the lining. Pin the strap in place and stitch along the top edge of the purse securing the strap.