Sew Powerful Purse #174 (2024)

A good friend of mine passed away about 12 years ago or so. I cannot remember how long it really has been? I was fortunate to receive some of her fabric and this Hmong reverse appliqué piece was one of them. I had no idea what to use it for so it sat and sat for years. I came across it recently and decided it should be made into a purse flap for a sweet girl in Zambia to have. My friend would have loved that I used it for a purse as she was all for empowering women with education. She was a teacher herself for deaf students. So I think she would highly approve that I made this purse to give to a girl to help her stay in school all year because it will be filled with her monthly hygiene needs. 

This purse was made with love by me and in memory of my friend, Gloria. 

This style of reverse appliqué is made by the Hmong people who mainly reside in Laos and Thailand now. All handstitched, it is truly a work of art.

Look at how intricate the stitching is on this Hmong reverse appliqué. Truly a labor of love and appropriate I should post this on Labor Day.

This purse was made using upcycled denim jeans.

I added a slip pocket on the back.

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purse #173 (2024)

Another purse made from upcycling denim jeans. For this purse I used a back pocket on the front flap and added a flower appliqué. And the front jean pocket I put on the back of this purse. It's kind of a Picasso art purse, 😂!!

 

The pocket has a shabby chic look to it with the worn bits.

I added an appliqué that I fussy cut out from some fabric with large motifs that all looked like appliqué. (I used lots of the other motifs from this fabric print as appliqué on several more purses I have made, the larger motifs I used on flaps, so be looking for those to be posted as I finish them).😉

The back side has the front jeans pocket. 

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purse #172 (2024)

For the flap of this purse, I heavily quilted tiny scrap pieces of batik fabrics, with a layer of tulle over the top. I added some yarn scraps too before adding the tulle and quilting the piece. The buttons were added when the flap was done. It's so satisfying to use even tiny bits of fabric pieces to create an artsy looking flap.

The front of the purse has a front pocket. I chose corduroy to make the exterior of the purse.

The back of the purse I added a slip pocket and apparently several pieces of lint too. 😂😄😆

Making this kind of scrappy flap is so much fun! No piecing required, just fabric scraps, a foundation fabric, optional yarn scraps, tulle or not (as long as you heavily quilt it you don't have to use tulle) and a few buttons for embellishing. This a great project for anyone who cannot throw away tiny scraps for fabric 😉.

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purses #170-171 (2024)

All Batik Purses! The flaps are made from batik scraps and the intermediate purse bodies are batik fabric, the straps are batik fabric too. Only the lining is not batik.

I think at this rate, I will have over 200 purses finished by the end of the year, but how many over 200 is anyone's guess. 

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purses #168-169 (2024)

Two denim purses that I made using denim jeans with added appliqué. 

The purse on the left I added a flower applique with selvage center. The purse on the right was made with raw edge denim scraps that I zigzagged around the edges and then quilted it before adding the appliqué flower and hearts. Very Shabby Chic.

On the back I used a front pocket on one purse and a back pocket on the other purse, and of course another appliqué flower too. 

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purses #162-167 (2024)

I made 6 Sailboat print purse flaps on these purses. I had this sailboat print a long time and wanted to use it up. I made a tote bag out of it (which is for sale in my PayHip Shop) and thought I would use the rest of the print to make purses. I got 6 purse flaps that I combined with upcycled denim jeans to make the purse bodies. These are sturdy purses as the sailboat print is heavier than quilting cotton fabric, more like a Twill.

Here are the first 3 purses. I like how each purse flap shows the sailboats a bit differently from the print.

Backside with pockets. I used 2 denim back pockets from jeans and the other pocket is an added slip pocket.

3 more purses.

Flaps up to show the front of the purses that have slip pockets.

Pin It Now!

Patchwork Batik Quilted Tote

I made a bag like this a few years ago in different batik fabrics and it was for sale in my Payhip Shop and a woman I know (although we haven't met in person) from Sew Powerful purse making bought it. 

A few weeks ago Sew Powerful had a purse making retreat in Texas and a couple dozen or so women got together there at the retreat. The woman who had purchased the patchwork tote from me was there and had her bag with her. Another woman who sat across from her got to chatting with her about the bag and found out I made it and she knew me from the Facebook group so asked about buying the same bag from me. So I made her this bag in colors she mentioned she liked. Funny thing is the woman who purchased this bag from me lived in Washington state in the same city I had lived in before moving to New Mexico. When I saw her address I knew the road she lived on. Small world! She has received this bag and loves it. That make me happy!!!

She likes purple, pink, turquoise, so I chose these batiks. This is the front of the bag showing some of the prints. I set the fabrics in a diagonal, so they don't all show on each side.

This is the back of the bag. I think I should have straightened the photo as it looks like it is tilting to the right. The zipper is straight, but photo make is look like it is leaning right. I added a vinyl zipper overlay to this zipper, which I didn't do on the first bag I made.

Inside the zipper pocket. I thought this fabric made a pretty lining.

One side view.

The other side view.

Inside is a divided slip pocket with pen pocket. I had forgotten to add the magnetic snap, so I had the sew on kind and sewed it on. Good to have those snaps on hand just in case. I guess my label by the snap wasn't placed exactly centered 😜. Too late now. That's a first!

Pen pocket and 2 other pockets.

I included a little wallet and a medium size Portable Pocket too.

Portable Pocket and Little Wallet. 

Pin It Now!