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Thursday, April 26, 2012

Bandana Snap Bag Tutorial




 I had a few pieces of bandana left after making the apron in my Bandana Apron tutorial. (See it here.) I was intrigued with finding a good use for those points. You could also start with a whole bandana and cut it in half twice from point to point and do the same thing.(My points are just a little smaller than a bandana cut into 4 triangles.) You could make two small purses from one bandana. The larger purse is made from one bandana cut in half from point to point. Both are closed with a "snap closed "opening made with an old metal measuring tape. (This has been around the internet for a while now, but we just had a tape bite the dust and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it!) The tutorial below is for the small bag. The larger one is made the same way. I chose to line mine with fleece and a cotton fabric, but the small one is unlined.
1.First choose a piece for each side. I chose to make one side lime green and the other gray/black. Although there are three peices in the photo, you only need two.  Fold the points along the long side in and overlap so that the intersection lines up with the point at the bottom. Since the print on
a bandana goes all the way through the fabric, you can fold either right or wrong side over. (If you're doing this with regular fabric, you will have to pay closer attention to what both sides look like!) Sew across the top with a 1/4" seam. Turn right side out. Press.

2.Place the fronts together and sew along both sides and the pointed bottom, using a 1/4" seam. Turn and press. (If adding fringe or a tassel to the tip, you need to do this now. Of course, you can do like I did and just pick out enough of the seam to insert it and resew it.

You now have the body of your bag. 
3.Sew a cord or grosgrain ribbon at the side seams to serve as a handle or strap.
4. If you want a snap closure, round the ends of two pieces of old metal tape measure using tin snips or scissors that you can throw away afterward!  These should each be the width of the top of your purse.
5. Slip each piece under the flap and push it up to where it is aligned with the top of the purse. Sew under the tape to form a casing to enclose it. the tape should be put in where the rounded sides face outward. When you've done this, you should be able to "snap" the opening open and closed.
 All of the above steps took about 5 to 10 minutes. Simple, right? Now the fun begins! Add some trim:
feather boa....
jewels and sequins...


rick-rack....
fabric bow and fringe....


                                                                  OR....


buttons.







This little project is so fast and easy, I would consider making them as party favors or gift containers. Fill one with goodies and present it to a friend. . It might be just the right size for a phone, credit card, and set of keys. (You might feel more secure with a zipper opening if you keep something valuable in it! (What more could you want? Oh....chocolate! It would fit too!) The large purse is big enough for anything you would normally fit in a purse. I glued fake jewels on with fabric glue to give it some bling.

Until next time.....
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21 comments:

  1. What a wonderful use for leftovers you've found! Very inventive! :)

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  2. how fun! love that citron colored one.

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  3. Oh how sweet is this - I LOVE IT! Linda, you just come up with the best stuff! Thank you so much for the tutorial!!!!

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  4. How cute are those! You come up with the best ideas for leftovers - stuff I would normally throw away.

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  5. Very cute! I'd love an "evening" type bag made like this in a pretty fabric! blessings, marlene

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  6. Confused are there RAW edges at the opening of the purse? And I have never seen the SNAP tape measure use before where can I see the HOW TO of that... Cute Idea and should it be lined with a heavy interface or the bandana itself is fine. Thanks

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  7. what a creative idea! thanks for sharing!

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  8. I just thought I would jump in here and let everyone know that many instructions for these bags have you put the tape number side out. Mine wouldn't open when I did that. It might be that the tape makes a difference. You might want to try your tape both ways and see which works best for you! Mine worked great with numbers facing in.

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  9. This is a fun twist on the origami bag with drawstring closure I was making. Thank you so much for this style and technique. I really like all your ideas. Blissful sewing...

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  10. Your killing me with cuteness!!! One more thing to add to my must make list, thanks for sharing

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  11. you are so clever Linda,what a great idea.xx

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  12. Hi, this is so cute! Not sure when I will get around to making them (for granddaughters of course) but wanted to be sure to find it again so .. YES I did pin it to my Pinterest craft board.

    thanks so much

    warm quilt hugs, sue in CA
    from 25 wks group

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  13. I love this purse idea and want to go sew one right now if I didn't have dinner to make! One thing, and I feel it's probably obvious to everyone but me. . . I can't see where you've stitched under the metal tape to form a casing. Did you do it by hand on the inside of the purse because I can't see a machine stitch line on any of your examples.

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  14. it is lovely. Thanks for the tutorial.
    Gift containers - that's what I'll be using it for and of course including some chocs!

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  15. GREAT idea!...wonderuful "tute"! I see bandanas quite often when I go to Walmart...I'm gonna have to try this. thanks!!

    hugZ,
    annie
    anniesrubyslipperz.com

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  16. Oh, you have done it AGAIN! I love these, and I am so glad that I follow your blog. I sure would hate to miss something! Thanks for another super idea!

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  17. Hi LInda! Looks like I have missed a bunch by missing your blog!! You are so clever and inspiring. I love that. Hugs! Vickie

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  18. How darling are these! Thank you for sharing and thank you for visiting me the other day...green tea ice cream sounds yummy. xoxo

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  19. This is such a cute idea! I'm almost done making a quilt out of bandanas! (it's my first) They are so cheap and you can do so many things with them!!! Thanks for the inspiration!!!

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  20. Cool use for an old bandana! I've got a Craft Gossip post that links to your tutorial here: http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-bandana-pinch-or-snap-bag/2015/07/19/ --Anne

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