No-Sew Book Purse

Boulder City Library

No-Sew Book Purse


Supplies

Supplies: Hardback book with pages removed (use an X-acto knife to do this)

When picking the book remember, larger gives more space, smaller is good for a clutch. Pick something that's attractive and/or will appeal to the person the purse is for. The width of the spine is the most important aspect. Smaller spine, the less your purse can hold.

Cardboard – like a cereal box (has to be bigger than the book) 2 fat quarters or equivalent amount of fabric (fat quarters are normally

18x21) Fabri-tac or similar Grosgrain ribbon - 3/4 to 1 inch wide Closure – large button or magnetic snap Purse handles Optional Supplies: D-rings - if your purse handles don't include Clamps or clothes pins Waxed paper Mod Podge and foam brush for decoupage Acrylic Sealant for exterior


Optional Steps Before Starting Purse

If your book has a dust jacket you may want to decoupage the cover on. Use Mod Podge to apply a thin layer to the dust jacket,

and then glue it on the book. Be sure to get out air bubbles.

Use clothes pins or clamps to help it dry.You can also seal your book by covering it with

a couple of layers of Mod Podge or an acrylic sealer. Mod Podge will not make it water proof.

Launder your fabric, and then iron smooth. You can use starch when you're ironing if you want to firm things up a little.


Reinforcement (Optional, but recommended)

Glue ribbon or extra fabric in the interior of the spine and a little up the sides to reinforce/strengthen this area. Let dry. If the spine of your book is weak, cut, fit and glue a piece of lightweight cardboard in first for more strength.

However much strengthening you do here, pay attention to the open ends, so that your reinforcement doesn’t show when your purse is finished.


Reinforced Purse Shell


Creating Interior Pieces

Cut three pieces of lightweight cardboard just smaller than the parts of your book. You'll need one piece of cardboard for each side and one for the spine. Double check the fit and make any adjustments.


Creating Interior Pieces Continued

Take your cardboard and lay them out on your inside fabric. Cut around each piece leaving an inch or so of fabric. (If you sew, this is like your seam allowance.) Do this with all three pieces of cardboard.

Glue each piece of fabric to its matching piece of cardboard. You'll want to pull these tight so the front is nice and smooth. Start by gluing down the corners, then going across between them. That will give you a smoother appearance and less fabric bunched on the bottom. Warning: If you put glue on the front of the cardboard it can

show through the fabric.


Glued Side Piece


Creating Interior Pieces Continued

Dry fit your fabric covered cardboard on your book cover to make sure they still fit. Tight is fine, too tight is a problem.

It is much easier to fix when the glue is still wet. If you find that your pieces won’t fit, remove the fabric and cut down the cardboard a little bit. Check and re-glue.


Purse Sides

Figure out how far you want the purse to open. Stand the book up on end, on top of a piece of paper. Open the book to the angle you want and trace around the book. This is your template. Cut it out.


Purse Sides Continued

Take your fabric for the sides and lay it down folded over right side out enough for your template to fit with the wide top of the template on the fold plus half an inch or more at the bottom, narrow end. Iron the fold. Lay your template on the fabric and trace around the template with a line. Then go out 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch on the sides and bottom, not on the fold, and draw lines. Do this again for the other side panel. (If you sew, this is like your seam allowance.)

Cut on the outside lines.


Purse sides tracing and cut out


Purse Sides Continued

The top corners, where the side panels will meet the book cover, if left alone will stick up. At this point, put a drop of glue on the inside of the folded pane and fold these corners down. Don't go past your inside line though. You want to tuck the corner in, not fold it over.

Fold your side panels on the lines and iron these creases. It makes the panels easier to fit in place later.

Tuck and Glue


Closures

Measure in to the middle of each side of the book cover, and mark the location of the closure device.

Try measuring with a piece of paper and then fold that in half. It's quicker and easier to mark and doesn't require math.

After you've dry fit the closure, use Fabri-Tac to glue the ribbons.


Handles

Open the cover and measure in a little ways and mark where the straps will go. If you're doing a over the shoulder strap and are only connecting the strap to the purse once on each side then you'll need them equally spaced and diagonal for balance. If you're doing a strap on each side, then you'll need to measure in from each end, on both sides of the book cover. Mark these locations with a pencil. MAKE SURE THEY ARE EQUAL. Use a ruler or something from your workspace to evenly space them from the edges of the book.


Marking for Purse Handles


Handles & Closures Continued

Measure and cut the ribbon to attach your straps and closure. Dry fit to make sure everything is in place. Then do the same with the closure.

You can: Just cut the ribbon to attach the handles and the closure. This uses

a smaller amount of ribbon Or reinforce by starting the ribbon on the other side of the spine of

the book, come up to where the strap will attach, then go back across the spine to where the opposite strap will attach and then bring the ribbon back past the spine. This takes more ribbon, but the weight of the purse is being supported by both handles and the bottom of the purse all at the same time.

After you've dry fit the handle connections, use Fabri-Tac to glue the ribbons, with the handles or D rings, in place. Wait for this to dry.


Handles Example

Short ribbon handle/closure

Reinforced handle/closure


Attaching the Side Panels

Take one of your side panels that you cut earlier. Dry fit this side into place on one side of one end of the cover. You want to make sure the top corners of the side panel piece line up with the top corners of the book cover and then kind of poke at it working your way down. The creases should make the sides line up easily.


Attaching the Side Panels Continued

Once you're confident that you've figured out how it goes together, use craft glue to attach one side of the side panel to the inside edge of the book cover. Your fabric is two layers thick and you'll want to make sure both layers are sticking.

Take the other side panel of fabric and do the same at the other end of the book cover. Wait for both ends to set a enough to stay in place. Remember you’re working on the

same side of the cover of the book.


Attaching the Side Panels Continued

Now that each of the side panels are attached to the book cover on one side, dry fit them again, on the other side, to double check. Then glue the other sides and bottoms into place working with one end of the book cover at a time. (A third hand to hold the book cover at just the right angle is really helpful. A spouse or a friend is a good source of that extra hand, and you only need them for a few minutes.) Let the glue set.


Attaching the Inside Panels

Take your fabric covered cardboard rectangles and dry fit them inside the book cover. Since you cut your cardboard just a little smaller than the book cover, they should all fit, but may fit tightly. For one purse, you may have to do a side, then the bottom, then the other side, and for another purse two sides and then the bottom. Experiment. Dry fitting will save you from making a permanent or

messy mistake when gluing.Glue each of the three pieces of fabric

covered cardboard inside the book cover.


Example of the Inside


Finished Product

You’re done!Let the glue dry before using the purse.

No-Sew Book Purse

Education

Transcript of No-Sew Book Purse