Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Bridesmaid Skirt Turned Purse

Now Just how did I get that.... from this gorgeous Wayne State bag?!!!!  I'm still surprised myself, actually!  Never done something like this before!  And I started out thinking I was going to make a ruffle bag! Oh well, someday I still want to try one!  I'll try my best to tell you as it played out.  I really had no plan of action, just started pulling out some scraps, then a skirt, a little of this and that and about an hour and a half later.... Jumpin' Junipers, I have a really cool bag that I actually made and want to use!!!!  The best part?!  Didn't have to buy a THING!!!  Here's how it all went down:

Hey, nothing fancy here.  But I wanted some pockets in the inside for life's necessities.  Grabbed some little scraps that my mom couldn't understand why I was saving.  This is why, mom!  I just might need them some day for pockets in an old bag!
I didn't realize how much that looks like I'm laying out an outfit for the next day.... haha!  So a while back, I got this skirt from one my friends who wore it as the bottom part of her bridesmaid dress in my wedding.  Yes, my bridesmaids looked like they were wrapped in tin foil., okay?  What of it?  I happen to like tin foil!  (Can we not talk about that anymore?! Let bygones be bygones...)
The skirt slide right on the bag and seemed to be the perfect fit.  The bag seemed to say "dang, I look gooood".  (Heather, your booty is the same size as that little Wayne State bag! ;) )  I cut it off and how EXCITED I was that I wouldn't have to do any fancy sewing around the top because the waste band was the perfect finish!!  Phew!
I did however, have to use the ole' Singer once more.  I turned the skirt inside out and sewed the bottom shut.  Then we parted ways and I ran lovingly into the arms of my hot glue gun for the rest of the project.
The straps just seemed way too.... stiff... and informal.... like they came straight from my son's back pack.  So I pizz-azzed them up with some silver braided ribbon I dug out of a box and hot glued it around each strap.  Much better.

Next.  This was a scrap of fabric leftover from my kitchen curtains.  I'm dumb, didn't measure, and cut it too short.  But what the hey diddly, I wouldn't want to waste this piece of precious textile, we can think of something to cover up where it doesn't quite come together!  I hot glued the fabric on.
So at this point, we're lookin' like this.  Guess I coulda just left it, then maybe my hubby wouldn't have been so upset that I covered up his favorite Wayne State bag.

Oops, must have forgotten to snap hot gluing the skirt on action.  Hey, can't really run the hot glue gun and take a picture of that - it was tricky business.  And my official photographer, Tobin Ba Gobin, was off playing forbidden preschool math computer games.  (Screen time and kids -  boooooo!!)  So, I hot glued along the bottom of the black bag, while holding the gun down inside the skirt because I wanted to leave it open at the top on each side to use as an extra pocket.  Clear as mud?  Wasn't the easiest thing, but it worked.
So now I need something to make the edge of my frayed curtain fabric look finished.  Thank goodness for my hoarding habits.  I had bought a HUGE bag stuffed with all kinds of ric rac and hem tape and whatever else that stuff is called, I can't remember - Mom, help me! (Bias tape, maybe?)  Anyways, I found this black iron-on hem.  I ironed it all the way around the top and bottom of the fabric.  Phew, got away with not having to sew anymore!!  (oh, and I used a strip of this over the spot where my mis-measuring self cut the fabric strip too short).
When I sat back and studied it, it didn't seem finished.  Needed a big  and black embellishment!  I had yanked this off a hat one day not long ago, cuz I was sick of the hat but the black rosettes would be awesome somewhere.  Yup, this was the perfect place.  I only used part of it however....
hot glued on these two satiny leaves... and then the rosettes.


Yes, here is the beautiful backside.  Not as beautiful as it looked on my Heather dear, but I think it's second life  will be a good life.
It's the only purse that now has the perfect book pouch -  to hold all those gigantic hard books my kids like!
Anyways, since my mom told me some of you were saying I needed more photos, I think this post has about 10 times more photos than any post that I've ever done!  Happy? :)





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10 comments:

  1. So creative! I love the silver with the black and white and the top!

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  2. Wow. That's one cool upcycled purse!

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  3. turned out great! i love it!

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  4. This is a pretty remake. You're creative.

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  5. I liked being wrapped in foil :) Your wedding was beautiful~ very Kreative Kammy!

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  6. Great idea! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  7. This is a super duper idea! It is a great upcycle and what a great way to remember your wedding day by!

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  8. I bet your wedding was beautiful! This is a VERY clever idea and I love it! I could copy it, but first I'd have to get married again, go to that university.....oh well. I'll just admire your creative genuis!

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  9. Very creative! Way to reuse what you already in a completely different way:)

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