An upcycling dream, I created this stunning purse out of literal scraps! That’s right, I made this patchwork Carrie Purse using scraps of gorgeous China silk from Fabscrap.
I rescued these pieces during a recent volunteering session at the Fabscrap warehouse. The non-profit receives some of the fabric in large rolls or pieces 1 yard or larger. Those large pieces are then made available for re-sale. Volunteers, however, mostly help to separate and sort very small cuts of fabric glued or stapled to sample cards. It’s tedious labor, but a benefit to volunteering is learning about the different fiber contents and properties for the swatches. Then most these small bits just end up straight in the sorting bins for recycling. But even the smallest bits of fabric can have new life when you’re a creative sewist.
Make the Carrie Purse unique and more personal by mixing and matching different scraps from your stash. Before sewing it up, I recommend laying out the various pieces of fabric, shuffling them around a few times, and finding the best order to sew them together. For my purse I decided mix the colors as much as possible so no similar colors were touching. My patchwork Carrie purse also features two different styles of the silk brocade. I kept the patterns consistent on each side of the purse and chose all of the pieces based on which colors looked harmonious together.
With its FREE.99 price tag, my China silk handbag is a glamorous show piece. If glam isn’t your style, you could also patchwork together scraps of linen, denim, or leather to make a purse that appeals to your taste. Play around also with quilting the pieces together along angled or intersecting lines. The possibilities are endless with The Carrie Purse!
Pattern
Fabric
- China silk brocade samples from Fabscrap
- Note – because this brocade fabric was cut so small, wearing this purse caused a lot of fraying with the silk. If I make this with more scraps of the fabric, I’ll test and see if applying some form of stabilizer or fray check and reduce this issue.
- Lining and ties are made from polyester satin
Modifications
- I patched together the main body of this Carrie Purse using 10 small pieces of fabric on each side in a simple grid layout.
- Because my patchwork did not give me the height I needed, I attached a long thin piece along the fold line of the top of the main body. I also understitched this piece to the seam allowance so it would stay flipped to the inside.Β
- I added a small zippered pocket to the lining. A tutorial on this process is coming soon!
Tips for patchwork
- Test out your placement before sewing your pieces together. Remember you will lose 1/4″ on each side of each fabric piece so plan for extra.
- A 1/4″ quilting foot can be a helpful tool to sew even seam allowances for all of your patchwork pieces.
- I sewed the pieces together from right to left and then sewed each row together.
- Use a steamy iron and a tailor’s clapper to press and flatten the seams of the patchwork on both sides.
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