Braided Chenille Purse

Materials

Wimpole Street 8" x 90" red chenille *
Wimpole Street 16" x 90" white chenille **
fabric for lining
scissors
measuring tape
white upholstery thread or embroidery floss
chenille needle
pins

* 3" x 90" for child’s purse
** 6" x 90" for child’s purse

1. Tear the chenille into 2" x 90" strips (1" x 90" for child's purse). Remove the extra threads and fuzz. (You will need about 360" of red chenille strips and 720" of white chenille strips to complete an adult purse, approximately 8 inches tall with a 30-inch circumference at the base.

2. Fold the chenille strips lengthwise in thirds (figure A). You may wish to baste down the center to keep the chenille folded evenly.

3. Stitch one red and two white strips together at one end (figure B).

4. Attach the stitched end to a stationary object (or have a friend hold the end). Braid the strips, keeping the frayed edges folded inward and the strips flat, not twisted (figure C).

5. Continue braiding and sew on additional strips as needed. Stitch the finished braid together at the end.

6. Determine the size of the bag by measuring an 8-inch braided strip (6 inches for child's size) (figure D).

7. Coil the braid around the measured length and hand-stitch the coil together inch-by-inch, using an overcast stitch on the wrong side of the chenille braid (figure E). Make the flat oval coil approximately 6" x 12" (3-1/2" x 8" for child's size).

8. Create the sides of the purse by making a right angle on the next coil all the way around the bag (figure F).

9. Continue wrapping and stitching until the bag is approximately 8 inches tall (6 inches for child's size) (figure G).

10. Cut off the excess strip and stitch the cut ends together. Tack the cut end of the braided chenille strip to the inside of the purse.

11. To make handles: Stitch two 28-inch strips to the inside at both sides of the bag (use one 36-inch strip for child's size) (figure H). cds1615_3h You may wish to hand-stitch a lining strip to the back of the straps.

12. To make a lining: Cut a footprint from the lining fabric, using the bottom of the chenille bag as a pattern and adding a 1/2-inch seam allowance (figure I). To make the sides of the lining, measure the height of the bag and add 2 inches. This will be the lining height. Measure around the outside of the bag and add 2 inches. This will be the beginning length of the lining sides (figure J).

13. Fold 1/2 inch along the height of the lining fabric with wrong sides together. Stitch the length of the fabric to the footprint lining piece, with right sides together using a 1/2-inch seam allowance, beginning and ending in the middle of the footprint (figure K). Overlap the lining and cut off the excess fabric. Top-stitch the overlapped lining sides together.

14. Insert the lining into the purse with the wrong sides together.

15. Finger-press the top edge of the lining under and pin in place (figure L). Hand-stitch the lining to the chenille purse.