Coin Purse Tutorial (for beginners mostly, but you know, anyone can do it)

Sewing machine sales are up a gazillion per cent, which means there are a lot of new sewists out there, and there will probably be many more after Christmas. Hello new sewing people! I remember exactly what it’s like being a beginner, so I’ve put this tutorial together to emphasise the practice of three key things that will make your adventures in sewing easier, and the first two alone mean much less fiddling about in general:

1. Accurate cutting. It’s a pain when all you want to do is get to the fun bit (using the actual machine!) but I learned the hard way that if you don’t cut accurately you have to do a lot more work to get your sewing right. (Indeed see below…)

2. Use your iron. Your iron is an integral tool to the sewing process. When it says press, press. It makes things so much easier. I didn’t for years but I’m dumb. You’re not dumb. There’s the difference. Press!

3. Interfacing is king. Ok so this coin purse doesn’t exactly stand or fall on its interfacing, and in fact you don’t need to interface it at all, but I promise you, it is King. And Queen. It’s the thing that can make the difference between something homemade and something handmade, and really you want to aim for the latter.

There are other ways of using these frames, and my pick of the bunch is Lisa’s tutorial which takes no shortcuts, and leaves no centimetre of seam un-sewn. This one does, but I make no apologies for that. She has better pictures of actually inserting the frame though, so I make no attempt to replicate. As always with sewing, have a look at what’s out there and choose the method you like best. Or make up your own. There aren’t any rules against that.

Materials:

Outer fabric – 14cm x 24cm*
Lining fabric – 14cm x 24cm
Coin purse flex frame 3.5″ – buy one here!
Interfacing for exterior fabric – optional

*If you want to have a longer finished pouch, increase the longest measurement. Don’t forget to do the same to the lining fabric!

Seam allowance = 1cm

Prep:

Cut both pieces of fabric across the longest side to make two pieces 14cm x 12cm.
Iron your fabric. Apply interfacing to exterior fabric if using.
Make a hot beverage and put some good songs on.

Making:

1. Sew the exterior fabrics together along the bottom edge, long (14cm) edges together. If your fabric has a noticeable pattern make sure it’s the right way up – on my fabric I made sure the candles would be upright for example. Press seams flat.

2. Lay the exterior right side up. Take one piece of the inner fabric and lay it on top, right side down, with 14cm edges matching. Sew together. Repeat for other side. Press seams flat.

3. Fold in half, right sides together, matching the seams.

Measure and mark 4cm away from the top seam on both exterior and lining on each side. You will be sewing four seams using these marks.

4. Exterior fabric: sew away from the mark towards the bottom edge of the purse, all the way to the end. Repeat for the other side.

Lining fabric: sew away from the mark towards the edges but stop sewing 1cm before the edge. (You’ll see I haven’t – inaccurate cutting! I was in a hurry! The world didn’t end but I did make my life more difficult…) Turn the fabric 90 degrees, and continue sewing for another 3 cm. Repeat for the other side.

5. Pull the fabric out to form a diamond shape, and pin, matching the seams and openings.

Fold the fabric so that you have one clear top seam, with exterior and lining fabrics right sides together.

From the top seam measure a gap wide enough for your purse frame – use the side with the edges sticking up, since this is what will have to go through. My gap was about 2cm – mark it on each side.

6. Sew from this mark to the beginning of your first seam and no further. You might find that your stitching doesn’t line up on both sides, if you haven’t been super accurate, but this won’t matter. What is key is stopping and starting in the right place.

Repeat for all four seams. Trim off all loose threads.

7. Turn the purse right way out through the gap in the lining. Press! Seriously – press, especially at the top of the purse where the frame will go. This method leaves you with – gasp! – a little unsewn seam allowance inside the purse frame channel, so your iron does the work for you.

8. Measure and mark the purse frame channel again, as you did in step 5, this time on the exterior fabric. Sew across the top of the purse to create the channel. Repeat for the other side.

9. Sew the gap in the lining closed – pull the lining out of the purse, iron flat. Sew across the opening, as close the edge as you possibly can. (See Lisa’s tutorial if you are unsure of this step.)

10. Insert the purse frame, through both sides of the channel. You only have to watch at the other end that you don’t poke your seam allowance out of the end, but it’s easy enough to push it back in. Close the frame using the pin provided, and flatten the ends of the hinge using pliers.

Oh my! You have a finished purse!

I hope this was useful, for beginners and old hands alike!