Bohemian Burlap Purse Tutorial

You will Need:

Empty rice bag

water proofer shoe spray

3 coordinating fat quarter fabrics

coordinating thread

Fabric to line the inside 

embroidery floss in coordinating color

1.  Spray the burlap rice bag with the water proofer spray.  Follow directions on the bottle.  I put on three coats.  This step is important.  If your bag gets wet, the print won't bleed.

2.  Press your quarter fabrics flat.  Cut 4 inch wide strips from the selvage edge from each quarter fabric.  Stack the 4 inch strips of the three fabrics neatly together.  Measure 4 inches from one end of the strips in and cut.  You will end up with three (3) 4 x4 inch piece (patch) since the strips are stacked together.  Using the same process cut remaining patches to measure 2.75 x4 inches, 1.50x4 inches, and 5x4 inches. Now, arrange the patches in a way that makes you happy.  On the reverse side, number each patch so that you know the order to sew them.

3.  Prepare your sewing machine with the thread.  Sew patch #1 and #2 together with a 1/4 inch seam, and right sides facing each other.  Sew patch #3 onto #2 with right side facing each other and continue until all of your patches are sewn on.  You end up with a long colorful strip in the arrangement that made your happy.

4.  Sew the outer ends of each seam on the right side of the fabric, as shown below.  This will add a decorative stitch and strengthen the strap.  Do this on every seam.  Fold the fabric length wise with right sides facing each other, matching up seams as much as possible.  Sew lengthwise with a 1/4 inch seam and finish off one end. If the patches don't match up perfectly, no worries, it won't show.  Turn it inside out through the opened end.  
5.  Press the strap with the length wise seam sitting in the center of the strap, as shown below.  Also, press the finished end into a point.  Fold the unfinished end into a point as well and hand sew it down without going through to the other side of the fabric.  This will be the underside of your strap.
6.  Sew your straps onto the burlap rice bag.  Sew along the perimeter of the point too (not shown, but the picture below shows the placement of a strap).  Visualize sewing a triangle since the strap ends in a point.  You might also want to zoom in to see the stitches, or you might want to see the original blog (here's the link).

7.  Now cut the fabric that will be the liner twice as wide as your rice bag.  Finish the top the the fabric with a 5/8 inch hem so that it sits just below the zipper, as shown below.  Sew the side and bottom of the liner.  Do not turn the liner inside out, leave it like that and put it in the rice bag.  I put a generous amount of rice in a ziploc bag and placed it inside the liner to keep it down and in place.

8.  With your embroidery floss hand stitch the top of your liner onto the rice bag.  Sew just underneath the zipper.  The embroidery floss will show on the outside of the bag so use evenly spaced and straight stitches.
To see how the final Bohemian Burlap Purse, click here.  I will make another tutorial for the fabric rose.  I want to include pictures along with the directions and I've reached my pix maximum for this blog.

I hope you have fun making this purse.  One of my favorite concepts about this sewing project is that I'm recycling.  I enjoy bringing new life to things that would otherwise be thrown away.  I've recycled curtains, old furniture, jewelry, beads and rice bags into something new and functional, how about you?  I'd love to hear what you've recycled into something new.