I brought home some scraps from our fabric sorting last week. The black fabric with the bright embroidered polka dots seemed perfect for making a small purse for a little girl. There was just enough fabric to make up the purse pieces and I found a small piece of black quilting cotton in my stash to make the strap. The inside was made from a scrap of beautiful quilting cotton which really makes it fun. I had never made a small bag like this before so I searched for one on line. I found one that was about the right size for this project and printed the fabric and cut my pieces - one from the bright cotton for the lining and one for the back from the polka dot fabric. One of each for the front of the purse and a strip of each for the strap. The strap is just over 30" and the overall size of the bag is 8" wide and 7" tall. The instructions asked for a 3" wide strap. I thought it was a bit much but decided to follow the instructions. I had to go back on line to check if I had put the strap in correctly because it interfered immensely with the folding of the flap to the front. After checking the photos on line I had correctly followed the instructions but being as they did not work well I decided to make some adjustments. I removed the strap and resewed the seams. That finished the bag so then I unraveled one side of the strap and resewed it to be 3/4" wide. Then I played with several placements before sewing the strap ends to the inside of the bag as close to the back as I could on each side. This way the flap comes through and is barely hindered by the strap. I added a large black snap and then covered my stitching on the flap with a green button. Done!! I am happy with the final product but will be looking for a different pattern for making a small purse for next time. Therese
