Finely Plumed Wristlet Wristlets are a convenient and handy-dandy way to carry around your essentials, whether you're taking a quick trip to the mall, or having a fancy night out on the town. This bag features a roomy side zippered pocket and detachable wrist strap. It's big enough to stash a phone, keys, and credit cards, too. Pretty, and practical. Read on for project instructions! Supplies Needed: **1/4 yard fabric - for front (I used faux suede) **1/4 yard print fabric - for top panel, back, and strap (I used lightweight canvas) **1/4 yard fabric - for pocket lining, and inner lining (I used lightweight canvas) file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1850.html (1 of 12) [6/11/2013 1:49:25 PM]
Supplies (continued): **Medium weight cutaway stabilizer **Temporary spray adhesive **Air-erase pen **Two - 9" all purpose zippers **Swivel hook (to attach strap to bag) **Feathers, gems, and fabric glue (optional) **Jump ring (optional) Special Project Notes: I found my swivel hook at Michael's. They can be found at most craft and fabric stores. Designs Used: I used the 5"x7" size of the Art Deco Peacock Feather Border. Many border designs will fit beautifully on the front of the purse. Visit the Borders and Corners Department and browse for your favorites! Choose a 7 inch length to fit these instructions. If your machine is limited to a 4 x 4 inch size, then choose a smaller border that fits your machine, and stitch it twice to fill a larger space. Finished Size: 9" wide by 6" high - strap is about 7 1/2" long To get started on your purse, mark the areas where the embroidery designs will go. Lay the front fabric flat, right side facing up. Using an airerase pen, draw a 10" wide by 5" high rectangle onto the fabric. Measure and mark the center of each side of the shape by measuring and dividing by two. Draw lines connecting the marks. Where those lines meet will be the center point of the design. file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1850.html (2 of 12) [6/11/2013 1:49:25 PM]
Paper templates are a great tool for lining up your design. Read these instructions if you would like to learn more about working with templates. Once you've printed your design template at full size, poke a hole in the center of the template and line it up with the center point on the fabric. Make sure the design fits well within the shape. There should be at least 1" of space between the outer edges of the design and the edges of the shape. Next, spray a piece of medium weight cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive and smooth the fabric on top. Hoop the fabric and the stabilizer together by aligning the marks on the hoop with the lines on the fabric. Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design. Move the hoop so that the needle is directly over the center point on the fabric, and embroider the design. file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1850.html (3 of 12) [6/11/2013 1:49:25 PM]
After the design has finished, trim away the excess stabilizer on the backside of the embroidery. Cut out the shape. file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1850.html (4 of 12) [6/11/2013 1:49:25 PM]
Now you can assemble the front of the bag, including the side pocket. Do this by folding the top edge of the front embroidered piece over 1/2" to the wrong side, and press. If you're using faux suede, use a pressing cloth on top of the fabric. Next, align the top folded edge of the fabric with the bottom edge of one of the zippers, and pin in place. Sew a 1/8" seam along the bottom folded edge of the fabric. To prepare the top panel fabric, cut a piece of print fabric to 10" wide by 2 1/2" high. Line up the bottom folded edge of the fabric with the top of the zipper. Pin in place and sew a 1/8" seam along the bottom folded edge of the fabric. file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1850.html (5 of 12) [6/11/2013 1:49:25 PM]
To prepare the inner lining of the pocket, cut a piece of fabric to 10" wide by 5" high (for the bottom) and another piece to 10" wide by 2 1/2" high (for the top). Fold the top edge of the bottom piece over 1/2" to the wrong side and press, and fold the bottom edge of the top piece over 1/2" to the wrong side and press. Turn the embroidered piece over to the wrong side, and align the top folded edge of the bottom lining piece with the bottom edge of the zipper, and align the bottom folded edge of the top piece with the top edge of the zipper (just like you did for the front). Pin in place and sew a seam along the front side following the original 1/8" seams along the folded edges of the fabric. To complete the back side of the side pocket, lay the assembled front piece on top of the fabric (fabric laying right side up), pin in place, and cut out the shape. Sew a 1/8" seam along the entire outer edges of the fabric. file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1850.html (6 of 12) [6/11/2013 1:49:25 PM]
For the back fabric of the wristlet, align the front portion on top of the fabric, pin in place, and cut out the shape. To prepare the inner lining fabric pieces, cut two pieces of fabric just as you did for the back fabric. Set the back fabric and inner lining fabric pieces aside for now. Next, to add the top zipper, lay the front fabric flat with the right side facing up. Lay the remaining zipper on top, right side down, and align the top edge of the zipper with the top edge of the fabric. Pin in place and sew a seam as close to the zipper teeth as you can. Fold the zipper back and press the seam. The next step is to lay the back fabric flat with the right side facing up. Align the front piece on top, lining up the raw edge of the zipper with the top edge of the back fabric. Pin in place and sew a seam as close to the zipper teeth as you can. file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1850.html (7 of 12) [6/11/2013 1:49:25 PM]
You will want to move the zipper pulls into the center of the fabric so they do not get sewn over. Align the front and back pieces with right sides together, pin in place, and sew a 1/2" seam along the side and bottom edges only. Turn the fabric right side out, and now the outer shell of the bag is complete! For the inner lining, place the two inner lining pieces together, right sides facing each other, pin in place and sew a 1/2" seam along the side and bottom edges only. Be sure to leave the top edge open. Next, turn the top edge of the inner lining out 1/2" to the wrong side and press. file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1850.html (8 of 12) [6/11/2013 1:49:25 PM]
Insert the inner lining inside the outer shell, wrong sides together. Line up the folded edge with the bottom edge of the zipper (the folded edges of the inner lining should be about 1/4" from the top edge of the zipper). Sew a 1/8" seam along the folded top edge of the outer shell fabric. This step finishes off the top edge of the outer shell as well as tacks the inner lining in place inside the outer shell. To make the wrist strap, cut a piece of fabric to 2 1/2" wide by 14" long. Fold the long side edges in 1/2" to the wrong side and press. Fold one of the short ends in 1/2" and press. Finally, align the long folded side edges together and press. file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1850.html (9 of 12) [6/11/2013 1:49:25 PM]
Thread the strap through the loop of the swivel hook. Insert the raw end of the loop in between the folds of the folded short end. Pin in place and sew a seam along the open folded edges of the loop moving the swivel hook around the loop as you sew. Position the seamed end of the loop at the opposite end to the hook. Align the loop together just above the hook, pin in place, and sew a seam across the loop to secure the hook in place. file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1850.html (10 of 12) [6/11/2013 1:49:25 PM]
Attach the swivel hook to the top zipper pull. If the zipper pull is too small for the hook to fit through, add a jump ring to the zipper pull and attach the hook to the jump ring. You can also add embellishments to the strap, to make your wristlet even more unique! I added some feathers and a decorative gem to the center of one side of the strap by gluing them in place with fabric glue. And your wristlet is complete! file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1850.html (11 of 12) [6/11/2013 1:49:25 PM]
Eye-catching and personal, an embroidered wristlet lets you carry your essentials in style! Click here for a printable version of these project instructions. file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1850.html (12 of 12) [6/11/2013 1:49:25 PM]