Placemat Purse Tutorial

Here are my unofficial instructions for the placemat purse. If something doesn't make sense let me know. It is really simple and there are so many different ways to make it, so get creative and have fun!

Sorry if I overexplain. I know you are all pro-sewers, but I'm a beginner so this was all new stuff to me.

What you need:
1 cloth placemat- I got ours at Target. One was $3.50 and one was $4.50
Thread to match
Ribbon or other material to make the handles. You choose the length that works for you.

To start fold the placemat in half inside out. Sew the sides together.

The next part is easy, I'm just not sure how to explain it. You will sew a triangle on each of the bottom sides. Push the bottom up until it forms a triangle with the corner. Then sew across. This gives it shape on the bottom.

Turn the bag right side out

You have a lot of flexibility with the next step. With the pink bag, we sewed along the bottom and sides so it would hold it's shape better.


On the red one, we didn't do any more sewing because it had the trim and was a thicker material so it holds it's shape pretty well.


Next you do the handles. Place the end of the ribbon just below the top of the bag facing down and sew across the width of the ribbon.
Then turn the ribbon back up and sew across again to reinforce it. Repeat on the other side.

Now you're done, unless you want to do anything else with it. I sewed snaps on the red one and really like it that way. I may add some to the pink one.

The finished products