Keep the clutter in your purse in its place with a handmade organizer.
If you have ever spent five minutes rummaging through the contents of your purse to try to locate your keys, you know the value of purse organization. You can purchase organizers at the store for an impersonal and expensive way of clearing the clutter, or make a custom organizer to fit your purse perfectly and hold your keys, change and other small items right where you want them. Never fall victim to the bottomless purse again.
Instructions
Stiff Organizer Back
1. Measure the width of the purse. Measure the height and subtract about 3 inches. Cut a piece of interfacing according to these measurements.
2. Multiply the height of the purse by two and then add 1/2 inch to both the height and width. Cut a piece of fabric according to this new height by the original width.
3. Lay the fabric face down on your worktable with your interfacing on top and aligned with one short end of the fabric. Iron the interfacing to the fabric according to the manufacturer's instructions.
4. Fold the fabric in half to make a rectangle equal to the size of the interfacing. Fold the fabric so that the interfacing is on the outside. Sew along the one side and the edge opposite the fold. Sew a straight stitch by inserting the needle from underneath to the top, moving over just a tiny bit and reinserting the needle back down to the underside. Repeat all the way around the fabric.
5. Flip the back of the organizer right side out through the open side. Fold the edges of the open side inward and sew a straight stitch along the edge.
Organizer Pockets
6. Measure the width of the organizer back and multiply the measurement by 1.3. Measure the height of the organizer and subtract 1 1/2 inches.
7. Cut a rectangle from the same fabric as the organizer back according to the measurements above.
8. Fold 1/4 inch of fabric under along one long edge and the two sides. This long edge makes the bottom of the organizer pocket. Press the folded edges with an iron. Do not sew.
9. Multiply the width of the organizer back by 1.1 and cut a piece of 1/4-inch-wide elastic to this length.
10. Fold over 1/2 inch of fabric along the long, top edge of the pocket. Sew a straight stitch along the cut edge to make a channel for the elastic. Slide the elastic through the channel and sew the ends to the ends of the fabric.
Attach the Pockets
11. Lay the pocket on top of the organizer back and align the bottom edge of the pocket with one long edge of the backing.
12. Insert straight pins to keep the bottom and sides in place.
13. Sew a straight stitch through the 1/4-inch folds and the backing. Sew through the backing and into the pocket fabric. Sew only through one layer of the pocket fabric so that no stitching is visible.
14. Sew a straight stitch from the bottom edge of the organizer up to the top of the pocket to make a divider for the organizer. Repeat the process to divide the organizer into as many pockets as you like.
15. Insert the organizer into the purse.
Tags: straight stitch, long edge, organizer back, your purse, along edge, along long, along long edge
