Pucker Purse

I wanted to design a purse for the purse workshop that was simple yet made a statement...without using fun fur (I know, shocker!)

What I came up with is now called the Pucker Purse! I named it that because every time I look at it I start to salivate and my mouth starts to pucker up. Doesn't remind you of Skittles or Starburst?



Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Brites...Less than one skein
Hook: H size 8 or 5.00 mm
Lining: 1/2 yarn
Pattern: Coming soon to www.thepurseworkshop.com




I did a basic granny square only I used a long treble crochet (TR) to form the texture

I also joined my pieces together with a slip stitch (SL ST) on the public side of the bag so it gave even more texture. (as I mentioned in the Larger Than Life bag...I really like a SL ST join because it looks really clean)

The sides and bottom are just single crochet (SC) joined yet again with a SL ST to the public side of the bag.


For the lining I did a basic rectangle the size of the bag with a 1 inch seam allowance. Folded it in half then used my sewing machine to stitch the sides and a portion folded down at the top (to make a clean edge at the top of the bag).

I also, accidentally made one extra granny square so I used it on the inside of the bag as a pocket. Again, I just used the sewing machine to stitch it into place.

You can see at the top of this picture that I stitched together pieces of plastic canvas the size of the inside of the bag. I was able to put this between the bag and the lining without it being seen through the spaces on the granny square.

The plastic canvas enables the purse to stand upright without losing the structure of the purse. It is strong enough to withstand the weight of the handles too!

The handles were a little tricky. I just folded some stripes of fabric that fit into the holes on the plastic handles and stitched them to make them long straw like things. Then I thread them through the holes on the handles and stitched them to the lining on the outside (the part directly against the crocheted portion). I made sure to stitch them in two spots to ensure a STRONG hold!

This is the view of the purse from the top down.

Can you see how the handles are able to flop over the side of the purse without having the purse totally collapse? That is exactly what I wanted the plastic canvas to do!

My friend Janene wants this bag and tole me she would be willing to buy it...but how much is it worth?

Another thing...I took it to Knit Knack on Saturday to show my friends (they have watched me work on this bag for a while) and the owner Gerri told me that she wants me to do a class on this bag!

So, it looks like I am doing a class at Knit Knack to make the Pucker Purse if you are in the area...join the fun!

It is really weird that I am going to be teaching people how to make something that I designed. Does that make me official? Am I a designer?