Who’s Wants to Make A Purse Pattern?

So you have a choice, make a free purse pattern and save oodles of money or buy one and never really get that nagging design you’ve been yearning to make. Many purse designers shudder at the thought of making a purse pattern until they see how simple it really is. In their mind, it is grueling, technical, and requires special artistic training. This is so not the case. Once you have gotten your design idea together, it is an easy exercise to begin making your purse patterns…and when you make it, it’s free, so you can create as many as you like!

The Benefits of Making Your Purse Pattern

With just a few basic tips, your pattern paper (you can use manilla or a good weight poster board), and of course your handy ruler (a suitable steel L shaped ruler or a fashion kit), along with a few other basic items, you can create a pattern that would last you for years. Among the many benefits of designing the pattern yourself is you get to create the design, you see in your imagination plus you hold the master design. Oh, and did I mention you get to save a few dollars doing it yourself. 

Because of this, you can make any changes, subtle or bold, to expand your handbag line. This means your one basic design can become converted into unlimited designs with just a mere stroke of the pencil. There is one thing you must consider though when making your patterns, that’s ensuring that your pattern is balanced, has smooth edges, and has clear instructions or markings on it for persons sewing your bag.

Speaking of smooth edges, be sure to cut your pattern with a blade (I like X-acto knives) and not scissors for accuracy and less stress on your fingers. Oh, and you’ll want to protect your design surface with a self-healing cutting mat (nothing smaller than 24″x18″ unless you’re making bags for toddlers).

Are You Ready to Make An Accurate Pattern Design?

A pattern that is uneven or imbalanced will create a purse that looks the same. This means special care has to be taken with the measurements and the cutting. With this in mind, we can avoid making wonky bags. While it’s great to dream big with your purse design, avoid going over the top by adding too many bells and whistles. Consider what materials will be used in creating the bag. If your bag’s design requires a particular weight fabric, something sturdy and not light and whispy make a note of this on your pattern.

Now that you know that, you can not only make your own purse patterns for free but also consider taking the next step and begin sewing your excellent design, even if it’s just the prototype. If you’re not sure you’re doing it the correct way, my Purse making DVD How to Make a Structured Handbag (Part One) will show you how to make patterns for structured handbags and structured clutch purses.