Make a Snap Frame Purse from a Vintage Tea Towel
One sunny April evening I popped over to the much loved Make Lounge in Islington to learn how to transform my boring tea towels into great gifts for friends...
My vintage tea towel moments before it's transformation...
Vintage tea towels are easy to thrift, mega cheap and full of ace graphics and lovely colourways. The great part about using them as a fabric to make a new object is that most old tea towels are completely unused as folk in the olden days would buy them as souvenirs and pop them in a drawer as a memory keepsake. But really, how many tea towels do I actually need in my life? So I set out to find more useful things I could make ’em into. After setting aside two amazing Babycham versions which I’m going to frame and put on my kitchen wall I figured I didn’t mind cutting up and crafting with the rest. I spied the Metal Snap Purse Workshop on The Make Lounge website and instantly booked my slot…
Choosing fabrics from the vast array of pretty colours and pretty patterns.
Down a pretty street in Islington is The Make Lounge shop and studio. As I stepped inside a group of gals were already selecting fabrics to make their purse from and helping themselves to vino and snacks. At first I was a bit miffed there was only white wine on offer, but as our teacher Laurel pointed out if we spill red wine over our projects it’s a messy and unforgiving affair. Of course!
The lovely workshop assistant and art teacher Tunjay cuts fabric off the roll for my classmates.
One by one the gals bring forth their selected fabric to be cut from the roll. I in the meantime leaf through my 10 tea towels to decide which one to use…
Pinning the pattern piece to the vintage tea towel.
I take the pattern piece provided and run it over my towels to see which one works the best. I select an adorable Irish linen version with pretty art deco styling and illustrations of frolicking children. The individual scenes fit the size of the template perfectly. Aces.
Cutting and pinning. Easy peasy.
We’re then all seated around a long table and the workshop begins. I liked having an instruction sheet to work from and a professional on hand steering us through how to do stuff with an abundance of top tips. From one pattern piece we cut 2 outer fabrics, 2 lining fabrics and 2 of the felt. The felt is the magical part which gives the purse structure – especially when using a thin fabric like tea towels.
Sewing machines and threads.
We then choose a fancy computerised sewing machine and matching threads to start stitching everything together. I’m not sure I’ll be able to go back to my rickety old sewing machine after using one of those smoothies…
That's my concentration face.
All the pieces are sandwiched together, stitched and the seams are trimmed. Then for the abracadabra moment of turning out the fabric to discover in just a little over an hour you’re well on your way to making a purse! A little squeal did pop out.
I only seem to iron when I craft!?
A hop ‘n’ a skip over to the ironing board to press down the fabrics. I’ve never been so happy to iron something before.
Glue + screw driver = final stage to making your very own snap frame purse
The final stage involved gluing the top and side fabric edges into the metal snap frame. This was probably the trickiest and messiest part of the process. Although a top tip put our minds at ease that if the glue lands somewhere it shouldn’t just let it dry and then it will either peel off or can be removed with nail polish remover. Ah-hah. The screwdriver helped to push the edges of the fabric fully into the frame using an action described by our eloquent teacher as “some serious shovage”.
Say "I love to craft"
The purse needed to rest for 15 minutes or so to let the glue take effect. During this time I got to know my workshop comrades a little better. I found most were Make Lounge regulars – one girl called herself “addicted”. I pictured the self help group “Hello. My name is Leona and I’m a craft-a-holic”. Most folks were in agreement that the workshops were a great way to quickly and effectively learn a new skill and feel a sense of achievement as well as getting away from the computer screen! I couldn’t agree more.
Ta da! The finished article.
I have to say everyone’s purses looked absolutely stunning and it was soooo quick and easy! As a craft beginner I was bowled over by how professional my purse looked. The clever part about making a snap frame purse is all the sewing bits are hidden on the inside and then under the snap frame. So even if it’s not absolutely perfect it’s all squirreled away from peeking eyes.
Chloe hands out the cupcakes...
I felt all the gals in the room were just as pleased as me with their purses and there was a rush back to the shop to buy more fabrics to make more purses to give away as gifts to friends. Then the lovely Chloe popped in from the cupcake decorating workshop next door with a platter of freshly baked goods. What a wonderful way to end a workshop!
8 Responses to Make a Snap Frame Purse from a Vintage Tea Towel
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Kt O'Shaughnessy says:
Love love love Make Lounge!! I made a purse to last yr 🙂 http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/kateoshaughnessy/4605629439/. Have done knockout knickers and tote bag. Love the craft nights to!!! And just recently did the screen printing class. Can’t praise them enough 🙂
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Polly Miller says:
hello! please can i win the purse? x
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Becky Wood says:
I had a fantastic night at the Snap Frame Purse class and loved my first expereince of The Make Lounge. I will definitely be back for more crafting classes. Craft, wine and cupcakes, whats not to love!
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Tanya Hardie says:
is there anywhere I can get the pattern…I really want to make one over here in Australia!! I have been looking to make a purse for ages (or learn) and this was amazing to read…looks like I might be able to actually make one.
Cheers Tanya
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Suzanne Moffatt says:
I recently did the same course on a saturday and enjoyed it immensely! Also hope to try the Lampshade & Embroidery course.
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Lovely project for vintage tea towels! I linked your blog to my Squidoo article, Vintage Tea Towels. Thanks!!
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Heather says:
I love your purse, I want your purse, I need your purse..it really is the most gorgeous purse in the world and I’m only reading this blog a year late!! .but tell me what sort of glue do you use on the frame?
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Hey there! My name is Leona and this is my online shop and blog where you can follow my thrifty adventures and snap up a vintage gem of two.
Thank you so much for coming, Leona! Can’t wait to see what else you make with your vintage stash!