Book Purse

A few months ago I found a pin on Pinterest that showed a really cool purse made from a hard back book. I was immediately intrigued as it combined three of my loves; purses, books, and crafting! I eagerly followed the link and saw it led to an Etsy shop where the person was selling this particular purse for $135. Really? Yes, really. I'm all for craftsmen and women being paid for their workmanship, but I felt this was a bit excessive considering the materials involved and a guess on the time investment. I knew I could figure out how to make one, and for a lot less than $135.

Item List:
Hardcover book
Scrap fabric for lining (make sure you'll have enough to cover in one solid piece)
Card stock - 2 12"X12" sheets should be enough
Modge Podge
Foam brush
Craft glue
Pen - You can use fabric pencil, I used a simple Bic style pen
Ruler
Sewing Machine (you can hand stitch)
Hot glue gun or super glue
Neodymium magnets - you'll need 2 - 4 of these




Step 1)

First I went to a local thrift store and found a couple of old hardback books to experiment with. I chose ones that had a nice cover and tried to find ones that were books I actually liked. I mean, I should be able to answer questions about the book in question if someone were to ask me.

Step 2)

I carefully removed the guys of the book. Added bonus is that the inner part of the book is being saved for another craft project!

Step 3)

Next, I added several coats of a matte finish modge podge. I coated the front about 5 times and the inside about 3, with some extra towards the edges. I figured the edges would get the most wear and tear.

Step 4)

Take some card stock and make a template of the inside portion of the book. You'll use this to cut and stabilize the fabric.

Step 5)

Now make a template for the sides of the purse too. On the card stock add a half inch to each side to allow for seams. You'll need to cut 4 pieces of fabric from this template. 

Step 6)

Use template to cut the fabric that you've chosen for your liner. I allowed about a half inch seam on each side.

Step 7)

As I said, cut four of these.

Step 8)

Glue the fabric to the card stock, folding the edges of the fabric over onto the card stock. I coated the entire sheet of card stock to make sure I didn't get any bubbles or weird slipping of the fabric later. The purpose of this is to make the fabric thicker/stronger and to have nice clean edges with less sewing. Once the fabric is on you can glue this piece to the inside cover of the book. Do not glue the edges yet, only the center!

Step 9)

Next sew the tops of 2 triangles together. You should end up with 2 pieces that look like the top one in the picture.

Step 10)

Now here's the tricky part. You'll need to lift the edges and glue down the triangles. The middle (shown in picture) is the easiest. I started with the center and worked my way around, carefully lifting and gluing. I don't have a picture of this part because it was kind of tricky and I forgot to stop and take one.

Step 11)

In the end, this is what you should have. I decided to keep mine a clutch style purse to keep with the book illusion and so I glued the magnets onto the inside (glued under the edge of the fabric). I originally used craft glue and it didn't hold up. So, I switched to hot glue and that has held up perfectly. However, I'm originally from southern AZ where hot glue melts fairly easily, so if you're in a hotter climate you may want to use a different glue.

 There you have it. Now you too can make your very own Book Purse in a few hours time! :)

Oh! Breakdown of the costs on this project for me were:

$2          Hardcover book - Thrift store
$1.50     Scrap fabric for lining - Hancock Fabrics
$0          Card stock - Already owned
$0          Modge Podge - Already owned
$0.50     Foam brush - Home Depot
$0          Craft glue - Already owned
$0          Pen - Already owned
$0          Ruler - Already owned
$0          Sewing Machine - Already owned
$2          Hot glue gun - Michael's Crafts (I couldn't find my glue sticks anywhere!!)
$3          Neodymium magnets  - The Container Store (24 for $12.99)
_______________

$9.00     Total


Happy crafting!
         ~ Claire ~