The Lindie Bag (Free Purse Pattern)

To the home sewer:  I have been asked by several people if they may make this bag for sale.  The answer is YES, you may!  I maintain my copyright on the pattern (instructions and pictures), but please feel free to create this bag and sell it!

 Finished size:  6½” tall (14½” if you include straps), 6″ wide, 3 ” deep

In all measurements, width is listed first, followed by length.

All seam allowances are ½” unless otherwise noted.

Fabric Requirements:

2 fat quarters, although more fabric will be needed for centering a design.

Materials Requirements:

½ yard medium-weight fusible interfacing

small piece (~6¼” x 2¼”) of stabilizer (Peltex 70 or Timtex)

1.  Prepare fabric.  Wash, dry and press all fabric.  Fuse interfacing to WRONG sides of all fabric.

 In above picture, pink fabric is for the exterior fabric and green is the interior fabric.

 2.  Cut fabric pieces.

Cut fabric for bag:  10″ x 17″

Cut 1 piece of exterior fabric

Cut 1 piece of liner fabric

Cut fabric for inside pocket

Cut 1 piece of liner fabric 6 ½” x 8 ½”

Cut fabric for handles

Cut 2 pieces of exterior fabric 3″ x 19″

Cut stabilizer

Cut 1 piece 6 ¼” x 2 ¼”

3. Make pocket.  Fold pocket piece in half with RIGHT sides together  so that it measures 6 ½” x 4 ¼” and secure with pins.  Starting at one side of the fold, sew up one side, stopping ½” from the edge.  Turn the pocket piece and sew across the top, leaving a 1 ½” opening at the top for turning.  Sew to the next corner, stopping ½” from the edge.  Turn the pocket piece and finish sewing the remaining side.  Clip corners and turn the pocket right side out, pushing corners out with a narrow tool.  Iron the pocket flat and select one side to be the top.  Edgestitch with a 1/8″ seam allowance across the top of the pocket.

4.  Attach pocket to the liner.  Position the pocket on the liner piece 2 ¼” from both side edges and 1 ¾” from a top short edge.  Secure pocket in place with pins.  Attach the pocket to the liner by edgestitch with a 1/8″ seam allowance around the 2 sides and bottom of the pocket, backstitching at beginning and end for a secure hold.

The pen is intended to show the position  of the pocket.

5. Assemble bag liner.  Fold liner in half RIGHT sides together and secure with pins.  Sew up the 2 sides, leaving the top open.  Snip open the corner seam as shown.

Box corners by laying the side seam against the bottom of the bag.

See this post for additional pictures and explanation on boxing corners.

Measure 1½” from the top of the snipped seam using a ruler as shown. Mark a line perpendicular to the side seam and pin in place.  Sew on this line, backstitching at the beginning and end.  Note that a triangle is formed when boxing the corner this way.  Trim this triangle off with pinking shears after sewing.  Set aside.

6. Assemble  bag exterior.  Sew exterior piece just as liner above (sewing up both sides and boxing corners but do not trim off the triangular pieces.  Lay the stabilizer piece across the bottom of the bag and pin to the triangular pieces on the bottom of the bag exterior.  Sew the interlining to the triangles.

7.  Make the straps.  Press in ½” on both long sides of the strap pieces.  Fold strap in half and press again.  Secure with pins.  Edgestich along long open edge of straps.

8. Attach straps to liner.  With the right side of the liner facing in, pin straps to inside of liner 1 ½” from the side seam as shown.  Make sure the straps are hanging inside the bag toward the bottom.  Turn the liner so that the right side of the fabric is facing out.  Baste the straps in place with a ¼” seam.

9.  Assemble the bag.  Place the liner inside the exterior of the bag so that the right sides of the fabrics are facing each other, making sure that the straps are hanging down in between the 2 layers.  Line up the side seams and pin in place.  Pin around the top of the bag.  Starting on the middle edge of a strap, sew across the strap and around the top of the bag, stopping just after the 4th strap, leaving an opening for turning between the straps.  Backstitch at the beginning and end so that the stitches won’t unravel during turning.

10. Turn the bag.  Carefully turn the bag right side out through the opening, pushing all the corners out.  Push the lining into the exterior of the bag.

11.  Finish the bag.  Press around the top of the bag for a crisp edge, pressing fabric in ½” at the opening.  Pin the opening closed.  Edgestich with a 1/8″ seam along the top of the bag.

12.  Press in the creases.  Iron in creases along the bottom edges of the bag and up all four corners (from the bottom corner to the top edge) of the bag.  You’re finished!

Care.  As with any fabric bag, you may periodically want to press creases back into the bag or press wrinkles out of the fabric.

Enjoy your new bag!

©  2007 Craft Apple Creations