Have an old book that you'd like to upcycle? Try a no-sew book purse.
Using an old hard cover book, you can make a wonderful gift for family (or yourself).
2. Supplies
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Supplies:
Hardback book with pages removed (use an X-acto knife to do this)
When picking the book remember, larger gives more space, smaller is good for a clutch. Pick
something that's attractive and/or will appeal to the person the purse is for. The width of the
spine is the most important aspect. Smaller spine, the less your purse can hold.
Cardboard – like a cereal box (has to be bigger than the book)
2 fat quarters or equivalent amount of fabric (fat quarters are normally 18x21)
Fabri-tac or similar
Grosgrain ribbon - 3/4 to 1 inch wide
Closure – large button or magnetic snap
Purse handles
Optional Supplies:
D-rings - if your purse handles don't include
Clamps or clothes pins
Waxed paper
Mod Podge and foam brush for decoupage
Acrylic Sealant for exterior
3. Optional Steps Before Starting Purse
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If your book has a dust jacket you may want to
decoupage the cover on.
Use Mod Podge to apply a thin layer to the dust jacket, and
then glue it on the book. Be sure to get out air bubbles.
Use clothes pins or clamps to help it dry.
You can also seal your book by covering it with a
couple of layers of Mod Podge or an acrylic sealer.
Mod Podge will not make it water proof.
Launder your fabric, and then iron smooth. You can
use starch when you're ironing if you want to firm
things up a little.
4. Reinforcement (Optional, but recommended)
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Glue ribbon or extra fabric in the interior of the spine
and a little up the sides to reinforce/strengthen this
area. Let dry. If the spine of your book is weak, cut,
fit and glue a piece of lightweight cardboard in first
for more strength.
However much strengthening you do here, pay
attention to the open ends, so that your
reinforcement doesn’t show when your purse is
finished.
6. Creating Interior Pieces
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Cut three pieces of lightweight cardboard just
smaller than the parts of your book. You'll need one
piece of cardboard for each side and one for the
spine. Double check the fit and make any
adjustments.
7. Creating Interior Pieces Continued
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Take your cardboard and lay them out on your inside
fabric. Cut around each piece leaving an inch or so of
fabric. (If you sew, this is like your seam allowance.)
Do this with all three pieces of cardboard.
Glue each piece of fabric to its matching piece of
cardboard. You'll want to pull these tight so the
front is nice and smooth. Start by gluing down the
corners, then going across between them. That will
give you a smoother appearance and less fabric
bunched on the bottom.
Warning: If you put glue on the front of the cardboard it can
show through the fabric.
9. Creating Interior Pieces Continued
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Dry fit your fabric covered cardboard on your book
cover to make sure they still fit. Tight is fine, too
tight is a problem.
It is much easier to fix when the glue is still wet. If
you find that your pieces won’t fit, remove the fabric
and cut down the cardboard a little bit. Check and
re-glue.
10. Purse Sides
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Figure out how far you want the purse to open.
Stand the book up on end, on top of a piece of paper.
Open the book to the angle you want and trace
around the book. This is your template. Cut it out.
11. Purse Sides Continued
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Take your fabric for the sides and lay it down folded
over right side out enough for your template to fit
with the wide top of the template on the fold plus
half an inch or more at the bottom, narrow end. Iron
the fold. Lay your template on the fabric and trace
around the template with a line. Then go out 1/2 to
3/4 of an inch on the sides and bottom, not on the
fold, and draw lines. Do this again for the other side
panel. (If you sew, this is like your seam allowance.)
Cut on the outside lines.
13. Purse Sides Continued
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The top corners, where the side panels will meet the
book cover, if left alone will stick up. At this point,
put a drop of glue on the inside of the folded pane
and fold these corners down. Don't go past your
inside line though.
You want to tuck the corner in, not fold it over.
Fold your side panels on the lines and iron these
creases. It makes the panels easier to fit in place
later.
Tuck and Glue
14. Closures
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Measure in to the middle of each side of the book
cover, and mark the location of the closure device.
Try measuring with a piece of paper and then fold
that in half. It's quicker and easier to mark and
doesn't require math.
After you've dry fit the closure, use Fabri-Tac to glue
the ribbons.
15. Handles
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Open the cover and measure in a little ways and
mark where the straps will go. If you're doing a over
the shoulder strap and are only connecting the strap
to the purse once on each side then you'll need them
equally spaced and diagonal for balance. If you're
doing a strap on each side, then you'll need to
measure in from each end, on both sides of the book
cover. Mark these locations with a pencil. MAKE
SURE THEY ARE EQUAL. Use a ruler or
something from your workspace to evenly space
them from the edges of the book.
17. Handles & Closures Continued
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Measure and cut the ribbon to attach your straps and
closure. Dry fit to make sure everything is in place.
Then do the same with the closure.
You can:
Just cut the ribbon to attach the handles and the closure. This uses a
smaller amount of ribbon
Or reinforce by starting the ribbon on the other side of the spine of
the book, come up to where the strap will attach, then go back across
the spine to where the opposite strap will attach and then bring the
ribbon back past the spine. This takes more ribbon, but the weight
of the purse is being supported by both handles and the bottom of
the purse all at the same time.
After you've dry fit the handle connections, use Fabri-Tac
to glue the ribbons, with the handles or D rings, in place.
Wait for this to dry.
19. Attaching the Side Panels
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Take one of your side panels that you cut earlier. Dry
fit this side into place on one side of one end of the
cover. You want to make sure the top corners of the
side panel piece line up with the top corners of the
book cover and then kind of poke at it working your
way down. The creases should make the sides line
up easily.
20. Attaching the Side Panels Continued
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Once you're confident that
you've figured out how it goes
together, use craft glue to
attach one side of the side
panel to the inside edge of the
book cover. Your fabric is two
layers thick and you'll want to
make sure both layers are
sticking.
Take the other side panel of
fabric and do the same at the
other end of the book cover.
Wait for both ends to set a
enough to stay in place.
Remember you’re working on the
same side of the cover of the book.
21. Attaching the Side Panels Continued
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Now that each of the side panels are attached to the
book cover on one side, dry fit them again, on the
other side, to double check. Then glue the other
sides and bottoms into place working with one end of
the book cover at a time. (A third hand to hold the
book cover at just the right angle is really helpful. A
spouse or a friend is a good source of that extra
hand, and you only need them for a few minutes.)
Let the glue set.
23. Attaching the Inside Panels
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Take your fabric covered cardboard rectangles and
dry fit them inside the book cover. Since you cut
your cardboard just a little smaller than the book
cover, they should all fit, but may fit tightly. For one
purse, you may have to do a side, then the bottom,
then the other side, and for another purse two sides
and then the bottom. Experiment.
Dry fitting will save you from making a permanent or messy
mistake when gluing.
Glue each of the three pieces of fabric covered
cardboard inside the book cover.
