A Birthday Purse

My mother-in-law had a birthday this past weekend. She didn't want anything, she never does. She's frugal and has quite a personal history, raised in Russia, living in Germany during WWII and even being imprisoned for part of that time before coming to America as a young woman. So, she didn't want anything.

But my husband noticed that her purse has seen better days. He bought it for her decades ago and the strap is now being held together with duct tape. He asked me if I would make her a new one.

And this is what we came up with:

I had an old Butterick pattern and Gary thought his mom would like this particular style. And the home dec weight fabric was his choice as well (and a shout out to Jill who gifted it to me awhile back - hey, there's still MORE!).

Here's the back.

I tell ya, this thing was not easy to put together. Especially since it was for a gift. I get hyper critical of my sewing when I know it's a gift. But all in all, I like how it turned out. It's fully lined and has two interior pockets and the whole thing is nice and sturdy because it's interfaced with fusible fleece.

Here are the exterior pockets under the flap. And I love the green zipper - it makes me smile.

Now maybe I'm ready to tackle my Amy Butler pattern and make a Sweet Harmony handbag. Maybe.