hi friends.. this is my first tutorial i've posted on craftster, kind of went overboard with the pictures but oh well. I loved the squared bottom bag i made at our little purse making party so much i made another one the next day. I used the same strip fabric but used brown for the lining instead and braided hemp handles. This version is way more my style and really was the true vision of what i had in mind for this fabric. I think i shall sell the other one:) any takers?? ha... anyway onto the good stuff.... here is what you will need. (NOTE: these measurements are what i used due to the amount of the stripe fabric i had left. you can change the size to fit your own needs)
cut (2) 8"x15" rectangles of the stripe
cut (2) 11"x15" rectangles of the brown lining
cut (2) 3"x15" strips of the brown for the contrasting band along the top of the purse
cut (2) handle straps 18" long or desired length (i used braided hemp i bought by the yard but you could sew fabric handles of a complimentary fabric if you wish)

2.) sew strips of brown, right sides facing together, to the top of the stripe panels

3.) press open seams

4.)with right sides together, sew the stripe panels together on three sides leaving the top (brown) edge open

5.) with right sides together sew brown panels together as well on three sides leaving top edge open

6.)Lay the two sewn pieces on top of eachother and trim off any excess- you want your two pieces (outside and lining) to match up perfectly

7.)this part is a little tricky, i hope the photo illustrates it well enough. you're going to take the striped pieces you've just sewn together and pull on both sides to pull out a triangle on the corner. I'm sorry i don't really know how to explain this well. You are making your square bottom in this step. (the seam that runs up and down is the bottom edge of the bag if you can picture that) You'll want to mark a line on the wrong side about 2 inches down from the point and sew across.

8.) after sewing across the corners your bag should look like this

9.) Do this on the lining as well and trim the points off, leaving about 1/4-1/2 inch along the seam

10.)now you can turn the outside (stripe) piece right side out and place the lining inside of it. You do this just to make sure your edges line up well. Staring to look like a real purse!!

11.)Now you are going to want to iron down a hem (no need to sew or pin) along the top of both your outside and lining pieces. Making sure that when the two are top stitched together that the seams are hidden on the inside (NOTE: this is when you would want to add any pockets or additional embellishments to your bag or lining. I didn't sew on pockets to this version. After making the first one, i realized I am the kind of girl that just throws things in my purse and doesnt use little pockets

but they are definetly cute for show even if you don't use them)


12.) Approaching the finish line! Now insert the lining into your outside part of the bag and mark 4 inches from each side seam (4 marks) This is where you will place your straps. Pin them in place about an inch down from the top edge between the bag and lining.

13.) Now for your last step, I like to start pinning at the side edge seams just in case your measurements are a little off and your lining doesnt match up exactly. Pin all the way around and top stitch the hem securing your straps and finishing your bag!

Now you have a fabulous finished bag that is totally reversible!!! I love this bag and it is so quick and easy to make!! Made this one in about 50 minutes. I hope this tutorial is helpful enough, please feel free to ask any questions and I will try to answer as best I can... happy sewing!!
