Silhouette Tutorial: Two Strap Purse

If you have been following my blog this weekend, you will know that I am currently on a purse kick. Here is the second purse design from that series, for the Silhouette Cutting machine. (or others as they are now in SVG format from Silhouette.)
If you want to see other purse tutorials on my blog, here are a few others:

Bucket Purse

Circle Handle Purses

Circle Handle Faux stitch purse

Purse Gift Card holder

Circle Purse

Multiple Purse tutorial

Barrel Purse

Just click on the image below to see it in the silhouette store!

Please note for the Spiderweb, leaf purse or other simplified versions of this design, there is no buckle flap.  I assure you that the assembly uses the same method. A simple tag is included in the file as a variant of this design to add a new design element.

To make this box, you will need one of these cutting files:
 2 Strap Purse Design ID #55521


Sizing:
Default size approximately 5 inches wide at the bottom X 7 inches tall (top of the straps.)

Paper: 
I used the striped/star paper from my Rough & Tumble line for Carta Bella. I also used solid gold card stock from Bazzill.

Other Supplies:
Gold Tone Brads
Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue
wonder clips
adhesive magnets or velcro

Equipment:
You will also need a Silhouette Cameo or Portrait machine to cut this box in .studio format, or other cutting machine capable of cutting SVG files. This is designed for a 12X12 mat, so you will need to follow the instructions below if you have the portrait machine.

Portrait machine adaptations: 
There is no need to scale this purse down, but you will need to rearrange the purse. In the Studio software, ungroup and rearrange the parts to fit on the live cutting area that you will want to use in your first cutting pass, and move the parts off the cutting area that you won't need. Keep in mind which parts you want to cut in which color card stock, and arrange accordingly.

Studio Software set up:
If you are using a Silhouette Cameo, when you open the file, it will all fit on the live cutting area. You can choose to cut the purse out of one color, or choose to use two colors. An easy way to achieve two colors is to use double sided card stock. You will only then need to cut the buckles separately if you want those to be contrasting accents. Another way to achieve a two tone look in an easy way is to cut this file twice out of two different papers. Then swap out some of the parts so that you mix in some contrasting elements.

Assembly:

Photos 1 and 2: Find the 2 "U" shaped handle pieces and the four smaller buckles. Please note, that there is one larger buckle that you will use for the front strap. I kept the 4 strap buckles together in the file. Fold the handle pieces around the top of the buckle and fix together with a brad. Do this for both ends of each of the "U" handles. Set these pieces aside. 

Photos 3 - 5: Find the purse front piece (it has the wider bottom flap.) Also find both of the side pieces (the pieces with the "teeth.") Now fold the bottom tab on both of the side pieces and glue them to the bottom flap of the purse as shown. 

Use a fast drying paper glue like Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue. After the glue is dried, you will train a curve into the side pieces by bending and shaping them with your hands.

Photo 6: Glue your contrasting accents to the front of the purse. (hold off on gluing the accents to the back for now as there is an added step.)

Photos 7-10: Now that the sides have a little curve to them, glue the teeth around the edge, to the front of the purse. Be patient with this step as you may need to do a few teeth at a time, to make sure your glue is holding. Continue to curve and glue the side around the edge until you get to the top. Glue the other side to the front of the purse in the same fashion so that it looks like photo 10.

Photo  11: Find the front purse flap and strap pieces. Fold both the strap piece and the purse flap on the dotted line then glue the strap tab to the tab of the purse flap. Curve the purse flap with your fingers.

Photos 12 and 13: Find the back of the purse. Now glue the tab of the purse flap to the center of the top of the back of the purse. Now add your contrasting pieces. The contrasting piece at the top will cover where you glued the purse flap tab. Cool huh! 

Photos 14 and 15: Now take the back of the purse assembly and fold the bottom flap. Glue this to the bottom of the front of the purse assembly.

Photos 16 and 17: Carefully glue the teeth of the side pieces to the back of the purse.

Photo 18: Once the glue is thoroughly dry on the side pieces, pinch the sides together on the dotted lines as shown in the photo.  This will help give the purse it's fun shape. 

Photo 19-21: Find the straps you assembled in step 1. We will attach them to the purse with the 4 little one-inch rounded rectangular pieces that have holes in each end, and a dotted fold line in the center. Fold these in half, and loop them through the bottom part of each buckle, then fasten them through the corresponding brad holes in the purse. (these are cut lines in the file, so you will have reference as to where to insert the brads.) 

Photos 22 and 23: Add "feet" to the bottom of the purse by adding 1/4 inch brads. The holes have been cut for you.

Photo 24: Find the large buckle and weave the front strap through it. Glue the strap and buckle to the purse with a dot or two of glue. (no need to glue the entire back of the strap.)

Photos 25-27: We will now add an adhesive magnet or adhesive velcro to the front of the purse. Cut the magnet down to size, or better yet, get the little circle kind and you won't have to cut it. Put two pieces of magnet together, take the backing off one of the magnets. While the magnets are together, press it onto the purse flap. Now take off the other backing on the other magnet. Fold the purse flap down where it would close naturally. Press the magnet set onto the front of the purse. This is how you make sure that the flap and the purse magnets line up. Now open the flap and press the magnet even firmer on the flap and on the front of the purse. 

Dress up your purse by inking edges or putting a little rhinestone bling on them.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Here are some of the supplies (and other goodies) used in today's project: