23 DIY Purses, Handbags and Clutches to Sew or Glue

The trouble with buying a handbag is that somebody in the next aisle is buying the same one. Making your own DIY purse solves that permanently, and the range here runs from a fifteen minute suede clutch glued shut with a hot glue gun to a fully lined quilted shoulder bag with a proper twist lock. Some of these need a sewing machine and half a Saturday. Plenty need nothing but scissors, glue and a leather remnant. There are free printable patterns, crochet instructions, a tote knotted from an old t shirt and a leather bottomed carryall that costs a fraction of the ones in the shop window. Every project links back to the maker who wrote it up.

DIY Purses and Handbags | Tutorial & Instructions

1. DIY Patterned Clutch Purse

Three pleather envelope clutches in coral, yellow and teal scattered with white triangles, hearts and dots

Three envelope clutches in coral, yellow and teal pleather, scattered with white triangles, hearts and dots and fastened with gold push locks. Sarah Hearts cuts the shapes from smooth white heat transfer vinyl on a cutting machine and irons each one down with a mini iron at high heat for about fifteen seconds. Two tips make the difference. Load the vinyl shiny plastic side down and set the blade to two, and test one shape on the inside of the flap first, because pleather and heat are not always friends.

Get the full tutorial at Sarah Hearts.

2. Vintage Purse

Three foldover clutch purses sharing one pattern with a tweed, a suede and a printed flap on a cream background

Three foldover clutches, a grey one with a hammered pendant, a botanical print with a needle felted flower and a tweed one with a large wooden button. Small Town Craft Fair works from Vogue pattern 8628, view D, reduced on a copier to seventy eight percent, and the only thing that changes between the three is the flap. Cut the body once, then make a tweed flap with a button, a suede flap with a pendant and a printed flap with a felted flower. It is the most efficient way to fill a craft fair table, since three finished bags come out of one afternoon of pattern work.

Get the full tutorial at Small Town Craft Fair.

3. Hand Lettered Happy Hour And Brunch Clutches DIY

Black and blush faux leather pouches hand lettered wine allowance and brunch money beside champagne glasses

A black faux leather pouch lettered wine allowance in white brush script and a blush pink one reading brunch money, laid out with champagne flutes and marbled sunglasses. A Fabulous Fete paints the words with acrylic ink and a size two filbert brush, then lets it dry with no sealing step at all. Her advice for anyone whose handwriting is a disgrace is to print the phrase, trace it onto the surface and paint over the trace. She also notes that slightly imperfect lettering gives the bag more character than a perfect font would.

Get the full tutorial at A Fabulous Fete.

4. Wonderful Zipper Bag

Small upright tote bag woven from red, lime, cream and brown zippers with two zipper handles on a stone floor

A small upright tote woven entirely from zippers in red, lime, cream and brown, with two zipper handles, standing on a stone floor. All Day Chic lays the zippers flat and weaves them in a crosshatch, pinning as she goes, then glues the ends from the bottom corner outward keeping the pattern consistent. The top ends of the vertical zippers fold over the top horizontal one and glue down. Two zippers cut to about ten inches make the handles, and leftover scraps glued round the inside cover every raw end.

Get the full tutorial at All Day Chic.

5. No-Sew Perfect Little Purse

White leather and grey felt crossbody flap bags with rivets down the side panels and metal twist closures

Two crossbody flap bags shown one above the other, a white leather one with a swivel clasp and a grey wool felt one with a webbing strap, both studded with rivets down the side panels. Made by Barb holds the whole bag together with eighth inch pop rivets a quarter inch long, backed with washers on the inside so they pull tight and hold. The material has to be stable and non fraying, so felt, medium to heavy leather or vegan leather. Install the closure before assembly, and work from the bottom of the purse outward.

Get the full tutorial at Made by Barb.

6. DIY Handmade Bag

A hand lifting a soft woven bag in blue, green and purple rag strips, fastened with a large silver and turquoise disc button. The construction is unusual and worth seeing. A piece of cardboard is notched with fifteen slots along the top, embroidery floss is tied across the slots as a warp, and strips of cloth are woven through it, which means a loom you can make in five minutes from a cereal box. Fabric scraps in a tight colour family do the rest, and a statement button finishes the front.

Get the full tutorial at Sueeye.

7. Envelope Clutch

Printed cotton envelope clutch with a white button closure held at waist height and a teal lined version open

A printed cotton envelope clutch with a white button closure, shown held at waist height, with a black and white triangle version opened to a teal lining. See Kate Sew gives away the pattern, printed over six pages at one hundred percent with no scaling, and the finished bag measures roughly seven by twelve inches. Half a yard each of quilting cotton, lining and midweight fusible interfacing makes one, with a three eighths inch seam allowance already built into the pattern pieces. Leave a three to four inch gap in the lining to turn it through.

Get the full tutorial at See Kate Sew.

8. Crocheted Coin Purse

Cream crocheted coin purse with a silver kiss lock frame and a ruffled crochet flower worked across the front

A cream crocheted coin purse with a silver kiss lock frame, shown closed with a ruffled flower worked across the front and open to a plain crocheted interior. A metal purse frame is what lifts a crocheted pouch into something that looks bought, because the snap closure gives it structure that stitches alone cannot. Cool Creativities gathers several free patterns of this kind in one place, so work the flat body first, check it against the frame before you finish the top edge, and sew the fabric into the frame channel last.

Get the full tutorial at Cool Creativities.

9. No Sew Leather Envelope Clutch

Cobalt blue suede envelope clutch with a curved flap and a dark ribbon tie held against a white fur coat

A cobalt blue suede envelope clutch with a curved flap and a fine dark ribbon tied through the front, held against a white fur coat. See Kate Sew calls this a fifteen minute glue only project, and it genuinely is. A leather remnant, a printable template, a hot glue gun, a hole punch and a length of ribbon is the entire list. Run extra glue underneath the edges so they stick properly, and check that the punched holes line up with the flap folded down before you thread the ribbon through and tie it.

Get the full tutorial at See Kate Sew.

10. Valentines Tote Bag

Denim blue tote bag on a chair with a large red cross stitched heart on the front and a tabby cat behind it

A denim blue tote hanging on a chair back with a large heart cross stitched across the front in thick red thread, a tabby cat peering over the top of it. I Love Green Grass sews the bag itself from two pieces of light denim, a thirty two by eighty six centimeter body and a five by sixty five centimeter handle, cut with a one centimeter border and three centimeters spare at the top edge. Zig zag every raw edge or denim frays for ever. The heart comes from a printed cross stitch chart worked in red thread, and the same chart goes on a t shirt or a cushion cover just as well.

Get the full tutorial at I Love Green Grass.

11. Fabric Bag Hobo DIY

Slouchy hobo bag in printed cotton covered in retro advertising type and crowns with a single shoulder strap

A slouchy hobo bag in a bold printed cotton covered in retro advertising type, crowns and moustaches, with a single shoulder strap and a leather key fob clipped to it. Handmadiya builds this as a photo tutorial, forty odd numbered steps with no written instructions at all, which is worth knowing before you start. If you can read a sewing photo sequence it is completely followable. The bag itself is a good use for a loud print, because a slouchy one piece shape carries a busy fabric far better than a structured bag does.

Get the full tutorial at Handmadiya.

12. Easy Padded Coin Purse

Small oatmeal linen flap coin purse with a floral bound edge, a brass snap and a stamped leather tab on front

A small square flap purse in oatmeal linen with a scalloped floral trim around the flap edge, a brass snap and a stamped leather tab on the front, photographed beside a little brass Eiffel Tower. The detail to copy is the bound edge, because a contrast binding around a curved flap hides every raw edge and does the decorating at the same time. Handmadiya runs this as a photograph only tutorial with no written steps. A padded coin purse is a good first bag, since the padding forgives a lot of unevenness.

Get the full tutorial at Handmadiya.

13. Leather Wrap Clutch

Tan leather clutch with a rounded flap wrapped with a thin leather strap tied in a knot on a polka dot cloth

A tan leather clutch with a rounded flap, wrapped once with a thin leather strap tied through a small knot on the front, on a polka dot background. Stitched by Crystal cuts one sixteen by eleven inch rectangle, trims half an inch off each side over the last five inches for the flap and curves it round a plate. The finished bag is about ten by five and a half inches. Leather does not fray, so nothing gets hemmed and nothing gets lined. Use clips rather than pins, because a pin hole in leather is permanent.

Get the full tutorial at Stitched by Crystal.

14. Sweet Quilted Front Flap Purse with Decorative Lock

Two quilted crossbody flap bags, one coral floral with orange piping and one navy with birds, and a brass lock

Two crossbody flap bags on webbing straps, one in a coral floral with orange piping and one in navy with birds and a blue patterned gusset, with a close up of an antique brass twist lock. Sew4Home builds this properly, with fusible foam through the gusset and flap for structure, piping round the edges and a forty five inch adjustable grosgrain strap. The finished bag is about ten inches wide, seven and a half high and two and a half deep. Test the lock position with the flap folded before you screw anything down.

Get the full tutorial at Sew4Home.

15. Leather Bottom Fabric Tote

Upright tote with a grey and cream striped canvas top, a cognac leather bottom panel and long leather straps

An upright tote with a grey and cream striped canvas top, a cognac leather bottom panel and long leather straps held on with antique brass snaps. Little House of Four found the leather alternative at thirty five dollars a yard, which is the expensive part, and the snaps at eight dollars for six. Two details are worth repeating. You cannot iron leather, so press the fabric seams flat instead and let the leather sit. And measure two inches in from each bottom corner and sew across to make a triangle, which is what gives the bag its flat base.

Get the full tutorial at Little House of Four.

16. Reversible Bags

Slouchy shoulder bag in heavy red and oatmeal chevron fabric hanging on a white door knob with a coral lining

A slouchy shoulder bag in a heavy red and oatmeal chevron weave, hanging on a white door knob with a coral print lining just visible inside the opening. You Can Do That reports about half a yard each of two coordinating fabrics per bag, home decor weight, and an hour and a half for the first one and about an hour after that. Her modification is the useful bit. Sew three of the four straps closed and leave the fourth open just past the turn, because pulling a heavy fabric bag through a small gap is where this project goes wrong.

Get the full tutorial at You Can Do That.

17. No Sew T-Shirt Tote Bag

Three totes knotted from old t shirts in purple, charcoal and blue hanging on a peg rail with fringed bottoms

Three totes knotted from old t shirts hanging on a white peg rail, in dusty purple, charcoal and bright blue, each with a deep fringe along the bottom and one trimmed with fabric flowers. Kenarry cuts off the sleeves, neckline and bottom hem, then cuts one inch strips anywhere from five to ten inches up from the bottom edge. Stretch each strip until it curls in on itself, then tie matching front and back strips together with square knots. Shorter strips give a deeper bag and longer strips a shallower one, and a bigger shirt makes a bigger bag.

Get the full tutorial at Kenarry.

18. Box Frame Clutch Purse

Structured turquoise and white lattice print clutch on a gold box frame with a crystal clasp shown open and closed

A structured turquoise and white lattice print clutch on a rigid box frame with a gold trim and a crystal set clasp, shown closed, open to a blue and green lining and from both ends. So Sew Easy works to a frame about nine and a half inches long and four inches tall, with two pieces of fabric big enough to cover the box with an inch of overlap all round. The glues are specific: Aleene’s Tacky Glue for fabric to plastic and Amazing Goop for the frame. Test both on a scrap before you commit a good fabric.

Get the full tutorial at So Sew Easy.

19. Simple DIY Felt Purses

Charcoal wool felt clutch with a cut out slot handle and the words i love embroidered in thick red thread

A charcoal wool felt clutch with a cut out slot handle across the top and the words i love embroidered across the front in thick red thread, held out in front of a plaid shirt. Felt is the friendliest material for a first bag because it does not fray, which means no hems, no linings and no seam finishing anywhere. A slot handle cut straight through the top panel needs no hardware and no strap. Embroidery on felt is equally forgiving, since the thick surface hides the back of your stitches completely.

Get the full tutorial at Trend Hunter.

20. Cosmetic Bag Purse

Half moon zip pouch in white quilted cotton with black crosses bound in oatmeal linen with a woven label

A half moon zip pouch in white quilted cotton printed with small black crosses, bound in oatmeal linen around the curved top edge and labelled with a little woven tag. The quilting is the point. A scalloped stitch pattern worked across the panel before assembly gives the bag body without any interfacing at all, which is why it holds its shape on a table. Handmadiya runs this as a photograph only tutorial with no written steps, tagged quilting and patchwork. Bind the curved edge rather than turning it, because a curve will not lie flat turned.

Get the full tutorial at Handmadiya.

21. Cute Leather Purse

Three small leather drawstring pouches in sage, blush and deep red with fine cords and one wooden bead

Three small leather drawstring pouches in sage, blush and deep red, each gathered with a fine leather cord and one finished with a wooden bead, with long cords trailing across a pale surface. Between the Lines makes them just big enough for a phone, keys and some money, which is the right size for a bag you take out in the evening. A drawstring pouch is the simplest leather bag there is. One rectangle, a row of punched holes near the top and a cord threaded through, with no stitching required at all.

Get the full tutorial at Between the Lines.

22. DIY Nail Polish Marbled Jewelry Purse

Two metal jar caps joined by a zip into a round jewelry case, one held up showing a pink, blue and gold marbled surface, the other open to a purple felt lining holding rings and earrings. The Sueeye tutorial primes each cap with white primer or gesso, floats nail polish on water and dips them straight in with no swirling. Felt circles traced from the cap line the inside. A zip hot glued around one cap edge and the second cap glued on top closes it. A clear top coat makes the marbling durable.

Get the full tutorial at Sueeye.

23. Round Handbag Made From Old Blue Jeans

A round denim shoulder bag made from an old pair of jeans, with a back pocket still attached to the front, two short denim handles and a fine chain strap. The Sueeye tutorial traces two large circles with a plate onto the denim, lifts the pockets off with a seam ripper and sews one onto the front panel. Fusible fleece ironed to the back gives the circle its body. Lining goes on with an opening left for turning, closed afterwards with an invisible stitch, and the straps are cut from scrap denim.

Get the full tutorial at Sueeye.