I’m always looking for ways to reduce my waste. I’m not great at it, but any time I can reuse something I try to. That’s why when I got new sheets from Target I decided to make this reversible purse from the bags.
I recently bought my kids new twin sheets from Target. I’ve always thought the bags that Target sheets come in are so cute! I love that they’re trying to reduce plastic by packaging their sheets in cloth instead.
You could reuse the fabric to make almost anything, but since my sewing skills are minimal and they were already in the shape of a bag, I figured little reversible purses would be the easiest thing.
In the future, I think making produce bags or shopping bags with some of the bigger sheet bags would be cool.
Reversible Purse
I decided to make them reversible because I thought it would be extra cute and would help hide all my sewing. Again, I am a novice. I’ve done a few sewing projects, like these curtains and cushion covers.
I knew I could figure it out though! First, I removed all the Velcro. The plan was to reattach it further down the purse, but I couldn’t figure out how to get it to line up correctly, so I ditched the Velcro.
Then, I cut off the top flap of both bags. Again, this was easiest for my brain. I sewed the top flap right sides together around 3 sides. Left the bottom open to pull it through.
How to Make the Strap
Next, I worked on the strap. I had some old jeans that my daughter had grown out of and cut the legs off.
Then, I cut them into 4 even rectangles.
I sewed 2 of the rectangles together long ways, then folded them over onto themselves and sewed the right sides together.
Pulled through. It was a little difficult to pull through, but I really like the final result.
Putting the Reversible Purse Together
Now that I had the flap and strap, I attached them both to inside of one of the bags. I thought it would be cute if the flap was opposite the bag, so I attached the flap ‘backwards’.
The attached the strap to the inside of the bag.
Once the flap and strap were attached, I stuffed the bags inside of each other, right sides together, and stuffed the strap and flap into the inside between the two right sides of the bag. (I hope this makes sense! See video for better visual.)
I sewed around the top of the bags leaving about 3 inches open to pull the bag through. Then I pulled the bag through to the right side and stitched up the small opening!
The bags turned out perfect and they are a great size for young kids. My kids have been collecting rocks and toys in their purses.
While they may not be perfect, I’m glad I kept these bags out of the landfill and that the kids have a new toy to play with!
What’s Next?
If you liked this reversible purse, you’ll probably like these other up-cycle ideas.
Propagation Station from Scrap Wood
