Purse Palooza :: Pattern Review : Michelle Patterns Pleated Wristlet

Hi everyone! I’m Andrea and I’m super excited to be participating in Purse Palooza 2013. I blog over at MouseInMyPocket.com about sewing, quilting, and life as I know it here in rural America. I took up sewing a couple years ago when I wanted to make my sister a quilt for her wedding. Since then, I’ve made several more quilts and even braved making some of my own clothes and accessories. Today I’m here at Sew Sweetness to review the Pleated Wristlet Sewing Pattern by Michelle Patterns.

The Pattern:

This pattern is available as a downloadable PDF. That means that you get a digital file by email instead of a physical copy in the mail. I love working with PDF patterns. They’re super easy to print out on your home printer. Just remember to set your print settings scaling to “none” instead of size to printable area (most computers automatically set this to “Fit to Printable Area”).

This pattern comes in 3 sizes. I love having sizing options for my bags. I even created my own mini version of the Sew Sweetness Aeorplane Bag.

The only thing I didn’t really like about the multiple sizes in this bag is that as it gets larger it’s much less functional as a wristlet, at least not in my opinion. That’s why I made some adjustments to my larger versions (you’ll see those below).

The Supplies:

The pattern calls for the following supplies:

• fabric – for the exterior and lining
• fusible interfacing
• muslin (for underlining)
• batting
• zipper
• o-ring or d-ring

For my first version of the bag, I followed the pattern instructions for materials, but in the second version I decided to try using Soft and Stable instead of a muslin underlining and batting. In the large version, I also made handles from twill ribbon instead of attaching a d-ring for a wristlet. About a yard of your favorite heavy duty ribbon will do, or just make yourself some double fold bias tape (for purse handles you’ll probably want it to finish an an inch wide, so start with a 4-inch strip the width of your fabric. You’ll have plenty for your handles.). My favorite alteration to the pattern was working out how you can add an accent to your pleating. You’ll want either a fat quarter of accent fabric for that, or a little extra of your lining fabric – that’s what I did.

Instructions:

I love the instructions for the Michelle Patterns bags. They are very similar in style to the Sew Sweetness instructions, full of helpful photos and detailed, but concise instructions.

Difficulty:

While the Michelle Patterns site lists this bag as “Intermediate,” the instructions are so clear and easy to follow that I believe an adventurous beginner could make this bag. And by adventurous I mean “not afraid to try a zipper”.

My Bags:

I made 3 versions of this bag, a small, a large, and one at 150% of the large template.

I made my first version of this bag a while back. It’s the small version of the clutch. It’s a great size for a special occasion but not near large enough for everyday use, at least not if you carry around a massive wallet like mine. It is, however, a great size for your phone and a small card case – perfect for a wedding or going out on the town.

I followed all the instructions on this one to a “t.” If I were making it again, I would change 2 things, just for my preference. I would use something like soft and stable for the inside instead of batting, and I would move the d-ring closer to the body of the bag.