Kelly Handbag - Free sewing patterns

Corinne Bradd’s homage to the Parisian handbag has been reinvented in celebration of one of the silver screen’s all-time style goddesses, Grace Kelly. Made with its distinctive trapezium shape, this exclusive project is a chance to practise your lining and leather-sewing skills, enabling you to stroll down the boulevards with your very own quintessential creation.

Essentials

Wool tweed, 50cm
Cotton lining, 50cm
Wadding, 50cm
Leather, upholstery weight, 11cm x 45cm
Thick cord, 1m
Magnetic bag clasp
Snap fasteners

1 Download the template and print. Cut two bag outers from tweed. Pin face up on wadding and zig zag stitch around the edges before trimming the wadding to size. Cut two outers from cotton lining, two flap pieces from tweed and one flap from wadding.

2 Pin the flap pieces right sides together with the wadding at the bottom. Sew the curved section using a 5mm seam allowance. Clip the curve and turn out, so the wadding is sandwiched in between the tweed. Topstitch the curve 5mm from the edge, then mark the flap centre 3cm up from the curve. Fit half of the clasp to the mark, so the back is hidden by a layer of tweed.

3 Tack the raw flap edge to the top of one outer, right sides together. Place the other outer face down on top, then pin. Sew the sides and bottom edge with an allowance large enough to cover the zig zag stitches, but don’t sew the corner notches. Fold the corners so the side and bottom seam lines match, then sew across the notches to create a flat base. Turn the bag out and fold the flap over the top. Mark the position of the clasp and fit the other half to the bag front.

4 Cut two leather strips, 5cm x 45cm. Round the ends and fold in half lengthways around the cord, securing with a binder clip. Sew the edges, leaving a 3cm gap at each end. Pierce holes 3mm in from the edge and hand-sew, or use a zipper foot and leather needle in a machine. Trim the cord ends, flatten the unsewn rounded ends and pierce holes 3mm in around the circumference. Hand-stitch the handles to both sides of the bag, either side of the flap position.

5 Sew the lining in the same way, but leave a 10cm gap along the bottom edge for turning. With right sides together, slip the lining over the bag and line up the top edges, then fold down and encase the handles and flap. Sew the top edge, then turn the bag out through the lining gap. Fold in the raw edges of the gap and topstitch. Slip the lining inside the bag, press and topstitch the top bag edge.

6 Hand-sew snap fasteners to the top corners of the bag, 1cm down from the edge and 3cm in from the side seam, so the sides can be pinched together and fastened, or opened to allow extra capacity. Decorate the bag by cutting a 7mm wide leather strip and threading it with charms, then looping it around the handle.