The Daisy Purse

My daughter is a Daisy... for those of you unfamiliar, that's the youngest of the Girl Scouts. So far, she loves it. I am enjoying myself in its honor as well. Volunteering my crafting skills to a good cause. Most recently I have devoted myself to making the girls their own Daisy Purses... in lieu of some cheesy felt purses that we an option. I wanted them to have something better and thus, 10 Daisy Purses were crafted.

I didn't want to buy a pattern, as it didn't seem that difficult. I spent some time looking on the internet, scoping out ideas that others have shared. My version is an accumulated mixture of ideas that seemed to suit my needs best. The purpose of the purses is for the girls to earn their responsibility petal. They are supposed to remember to bring their bags to each meeting filled with their required materials. I designed the bag with a blank square on the front for the girls to decorate with fabric paints. The rest of the bag is a gorgeous daisy pattern in the perfect Daisy blue.

To begin I cut-

From Daisy Materials:

3- 9"x9"
1- 10"x3"
2- 7"x3"
1- 10"x2"
1- 2"x15"

From Blue Material:

1 6"x6"

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**Always pre-wash and iron materials before beginning, this ensures that material is in the best form to work with and will not shrink incorrectly later. All seams were sewn to 3/8 of an inch.**
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I use a rotary cutter and board to ensure that my pieces are perfectly squared and the correct size. I love this tool set and use it for far more than just sewing.

Begin creating the front piece by joining the 3"x7" Daisy material to opposing sides of the 6"x6" Blue square. The Daisy pieces are longer than the blue square, so they allow for extra room to wiggle around while joining them.

Iron the seams cleanly on the back. This step is important and should not be skipped, ever. It ensures that the squares are properly aligned, correctly sized and wrinkle free. It will also remove any lumps from the final product. It might seem easier to sew all the pieces together and then iron, but if it is not done in step, the final square will not be aligned correctly.

Now trim the extra material, ending with a final product of 6"x9".

Follow the same steps in order to attach the 10"x3",

and then the 10"x2". Trim the final product to a clean 9"x9" square.

Combine the newly made 9"x9" square with another 9"x9" Daisy square, right sides together and the smaller of the daisy bands facing the top. Stitch along the 2 sides and the bottom. It is recommended to sew all three sides separately, beginning and ending each with a back-stitch. This ensures that if any on side comes undone, not all sides will follow. You now have the makings of a real bag...

The other 9"x9" squares need to be joined together. Sew along two opposing sides, then along the bottom stitch 1/3 of the way, back-stitch, leave 1/3 as an opening and then continue to sew the remaining 1/3. This whole in the middle will allow you to turn the right sides of the bag out, creating a seamless look between the outer casing and the lining.

Next, begin creating the strap. Fold the 2"x13" piece in half, sewing along the full length and one end.

Flatten the strap so that the seam centers down the strap with the iron. This is important, again because it will allow the strap to lay flat when complete and not bunch up.

Using a pointed object (my favorite is a fat paintbrush) flip the ironed material right-side out. Iron flat, again, ensuring that the seam is directly in the middle of the strap. Run a stitch along both sides of the strap to keep it from moving around after the project is finished. I placed my foot right along the edge and positioning the needle to the left.

This purse has only one strap. I positioned the strap just to the right of the left seam, flipped the purse to the back and repeated. Make sure you check that the strap will be correct and not twisted. I also left a bit extra over the edge to make sure it didn't miss while sewing. Pin securely in place.

Insert the outer casing inside of the inner-lining, which is turned inside-out.

Line the seams closely and pin along the top. Sew along the top, unpin and flip the material.

Close the hole at the bottom of the inner lining and tuck the lining inside the outer casing.

Carefully iron the last seam, ensuring that the seam is lined up along the top. Run a finishing stitch that will keep the inner casing tucking inside. I decided to attach a centered ribbon along the back, forming a loop, and a matching Daisy button centered in the front. This will keep the bag closed, if needed, and made it look a bit more finished.

Final product, which I'm rather proud of...

Each one did not take very long to make- and in three evenings, I made all 10. If I had the ability to work continuously and uninterrupted by children and a husband, it wouldn't have even taken that long- but, I must craft around my regular life.