2 Essential Steps for Deconstructing a Purse Without Confusion by Christine Baker February 16, 2026 written by Christine Baker February 16, 2026 1 Yesterday on QUILTsocial, I showed you 2 essential tools for deconstructing a purse: a MILWARD GREEN Seam Ripper Large and my SURELight M4M LED 3-in-1 Lamp. This week, I’m making my boss, Marion, a new purse using her old one as a pattern. Before I make the new one, I need to take the original apart step by step. The original fabric purse that will be deconstructed. Today I’ll use the MILWARD GREEN Seam Ripper Large and the SURELight M4M LED 3-in-1 Lamp again to remove the seams in the purse, but as I deconstruct it into more and more pieces, I’ll need to keep everything organized so I know what goes where. To do this, I’ll show you two essential steps for deconstructing a purse. Step 1 Take lots of pictures The seams that were removed yesterday were pretty straightforward. I easily removed the bias tape covering the seams on the inside of the bag and the two long seams that held the front and back to the bottom/side panel. Today, I’m taking apart the rest of the bag, so I’ll take lots of pictures as I go to make sure I know how to put it back together. The purse strap was joined to the purse at both ends of the top zipper. It looks to me like the front and back were sewn to the top zipper, and then the ends of the strap were basted over the two ends of the zipper before the side/bottom section was sewn on. The purse strap was sewn to the purse before adding the side/bottom panel. Each lining section in the purse is basted to the inside of the corresponding outer section along the outer edge. I’ll need to remove these basting stitches first before I can see how the zippers were sewn into the purse. Basting stitches hold the lining sections to the outside sections of the purse. Once I removed the basting stitches, I was able to remove the top zipper and see how the lining and outer pieces of the bag were sewn to it. The front and back lining pieces are the same shape, but one has a zippered pocket inserted into the fabric, and the other has a simple patch pocket divided into two sections. One side of the purse’s lining has a zippered pocket sewn into the middle of the fabric. While taking apart this zippered pocket, I’ll take lots of pictures, as this is one type of zipper that I haven’t sewn before. The inside of the pocket is attached to the top and bottom of the zipper and hangs free between the lining and the bag’s exterior. The lining of the zippered pocket hangs behind the inside lining of the purse. Step 2 Label everything The outside sections of the purse are relatively manageable to identify, but as I take apart the inside, I see more and more pieces of black lining fabric that could be used for anything. This is where the second essential step comes in – label everything! I don’t sew many clothes or tote bags; I’m mainly a quilter. As a result, I don’t know the technical dressmaking terms someone would use to make a purse, but as long as I know what my labels mean, I’ll be able to identify each piece when making my pattern. Since the lining of Marion’s purse is black, I’ll use the white pencil from my CLOVER 418 – Chacopel Pencil Set – Fine Point. These sets include pencils in white, yellow, pink and blue as well as a sharpener. This way, there’s an appropriate color for whatever fabric you need to mark. Label each piece of the purse as it’s removed. I’ll also label each zipper to make sure I know which one goes where in the new purse. Label the zippers and purse sections. Now that I’ve removed all the seams in the original bag, tomorrow I’ll use SEW EASY Freezer Paper for Quilting and Applique – 12.1m x 38.1cm (13.2yd x 15) to make the pattern for Marion’s new purse. See you then. This is part 2 of 5 in this series Go back to part 1: 2 Indispensable Tools to Deconstruct a Fabric Purse and Draft a Pattern Print this page or save as a PDF 0qs612bag makingchristine bakerClover 418 Chacopel Pencil Set – Fine pointdeconstructinglabeling piecesliningMILWARD GREEN Seam Ripper Largepatch pocketpurse patternQUILTsocialreuse zippersSEW EASY Freezer Paper for Quilting and Applique 12.1m x 38.1cmsewing tutorialSURELight M4M LED 3 in 1 Lamptake photosUNIQUE QUILTING Wool Pressing Mat 18 x 24 Greyupcyclingzippered pocket FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinRedditWhatsappTelegramEmail Christine Baker I've been blogging for QUILTsocial since June 2014. For 20 years I designed and published quilt patterns under the business name Fairfield Road Designs. Since 2004 I've also designed patterns with my friend and business partner Nellie Holmes, under the business name Upper Canada Quiltworks. Our patterns range from fusible applique and pieced quilts to felted wool applique and punchneedle. We sell our patterns on our website www.uppercanadaquiltworks.com where we also offer a variety of hand dyed wools, wool applique kits, Valdani threads, punchneedle and embroidery supplies and much more. previous post 2 Indispensable Tools to Deconstruct a Fabric Purse and Draft a Pattern YOU MAY ALSO LIKE... 2 Indispensable Tools to Deconstruct a Fabric Purse... Creating an Abstract Quiltlet with Buttons, Twill Tape,... Button-Inspired Art Quilts with Applique and Free Motion... Free Form Felting with Wool Roving Using Machine... Creating Felted Flowers with UNIQUE Craft Wool Roving Cotton or Rayon: Which Gütermann Thread Should You... Finish the Seasons Remembered quilt with Odif 505... Thread Velvet Embroidery with the HV Topaz 65 Clover Quick Bias Tape adds bold definition to... 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