Sweater Purse Tutorial

I got so much stuff done this weekend. I made 2 headbands, 2 hair clips, 1 pin, 1 embellished tee, and one SWEATER PURSE (click there if you want to just buy one and not make it)! Fridays Inspire Me post got me to work on at least one of my sweaters this weekend. The other two is a list of issues. First is I can not find 1 1/2 inch navy blue satin ribbon. I have gone to three stores. So frustrated with that. But to get on with it the other sweater was from a thrift shop and needed to be washed, which I think my husband did this weekend. But since I haven't put away my clothes yet, I have no idea. So instead I worked on other things. Those other things include this winter wonderland purse.
I have to first mention that I have had this sweater for years and years. Then two years go I decided to felt it using the washing machine and the dryer on HOT.

I then followed the measurements from Lemon Squeezy and cut the sweater in two 14 x 11 rectangles.

Then I used this handy dandy felter and felted the rectangles some more. I thought this made the sweater a little stiffer. I felted first one side then the other.

For the liner I cut this brown and white stripped cotton I had at home. I then lined it with some fusible interfacing.

For the front of the purse, I wanted it to look prettier since this wasn't a cable knit sweater it didn't have any detailing to it. I added a strip of brown grosgrain ribbon. I then added some red buttons to look like holly. Finally I felted some green wool to resemble leaves. Afterwards I used green thread and sewed some details to the leaves.

Putting the right sides together, I sewed three sides together. The handles was taken from an old purse of my Mom's that she no long wanted. I sewed that to the side of the liner. Putting the two pieces together and then sewed the front together and flipped it right side out. And for all other sewers that should have worked but sadly for me it NEVER DOES!! Seriously I do this all the time, I can never remember which way goes which. So in full disclosure of how not everything turns out perfect, I had to cut the bottom off the lining to get the purse to flip the right way. This turned our ok because some where in squaring up the sweater I lost a  few inches and then liner was now bigger then the outer part. But after re-sewing the liner it worked out ok.

See not all is perfect. But since this is for me and I don't care it works out ok.

Here is a close up of the detail work. And here is the final product: