A New York best seller? Altered book purses

Expression, Jan-Feb, 2005 by Nina Ronningen

This idea came to me after taking a class on how to make purses out of cigar boxes. At the time I had also started exploring altered books. I came up with an idea to combine two things I love--art and purses.

I started out with a few different prototypes--first using all fabric for the inside and a few different accordion-style sides. My advanced purse has a pocket with a sewn-in zipper. Then I came up with a basic version that involved less sewing. I've been teaching classes on how to make them ever since!

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To start, choose a hardcover book. When choosing a book there are many things to consider. First decide how big you want your purse, the wider the binding the more room you will have at the bottom of your purse. Look for books that have fun, interesting and inspiring titles. Books that have paper and cloth covers work best. I have found books with shiny covers do not accept ink, paint and glue well and tend to smear. Next, make sure the book is in good shape. The corners should not be bent and the binding should be strong. I like to look for books at thrift shops, garage sales and library sales. 2. Carefully remove the inside pages. Open the book cover and slide a craft knife between the cover and the paper that connects the pages to the cover. Be careful not to cut the binding. Save your pages to later use for collage projects. 3. Lay the book cover right side up and lay a grommet in one corner at a time. Trace the inside circle onto the book cover using a fine-line pencil Double check that the outer rim of the grommet will not extend beyond the edge of the book. (Photo 1) The circles should be about 7/16 inches, the size of the grommets. Drill each circle. If available, a drill press can also be used for the drilling. If needed, use fine sandpaper to remove paper fragments left in and around the hole. 4. Embellish the cover using collage techniques. I use the color, title and author of the book as inspiration for this step. Sometimes it helps to choose a theme like travel, flowers, fashion, etc., to get started. When collaging your cover, consider where the grommets will be located and do not cover the holes. Also, think about how the purse will be carried, what you would like to display on the front and back, and how slim or bulky it will be. Do not use water-based inks (the varnish can smear the ink). 5. Once embellishments are dry, lay the cover out flat and use Delta Ceramcoat Satin Exterior/Interior Varnish following the manufacturer's instructions. Be sure to extend over each of the edges to completely cover the book. Multiple coats may be needed. 6. While the varnish is drying, cut the decorative paper for the lining in three sections: Side A (Front of the book), 1/2-inch longer than exact size, width exact; Side B (Back of the book), 1/2-inch longer than exact size, width exact; Bottom (Spine of the book), cut exact length and width. 7. Line up the paper with Side A and B of the book and mark where the grommets will be. The wrong side of the paper is against the inside of the book cover. Cut the grommet circles out of the paper with small scissors or a craft knife. (Photo 2) 8. Cut side gusset fabric 2 1/2-inches wider than the spine and 2-inches longer than the width of the book cover. I like to use upholstery fabrics for my purses, but any fabric that doesn't fray easily and is not too bulky will also work. 9. Hem the top edge of the fabric gusset by folding and gluing or sewing. Fold each top edge over approximately 3/8 inch, and repeat to hide the raw fabric. 10. Fold the fabric in half, right sides together, finger press a crease and unfold. (Do not use a hot iron as it can melt upholstery fabric.) Fold the ends in 1/2 inch, wrong sides together, and make a crease. This 1/2-inch edge will be the portion glued to the book. (Photo 3) 11. Cut the grommet holes in the fabric. There will be two grommet holes along the top edge of each gusset forming a 'tuck' in the gusset for the chain to travel through. It works best to use the book to mark where the holes will be by pretending the fabric is already glued in place. 12. On Side A of the book, position the right side of the fabric over the grommet hole on the wrong side of the book cover. About 1/2 inch of the fabric will be on the book, cut notches around the grommet holes in the book cover to ensure that those grommets can be easily closed--glue into position with E6000, stopping at the binding, there should be 2 inches. Add additional support with cloth tape, starting the tape below the grommet hole. (Photo 4) 13. Position the wrong side of the paper over the secured fabric on Side A--glue the paper in place, but again do not glue anything to the binding. There should be about 1/2 inch of paper extending down onto the spine. Use a brayer to flatten the paper against the book cover. If needed, use clothespins and or paper clips to help hold the layers in place while the glue dries. (Photo 5) 14. When the glue is dry on Side A, make small pleats in the bottom edge of the fabric (about 2 inches were allowed when the fabric was cut). Hot glue the pleated fabric to the spine of the book. Remember the inside bottom will be covered with the lining paper, but the outside will show. Make sure the outside appearance of the gusset tuck is pleasing on each side of the purse. (Photo 6) 15. When the glue is dry on the spine, repeat step 12 and 13 for Side B by reaching "inside" the purse. This side may take a little more clamping as the first side is already done and there is less space to work in. Use clothespins and/or paper clips to hold the fabric in position. 16. Hot glue the bottom lining paper in place. If the fabric gusset creates a lot of bulk at the bottom, cut a piece of thin cardboard or heavy card stock the same size as the lining paper and glue in to support and hide the bulk. 17. Complete the last four grommets on the purse. Thread the chain (available at your local hardware store) through the grommets. Cut the chain to your desired length and join the links. Sign and date your art and make a tag to identify your own designer purse!