Now that Labor Day has come and gone, it means Summer has started to slowly move out of our lives.  This means major markdowns on anything and everything Summer related.  I recently popped into Crate and Barrel to see what kind of deals they had.  Most of their markdowns had been picked through already, except for one lonely placemat that caught my eye.

The placemat was round with a natural colored centered and a blue ring around the edge. I assume most people that saw this single placemat passed it up because who in the world can use a single placemat??? Not many.  I, of course, saw it and instantly thought of a project. Needless to say the lonely placemat made its way into my cart.

When I saw the round placemat, I naturally thought it would make a unique placemat purse.  I remembered seeing a purse back in the day that made me think of a placemat. Yes, this is how my brain works!  I was able to create a unique straw-like clutch for like $3! This placemat purse is a super easy project.  There is a little bit of sewing, but it’s by hand – no machine required!

Supplies:

– Straw placemat

– Yarn

– Large Needle (for your yarn)

– Purse Snap

– Felt

– Scissors

– Hot Glue Gun and Glue

Here’s how to make your own placemat purse:

{Step 1}:  Grab your felt and cut two squares 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches.

{Step 2}: Take your purse snap and make indentations in the center of your felt.  Do this to your other piece of felt.

{Step 3}:  Then, take your felt and fold at the indent you made and cut it with your scissors.

{Step 4}: Take the “prong” side of your snap and put it through the holes you just cut.  Grab the metal disc and put it over your snap.  Use your pliers to push the back of your snap over the disc, locking it in place.

{Step 5}: Take the other end of your snap and connect it to your snap.

{Step 6}: Repeat steps 2-4 for the other side of your snap.

{Step 7}:  Once your snaps are secure, you will glue the felt to the top back side of your place mat.

{Step 8}: Repeat step 7 to the other side of your snap.  You want to make sure it is directly across from the other side of your snap.

{Step 9}: Grab your yarn and make a small yarn ball.  You want to make sure you have enough yarn to go around your place mat with it folded in half.  Fold your placemat in half.  Pinch the corner where you folded your placemat in half.  Tie a knot in your yarn and push your needle through your placemat from the inside out.

{Step 10}: You will keep going from the inside of your placemat, up and over, and then back in to the inside through the other side of your placemat.  This will sew the two sides together.

{Step 11}: Keep sewing until you are about 4 inches from the middle of your placemat.

{Step 12}:  Finish your end off.

{Step 13}: You will tie a knot from the inside of your placemat so it can not be seen.  Repeat steps  9-13 on the other side of your purse.

{Step 14}: After my purse was sewed together, I went back and did the same type of stick  on the open (unsewn) ends of my purse.  This just pulled the entire purse together.

{Step 15}:  For added detail,  I sewed a small design on one side of my purse.  I went from the inside of my purse and then out making varying line lengths.