I often get emails with questions about the technology I use for sewing and embroidering my velvet handbags, and one of the most common questions is, 'I really want to make a handbag, but also really afraid of velvet and working with it.' Yes, rightly considered, velvet is one of the most capricious and difficult materials for sewing, but I urge you not to be afraid of it and ask to get acquainted with this wonderful Royal material with the help of my tutorial.

Natalia Venkova

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Materials used in the work:

- natural dark blue velvet and milky velvet for the back side of cosmetics

- thin poplin or cotton as the lining fabric

- Swarovski drop crystal 18х13 mm Rear Rhinestone, colour Montana

- Swarovski frame crystal 18х13 mm Rear Rhinestone, colour rhodium

- Swarovski pearl crystals: 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 8 mm and 10 mm: colours Night Blue, Gold, White, Cream and Ivory matt

- white Majorca snow pearls, 8 mm

- Japanese Toho beads size 15/0 number: 51 (opaque light beige), 88 (metallic, space), 705 (matte rainbow blue iris)

- Japanese Toho beads size 11/0 metallic blue-violet

- white thin twisted cord, 10-15 cm, satin

- a piece of white felt 10x10 cm

- satin opaline tassel

- light beige threads 35

- scissors

- sewing machine

- iron

- paper for transferring patterns

- pencil and gel pen

- ruler

- a simple rectangular metal clasp

- a thin needle for tiny beads and a needle for sewing

- good mood :)

Step 1

Transfer the pattern beauticians on the sheet on the cells, in proportion to the pattern, draw a sketch of an anchor on a separate sheet and mark out the strips for future stitches of embroidery with beads on the template anchor (shown with blue lines):

Step 2

Transfer the anchor with a pencil on felt:

Step 3

Apply all as shown in the pictures:

Step 4

Start embroidering:

Step 5

Finish:

Step 6

Use the cord as a chain and sew it to the anchor:

Step 7

Take milk and dark-blue velvet and cotton for lining.
Cut out two pieces of lining leaving 1 cm allowance.
Cut out 3 white and 3 blue strips: 3.5 x 12-13 cm + allowances!
And cut a rectangle for the right side of the bag with a large allowance.

Step 8

Tack and stitch strips together following the marked line:

Step 9

Iron the seams:

Step 10-11

Tack the sewn strip to the square milk velvet base. Iron the seam.

Step 12

Apply the template to the sewn blank and transfer the pattern sewing it with contrast threads.

Step 13

Sew the embroidered anchor to the blank so that its tip was placed between the central strips:

Step 14

Fix the anchor with beads, embroidering it along the contour, use 2-3 beads for each stitch:

Step 15

Draw the algae like on the pattern:

Step 17

Sew all crystal pearls:

Step 18

Embroider the algae:

Step 19

Apply the blank and the dark blue velvet with their right sides to each other, tack:

Step 20

Stitch them together and stitch the lining. Cut off excess edges and turn the right side outside in (leave the lining unturned):

Here's what you should get:

Step 22

Insert the lining, fold and tack the edges. Thus, you fully prepare thу item for inserting the clasp.

Step 23

Tack the clasp starting from the centre:

Pass the needle from the inner side under the clasp — this process requires patience:

Do the same with the other side of the bags, fix the ends of the thread, hide and cut off. Sew the tassel.

And the cosmetic bag is ready! :)

When using, reposting or printing the tutorial, please give the reference to the author.

Thank you! :)