Gypsy style purse with fringes

Learn how to make fringes by fraying pieces of fabric. Then you can use the fringes to make a gypsy style shoulder bag.

To make the front size of the purse you will need.

• Heavy cotton black fabric
• Heavy cotton white fabric (canvas)
• Embroidery threads and needle

Instructions: 
1. Cut 6 strips out of the black fabric (2,5 x 10 inches) and 3 strips out of the white fabric (2 x 10 inches). Pick one white and two black strips.

Pick one white and two black strips

2. Lay the 3 strips, one on top of the other. Place the white strip, which is more narrow, between the black strips. Sew the strips together with your sewing machine with a 1/4'' seam allowance.

3. Turn the strips right side out and press with the iron.

The white fabric was sewed inside the seam.

4. Fray the horizontal threads of the white fabric. Remove one thread at a time out of the vertical threads. Definitely is a time consuming work.

Work from the bottom up to the seam, until only the vertical frindges remain.

5. Comb the frindges with a common comb. 

6. Sew with the sewing machine directly over the frindges. Make one or two decorative seams.

Create a seam over the fringes

7. The first band is ready.

8. Follow the same procedure and make one more band. Sew it with the previous band with a 1/4'' seam allowance.

Make one more band and place it over the previous band. Sew the bands together 

9. Sew a third band over the previous two bands.

10. Fray the white strips to make the frindges.

11. To make the textile more interesting, stitch some lines above the frindges in various colors. At the back side you can add fusible interface, so the fabric holds up its shape better. 

12. Measure the overall dimensions of the piece and cut another piece out of the black fabric. Add fusible interface, to make it stiffer.

13. If you want the purse to have frindges on the outside perimeter, you should add white strips at the three edges of the black piece.Cut 3 narrow strips, align them with the edges of the black piece and baste them with thread or safety pins.

14: Lay the pieces, one on top of the other, right sides together.

15. Sew both pieces with a 1/4'' seam allowance.

16. Turn right sides out and fray the edges..

17. You can add lining, zipper, etc to finish the bag.

This is the finished shoulder bag. You can follow the same process to make almost any type of bags (tote, clutch, etc).