DIY straw handbags

How to assemble DIY straw handbag under $10!

Straw handbags are super fun to have in the summertime, right? They never seem to go out of style.

Straw handbags are such a great summer look. I’ve had my eye on a bunch of them this season. If you’re in the market, you may want to give these a look…

But me being the cheap girl that I am, I couldn’t part with the $$ to buy one. So I decided to make my own DIY version of a fun, summery clutch. If you would like to make one, too, I’m glad you found us here.

How to Assemble DIY Straw Handbags:

1. Sew anchor seam above fringe, then remove fringe edging off of placemat.

If you have a sewing machine, sew a horizontal zig-zag stitch above the fringe detail on both sides of the placemat we are using for the fringe detail. This will help prevent unraveling. If you don’t have a machine, simply hand stitch a line about 1/2″ or so above the fringe.

Cut (above your seam) the fringe off of both ends of the placemat. We will be using those pieces next.

2. Attach fringe to end of seagrass placemat.

Pin in place, then run a seam or two across with your machine, or alternatively, hand stitch in place.

3. Overlap placemats and stitch.

The body of our purse will be made by stitching two overlapped placemats together. On one side, the overlap will create a pocket in the rear of our clutch. I chose to overlap my placemats by approximately 1/3 the length.

My placemats were 22″ in length. I used an overlap of 7″. This will make the clutch 7″ in height when complete.

Once you are happy with the overlap you’ve made, pin it in place. You will now stitch the placemats together along the sides of the overlapped areas and along the length of the placemats (only near the end of the placemat on top of the stack (see below).

You will leave the overlap on the other side unsewn, creating our back pocket, as seen below…

4. Create lining.

I used some white denim fabric I had on hand to create the lining for my straw clutch. I chose it mostly because it was here laying around, but also because it’s pretty durable. The dimensions of your liner fabric should be roughly the same overall length and width as your overlapped placemats now sewn together.

You will sew an approximately 1/4″ – 1/2″ hem around to finish the edges. There should be a small reveal of the straw placemat around all sides of the placemat when the liner is in place.

 

5. Create a pocket and sew onto the liner. 

If you want an inside pocket for your bag, now is the time to make one. You can either use a scrap piece of fabric (I like to make mine a contrasting color or pattern to the liner), or in this case, I decided to upcycle a pocket from an old pair of blue jeans.

If using fabric, you’ll simple hem around all four sides of your fabric to finish the edges. Then pin your pocket onto the liner in the appropriate spot. Make sure that it’s located where you want it to be by folding the placemat as it will be once completed. Once you’re happy with the location of the pocket, sew into place on the sides and bottom.

6. Attach the male end of the magnetic snap onto the liner. 

I made the mistake of attaching this side of the snap AFTER I stitched the liner in place. The snaps I used simply poke through the fabric, place the metal backer over the prongs. With a metal backer in place, fold the prong arms like a brad to secure the snap.

If you are not using heavy material for your liner, you may want to place a small piece of cardboard behind the liner so that the snap prongs can have something a bit sturdier to grip.

 

7. Attach the female side of the snap.

Place the female side of the snap on the front, inside section of the clutch. You’ll want to make sure that when the flap closes, the male side of the snap will contact this side perfectly before attaching.

Once happy with the placement, push prongs through the straw, and place metal backer over prongs,

as seen in the picture below. Once the metal backer is in place, simply open prong arms to secure snap.

8. Sew in your liner.

Get out your big darning needle, through something on Netflix, and stitch away! You’ll need to stitch all four sides of your liner in place.

9. All done! 

This straw clutch is SO fun. I literally have been shlepping it EVERYWHERE since I finished it! It’s super summery,

AND these straw handbags can fit a WHOLE-LOT-O-STUFF. All for around $10 in materials.

Pin this post for later! And if you make one, leave a comment (or better yet, a photo) on the pin! That helps others know whether they want to try this project, too!

Pssst…before you go, I sure would love to hang out with you again really soon! Sign up now and get a FREE copy of “Builder-Grade To Beautiful: 10 Totally Transformative Home Decorating Solutions, All Under $100!” Click here to enter your email or on the image below. Your copy will be sent right away!