Mexican Embroidered Blouse-turned-Purse

This is a project that I’ve been wanting to try since forever! Transforming a Mexican-embroidered blouse into a purse. There are a lot of variations. You can find these blouses at thrift stores or Mexican import stores. I went with wood handles, but you can get creative and create straps or make an envelope style clutch.

This picture is from my book, “Crafty Chica’s Guide to Artful Sewing.”

When you look at the blouse, there are several areas you can cut to use in other projects. You can use the top portion for the purse, or save the top and use the bottom. In my sewing book, I have a project where I cut the bottom and replaced with a form fitting bottom of another blouse. This project, I used the top portion for the purse, and now I can use the bottom to make another purse!

Watch my video tutorial here:

Find a blouse!

Look for one that has a LOT of embroidery designs, that will give you a lot of mileage!

If you want a smaller purse, buy a kids blouse, a bigger purse, then an adult.

Keep in mind you do not want to cut through stitches, it will destroy the design. So be sure to cut at least one-inch away to give you room to sew.

I LOVE the Etsy store by Aida Coronado, she works magic!

and Erica Maree!

But I wasn’t ready to tackle such a big project, so I did my best to simplify. I wanted a roomy clutch to toss in my wallet and phone for errands. Or maybe some yarn and my crochet hook too. So I whipped up this design. No pattern, or even sketching, I made it up as I went along. I bet there is an easier way, but it is what it is – and I love it! I also made a video tutorial as well. If you can’t see the video above, here is the link!