Lately I’ve been in purse limbo. My favorite one broke, my backup one isn’t the right size and I just can’t seem to find what I’m looking for.

So I turned to my basic sewing skills and my frienemy Pinterest. I have this bad habit of inventing projects in my head before going to sleep. Next thing I know it’s four hours later and I’m still awake, thinking about my awesome idea. This idea came to me at night — why not make a simple zipper pouch but add a cross-body strap. Better yet, why not take the detachable leather strap from my old purse and attach it to a simple zipper pouch?

Done and done.

This purse is based on a terrific tutorial from Sew Me Happy. You can find it here.

It’s very clearly explained, but the dimensions weren’t what I had in mind.

For my own records (in case I want to make another one), I cut my fabric 8.5 x 9.5 inches. I also added some medium weight interfacing to the lining fabric. To add the detachable strap I just made a strip of exterior fabric 1.5 inches wide, added interfacing (keep the edges free of interfacing so it’s not too bulky), folded the edges toward the center, doubled it over, ironed, and sewed a strip. Then I cut two lengths that seemed like a good loop size, accommodating for the seam allowance and sewed two loops above the zipper, the way the tutorial instructs.

Since this purse was just for myself and I have low personal standards, I didn’t mind that the directional fabric is going sideways inside or that the directional fabric is upside-down on the back of the exterior. What I do love is it fits my wallet, passport and sunglasses, it zips easily and it looks so dang attractive with a leather strap.