DIY & Crafts

Save money and have fun doing things yourself

  • Home
    • Furniture Makeovers
  • Repurpose
  • Crafts
    • Kids
    • Paper
    • Winter
  • Holidays
    • Valentine’s Day
    • Easter
    • Halloween
    • Christmas
  • Fashion
    • Sewing
    • Beauty
    • Hairstyles
  • Gifts
    • Baby Shower
    • Father’s Day
    • Mother’s Day
  • Homemade
  • Home
    • Lifehacks
    • Decorating
    • Organization
    • Parenting
    • Gardening
    • Health
  • Food
    • Recipes
  • Knitting & Crocheting

Home » Fashion » Fashionable Upcycled Old Book Purse (Video Tutorial)

Fashionable Upcycled Old Book Purse (Video Tutorial)

April 7, 2020 By Vanessa Beaty Leave a Comment

Woman holding old book purse
Woman in jeans holding old book purse
Old book purse on blue background
Old book purse collage

This upcycled old book purse is sure to be the hit of your wardrobe this season! Nobody will have a purse like yours, and that unique addition to your wardrobe is going to be a huge hit. I love that it is not just pretty, but functional! Grab an old book, some fabric, and get started making this versatile purse!

Old book purse collage

Table of Contents

  • Upcycled Old Book Purse
  • What Should I Use for the Purse Handle?
  • How Do You Clean a Homemade Purse?
  • Can I Make These to Sell on Etsy?
  • Supplies Needed
  • How to Make an Upcycled Old Book Purse
  • More Uses for Old Books

Upcycled Old Book Purse

I have never claimed to be a fashionista, but I definitely love making unique items like this to upgrade my wardrobe. As long as I can remember, I’ve loved anything vintage. From wearing my grandma’s pearls to high school, all the way to using an vintage book to create a purse, I guess it is meant to be.

I have found tons of old books that were not good for anything and would have otherwise gone in the trash. I’ve been making tons of great old book page crafts like these rustic paper flowers, hanging paper birds, or rustic paper butterflies.

Once the pages have been used though, I’m left with the book covers. Trying to come up with something to do with them, I decided to put them to use for this awesome fashion piece. I know you will love this too!

Woman in jeans holding old book purse

What Should I Use for the Purse Handle?

I chose to add two different options to show you how they would look. A simple beaded handle makes it a classy look that goes well for cocktail hour. The cloth handle is more casual and a bit sturdier. Those aren’t the only ways to add a handle to this purse though. I have a few other ideas below that can really elevate the look for a different style.

  • Braided ribbon or twine
  • Strips of leather
  • Wooden hoops with or without fabric cover
  • Metal hoops with or without a fabric cover
  • Strips of denim
  • Rope
  • Hay or raffia
  • Artificial vines

Woman adding phone to old book purse

How Do You Clean a Homemade Purse?

In this instance, the book itself is made mostly out of a cardboard backing from a book. So, unlike a traditional purse you pick up in the department store, you’ll not be able to throw this into the laundry. Avoiding stains is important, but in the case that something happens, you can still clean this, just carefully.

For this, a damp cloth to wipe off any extra bits and dust is recommended. For some stains, a Magic Eraser is suggested. If you happen to spill something creating a deeper stain on the outside, I recommend trying to spot treat it with something like a Tide Pen or a tiny drop of detergent and an old toothbrush to scrub it.

Woman holding old book purse

Can I Make These to Sell on Etsy?

This question is asked a lot. So many of these crafts are just beautiful and unique. If you have an Etsy shop for homemade items, this is a great choice to add to your shop.

They are truly unique, and the time spent making them create a value. Many people who aren’t great at making crafts would clamor to buy this unique purse!

Old book purse on brown surface

Supplies Needed

  • Old book cover
  • Fabric
  • Satin ribbon
  • Burlap ribbon
  • Thin colored twine or ribbon
  • Jute Twine
  • Fake pearls
  • Silver button
  • Scissors
  • Fabric tape
  • Craft Glue

Supplies for making an old book purse

How to Make an Upcycled Old Book Purse

You will start by removing a hard book cover from an old book. Once it has been removed, you will trim off any excess pages or bits of paper and set it aside.

Now, you will measure 2 pieces of fabric to go on the sides of your book purse. These will be cut the length of the width of your book on two sides, and the width you want the purse to open on one side. This piece will be a triangle with the point being attached into the fold of the book.

Cutting fabric to go in folds of purse

Use fabric tape or glue the cloth in place as shown with the pattern facing outward and the point attached at the binding on both sides.

Gluing fabric onto sides of book

Fold over and glue or tape excess fabric in place to create the sides of the purse as shown below.

Gluing fabric onto sides of book

Now, you will measure and cut a length of fabric to fit on the inside of your book.

Gluing fabric onto inside of book

Glue the fabric in place on the inside of the book purse to create the liner.

Gluing fabric inside purse

Now, add a strip of burlap or ribbon onto the bottom of the purse to cover the book binding area.

Adding burlap ribbon to book cover

Cut a small loop of ribbon and glue together then to the inside of the book purse.

Adding ribbon loop on purse

Now, glue a small button on the front of the purse, the opposite side of where you attached the ribbon.

Adding button onto purse

Now, you will choose the handle or strap you will use. I used two different options in the images. One, is below, and the other is a simple thicker ribbon glued in place on one side of the purse.

Below, you will thread fake pearls or beads onto twine in a small loop to your preferred handle size.

Adding beads to ribbon for purse

Glue this handle in place on the inside of the purse.

Sewing beads onto purse

Now, to close the purse, you will pull the ribbon loop over and hook around the button to close. You can add a few small items like a phone, your keys, or lipgloss and sanitizer to the purse, but remember it isn’t designed to hold more than 1 pound or so at a time.

Old book purse on blue background

More Uses for Old Books

Old books are a great source for making crafts of all kinds. I love being able to turn them into something beautiful instead of putting them into the garbage. This book purse is just one of many projects.

I especially love using them for holiday pieces like this rustic old book Christmas tree, or the old book page Easter centerpiece. I’ve even turned an old book into this folded book heart for Valentine’s Day.

Hang this old book page wreath on your door for a pretty addition to your porch decorations. Of course, my personal favorite of all is this amazing DIY paper book angel wings project.

Crafter’s Tip

If you want a different style of handle but aren’t sure how to make it, check out these great custom purse handles and straps on Etsy. There are tons of great ideas there that you can order!

Yield: 1

Fashionable Upcycled Old Book Purse

Woman adding phone to old book purse

Turn the binding of an old book into this adorable old book purse that is ideal for a cute little clutch to carry just the necessities!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Difficulty Medium
Estimated Cost $2

Materials

  • Old book cover
  • Fabric
  • Satin ribbon
  • Burlap ribbon
  • Thin colored twine or ribbon
  • Jute Twine
  • Fake pearls
  • Silver button

Tools

  • Scissors
  • Fabric tape
  • Craft Glue

Instructions

  1. Measure 2 pieces of fabric to go on the sides of your purse. These pieces will need to be the width of the book on one side, and the width you want the purse to be able to open on the 3rd side, and cut into a triangular shape; Cutting fabric to go in folds of purse
  2. Now, you will glue these 2 pieces onto the opposite sides of your book purse. Gluing fabric onto sides of book
  3. Secure these on all 3 sides of the fabric, and on both sides of the book, with glue or fabric tape; Gluing fabric onto sides of book
  4. Next, you will measure the fabric against your book cover to create a piece that will be glued inside as the purse lining; Gluing fabric onto inside of book
  5. Glue or tape the fabric inside the book cover purse; Gluing fabric inside purse
  6. Add a strip of burlap ribbon or fabric along the binding of the book to cover it and glue in place; Adding burlap ribbon to book cover
  7. Now, cut and create a loop of ribbon, and glue inside the purse (this will be used to secure the opening); Adding ribbon loop on purse
  8. Glue a button onto the front of the book purse on the opposite side of where you glued the ribbon; Adding button onto purse
  9. Lastly, you will create the purse handle. You can choose to add 1-2 strips of ribbon as loops shown on some of the images, or you can string pearls onto twine, and glue it in place on the inside of the purse to use as a handle; Adding beads to ribbon for purse Sewing beads onto purse
  10. Now your purse is ready to use! Old book cover purse with beaded handle Woman in jeans holding old book purse

Notes

Feel free to add any embellishments, beads, or even artificial flowers around the book purse to fit your personal style!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Kate Spade Inspired Star Wars Book Purse
    Kate Spade Inspired Star Wars Book Purse
  • Recycled Book purse
    Recycled Book purse
  • Jute Burlap Lace Ribbon Roll
    Jute Burlap Lace Ribbon Roll
  • Fabric Scraps
    Fabric Scraps
  • Handbag Strap, Customized in Any Length
    Handbag Strap, Customized in Any Length
  • Assorted Vintage Salvaged Old Book Covers
    Assorted Vintage Salvaged Old Book Covers
© Katie Hale
Project Type: Crafts / Category: Fashion
104shares

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 10,604 other subscribers

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Recent Projects

How Rusty Nails Can Help Your Plants – Little Known Gardening Hack

30 Best Evergreen Shrubs and Trees You Can Grow

How to Make a Lettuce Globe Planter for Easy Salads All Summer

10 Tips for a Garden Full of Beautiful and Healthy Roses

Pages

  • About Us
  • Be Featured
  • Contact Us
  • Email and Push Notification Subscriber Settings.
  • Privacy Policy
DIYnCrafts.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca and amazon.com.au.

Copyright © 2021 DIY and Craft Projects and Collections

104shares