Crafty Chic: Juice Pouch Purses

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Juice Pouch Purses
By Jennifer Slaugh, senior staff writer

I’ve seen them on eBay, on BYU campus, and all around at pools this summer—the latest and greatest in satchel style. The juice pouch purse is the perfect accessory for several reasons. First, you can make it at home in less than an hour (less than half an hour after you’ve made a few.) Second, you can choose from a wide variety of colors for the purse and its embellishments. And third, it’s waterproof. What’s not to like about that? All this fun and style, and the cost is less than $5!

I was pleasantly surprised with how easy this purse was to put together. I learned the hard way on my first attempt that not all assembly sequences are equal and have given you the sequence that made assembly easiest.

These directions are for a purse that is two pouches wide and one pouch deep. I used a zigzag stitch for all seams except on the handles. I used a white thread, but you can use any thread that matches the bag you are sewing.

Supplies:
• 10 juice pouches
• Thread in any color that will match your pouches
• Optional: trims or embellishments

Step-by-step:

Preparing the Juice Pouches

1. Empty juice pouches. I used a sharp knife to cut a slit in the bottom of each pouch (SEE FIGURES 1 & 2). I emptied the juice into a picture to drink later. If you have children around that will drink the juice, have them poke the straw in through the bottom of the pouch and make the full slit with they are finished. Having a larger opening makes rinsing out the pouch easier.

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

2. Wash each pouch in warm, soapy water.

3. To dry the pouches, I started by throwing them in the dryer for 20 minutes. That didn’t get them completely dry, so I set them outside in the sun for a while and then inside in front of a fan for a while. I recommend letting them dry overnight. Make sure that you have the pouches opened so that air will dry out the inside. Wait until the pouches are completely dry before beginning the sewing.

4. Flatten all pouches.

Front and Back:

5. To make the front, lay two juice pouches side by side, graphic-side up (SEE FIGURE 3). Overlap them about 1/4 inch and sew with a zig zag stitch (SEE FIGURE 4). (Note, it looks prettier to sew on the top than the underneath side.) Repeat with two additional bags for the back side of the purse.

FIGURE 3

FIGURE 4

Handles:

6. Place two more pouches head to head, graphic-side up. Overlap tops and sew together. (Note, sewing them this way, makes the part of the handle you see, the part with the most color.) Cut in half lengthwise. Fold each piece into thirds lengthwise and straight stitch down each side (SEE FIGURES 5 & 6).

FIGURE 5

FIGURE 6

7. Attach one handle to the purse front and purse back with a zigzag stitch (SEE FIGURES 7 & 8).

FIGURE 7

FIGURE 8

Bottom:

8. Using the purse front piece as a guide, overlap two pouches lengthwise to match the width of the front panel. Zigzag to hold the two pouches together (SEE FIGURES 9 & 10).

FIGURE 9

FIGURE 10

Sewing Sides to the Bottom:

9. Lay the bottom graphic-side down, so that the silver-side is up. The side panels of the purse are easy, they are just one pouch each. So there's no sewing to make the side panels.

10. To attach the side panels to the bottom, lay one side panel (one pouch) graphic-side up on top of the bottom panel. Match up the edges, so that the bottom-end of the side panel lines up with one edge of the bottom piece. Zigzag together to create an exposed seam (SEE FIGURE 11).

FIGURE 11

11. Repeat step #10 to attach the other side panel. With both, make sure the side panels will have the graphic right-side-up when purse is finished.

At this point you will have three purse pieces:
(1) Side panels attached to the bottom panel
(2) Front-side with handle
(3) Backside with handle

Connecting the Purse:

12. Placing wrong sides together, attach the graphic-side of the purse front to one of the side pieces using a zigzag stitch. Be sure to leave 1/4 inch open at the bottom. If you sew all the way to the bottom of the bag you will not be able to attach the bottom piece easily.

13. Attach the other side panel to the graphic-side of the backside of the purse, again leaving 1/4 inch open at the bottom. You should now have all the pieces connected in a sort of “z” shape (SEE FIGURE 12).

FIGURE 12

14. Fold the purse into shape and attach the left-side of the purse front to the other side panel, leaving 1/4 inch open at the bottom. Attach the left-side of the purse back to the other side panel, again leaving 1/4 inch open at the bottom. The purse front and back pieces are NOT attached to the bottom at this point (SEE FIGURE 13, as you can see silver opening from the bottom open seam).

FIGURE 13

Finishing the Bottom:

15. Attach the purse front to the bottom with a zigzag stitch. You might need to fold the purse (the same way a brown paper sack folds at the bottom -- SEE FIGURE 14) to make it easier to sew.

16. Repeat with purse back panel. If you sew from edge to edge you will seal up the 1/4-inch allowance left when attaching the side panels to the front and back panels. Closing the panels this way leaves an attractive finish (SEE FIGURE 15).

FIGURE 14

FIGURE 15

The bag is complete! (SEE FIGURE 16)

FIGURE 16

Embellishments:

17. You could use the purse as it is, but you could also add rickrack, fringe, ribbon, buttons, or feathers to add some sass to the top-edge of the purse (SEE FIGURES 17 & 18). I used hot glue to attach mine and discovered that it doesn’t hold to the juice pouches very well. You will either need to use a lot of glue or actually stitch the embellishment to the purse.

FIGURE 17

FIGURE 18

Variations:

You can adjust the size of the purse easily by purchasing the jumbo sized juice pouches. I have also seen juice pouch purses that are square (one pouch wide on all sides), and purses that are much taller tote-bag-like (four pouches make up the front panel—two wide and two tall).

Another easy way to personalize your purse is to change the material of the handles. You could use heavy ribbon, belting material, or handles made from coordinating fabric. I have even seen purses with clear plastic tubing filled with glitter, confetti, and colored salt sew on for handles. With a little creativity, the options are endless!