The Most Amazing Leah-Purse Ever

Many many months ago, I had plans to sew a purse for myself.  Actually, I planned on sewing this purse:

It was part of my 101 Things in 2014 list - one of the many items that did not get completed.

And then when I found the most beautiful fabric ever, I thought, "Why waste this on just any purse? I should make exactly the purse I want!" Which is part of the reason that this bag did not get sewn right away - I had to plan!  The other part of the reason is that I am lazy.

However, all my planning finally got finished, I had acquired all the necessary pieces, and I made the best bag ever!  I thought a lot about what pockets I'd want where, and I have to say, after a month or two with this purse, I love it even more!

Is that not the most perfect fabric for me ever?  I really customized this bag for myself, too, and took the time to do the harder things that would make it that much nicer.  I made the strap extra long (I'm tall and I have a long torso, so most purse straps are barely long enough at their longest setting) and I also made it adjustable.

The style of strap adjuster you see here is, for some reason, not available in craft stores.  They have strap adjusters, but not metal ones with a sliding middle bar.  The sliding middle bar makes it so much better!  I found a set on Etsy for several dollars, but eventually ended up buying a purse on sale at Salvation Army and just cutting the strap adjuster hardware off of it.  It came with the strap adjuster and two square ring thingies:

I gave the bag a front flap, which I also made into a zipper pocket.  Right now, I only use this for a pen.

The reverse side of the flap has a long horizontal piece of Velcro sewn on that attaches to these two vertical strips:

I sewed a basic open pocket to both the front and back.  I keep my planner in the front pocket and the back is the perfect size for a book.  I actually chose my measurements for this purse so that it could hold a book.

This is the book pocket in the back:

I wanted a zipper and a flap, and because it's my purse, I can have both.  I usually leave the main zipper open, but it's nice to be able to close it if I want more security.  While most of my sewing is pretty tidy, the top-stitching around the zipper panel is the one place where it gets messy.  But I don't care, because it's my purse and you can only notice if you're looking for it.

The inside is, of course, fully lined (I love how cheerful the yellow is!) and quite spacious.

I added a small zipper pocket to the back.

And a small open pocket to the front:

I'm so glad I took the time to think through where I'd want everything, because this really is the most perfect purse for me.  There's a place for everything, so it's easy to keep clean (if, you know, I wanted to do that) and it's easy to find things.  I keep my keys and phone in the small pocket inside (with the green zipper), so if my phone is ringing, I know right where to reach.  And I can always find my keys.

Plus, it's gorgeous.

Love and Top-Stitching,

Leah Joy