One of my favorite bags to make is the ruffled wristlet because I always get lots of compliments when I carry one around with me. But they’re so much more involved than most of the other bags I make because of the ruffle. Today I’m going to show you how to make your own ruffled flap!
You will need:
- 2 half circles of fabric (for the top and bottom of the flap)
- 2 circles of fabric (for the ruffle)
- interfacing
- sewing machine
- patience
Lets’ get started!
You want to start by getting your fabric pieces together, which I did before I started taking pictures. My bad. I actually trace the pattern right onto the interfacing with a pencil, iron it onto the fabric, and then cut it out. Here I have the top and bottom parts of the flap and the two circles.
DON’T CUT OUT THE LITTLE CIRCLES YET! Well, you can if you want but I find it easier to leave them in for now.
Fold one of the circles in half and draw a line along the edge, then pin the circles together (piece with the line on top)
Sew from the middle circle to the outside edge, following the line you drew, and then all the way around the outer edge. When you get all the way around, follow the line back down, making sure to leave a gap between the two thread lines. You’re going to cut down the middle of these and don’t want the seam to fray or fall apart because you had to cut too close to the thread.
Cut down that line, and then the circle out of the middle:
Then nip the corners off so it’s easier to turn out.
Turn the fabric right side out and then push the corners out. You can just use your fingers but I like to use a letter opener because it helps give them crisper points.
I like to sew around the edging to give it a more finished look, but this part is optional.
Next we’re going to pin our future ruffle to the bag’s flap. Fold one of your flap pieces in half and mark the halfway point with a pencil. And fold your circle piece in half just so you know where the middle is.
This is where you want to start pinning. Attach the circle to the right side of the fabric, starting in the middle and working down each side. Your first pin should be in the center with your pencil mark, and the circle will come out the top like a halo. Make sure you’re pinning the open side of the circle, that way all the unfinished parts will be hidden inside the flap.
It’s going to look like a taco. And the other side will look like this:
See?! The ruffle is appearing!
Lay the other flap piece, fabric side down, over the ruffled part, and use the pins to attach both sides together.
Once your pins are secured through both flap pieces, sew along the curved edge only.
Now pull it right side out! You should have something that looks like this:
Check the edges to make sure you sewed in all parts of the ruffle. I usually pull gently, and re-sew over any parts that pull out.
I like to go over the edging again, like with the ruffled part, but again this is optional. This bag will feature a magnetic snap, too, so I made sure to add that on before sewing it to the bag itself.
And there you go!
Tips on making your own pattern:
- Make sure your circles are just a little smaller than your two flap pieces combined. I’m sure I could have used some math when doing this, but I just stuck with trial and error. If you make the circles too big then the extra ruffle fabric hangs out the end of the flaps and gets sewed in weird places when you put the bag together.
- A math compass is your friend! No need to try to line up lopsided circles. If they’re exactly the same, they can fit together any which way.
Hope this was clear, let me know if I need to clarify anything. Happy sewing!
