You know that I love making (and sharing!) beaded felt ornaments for Christmas and spring decorating, but I wanted to start showing you some season-less beaded felt craft ideas – like this DIY beaded felt coin purse with kiss clasp! I upcycled shrunken wool sweaters from the thrift shop in the process, so this is a fun way to use a wool garment that may have ended up in the dryer by mistake. Don’t toss a shrunken sweater – craft with it! Keep reading for a condensed DIY coin purse tutorial as well as more detailed DIY change purse instructions (with step-by-step photos).
Notes on the Kiss Lock Purse Clasps:
I happened to already have these mini kiss lock purse clasps (stolen from my Mom’s craft stash). They’re really tiny, but that makes them the perfect size for keeping my corded (really dating myself here…) headphones neatly corralled. But you can find these clasps in any size and make a similar style of case to hold sunglasses, change, makeup, etc. The way in which the clasp is stitched on varies a little bit across brands and styles, although I did see quite a few designed this same way. So while I’m showing you exactly how we chose to sew together a DIY coin purse with a kiss lock clasp, this is just a rough guide with some hacks. The bigger point of this tutorial is to inspire you to bead some felt for a project like this, and to think outside of ornaments if you found yourself really enjoying the ornament making we did together!
Supplies:
- Kiss Lock Clasp (mine is 2″ x 2.5″)
- Felt (I upcycled 100% wool sweaters – this is a 100% merino wool felt option)
- Lining Fabric (we used silk scraps – the green is an old, worn out pillow I cut up)
- Seed Beads
- Beading Needle
- Hand Sewing Needle
- Coordinating Threads
- Small Fabric Scissors
How to Make a Beaded Felt Coin Purse:
- Your clasp kit might have a template, if not create one with paper (be sure to leave a small seam allowance).
- Trace your template onto the felt.
- Cut out the felt shape.
- Trace and cut out a duplicate shape, this time in your lining material.
- Bead the felt – be sure to keep beads away from the seam allowance and where the clasp will be stitched on.
- To hide any seems, sew the the lining and felt together, good sides facing, but leave a little hole.
- Turn the entire thing inside out and hand stitch closed the hole.
- Folded it in half, good sides facing, and stitch the sides closed.
- Turn it right side out again and hand stitched the coin purse to the clasp, using the holes provided.
How to Sew Together a Coin Purse with Kiss Lock Clasp:
Your clasp kit might have a template, if not you’ll have to create one with paper. When you’re making your pattern, make sure to leave a small seam allowance. Trace your template onto the felt and cut it out. (For my felt, I upcycled two wool sweater from the thrift store that had been shrunk. I washed them again in hot water and then tossed them in the dryer to complete the felting process). Trace and cut out a duplicate shape, this time in your lining material. Then bead or decorate the felt however you like. I stitched on a smattering of seed beads, being careful not to bead into the seam allowance or where we’d need to stitch on the clasp:
To keep the inside looking tidy, we sewed the the lining and felt together, good sides facing, but left a little hole:
Then we turned the entire thing inside out, through the whole we left, and hand stitched closed the hole.
This way you don’t see any seams or stitching inside the coin purse. There are different ways to line a little purse, but this a straightforward and easy method.
We folded it in half, good sides facing, and stitched the sides closed – basically making a little “X” stitch, back and forth across the sides to pull them closed.
For the final step, we hand stitched the coin purse to the kiss lock clasp, using the holes provided in the clasp design to anchor the coin purse. We just lined it up to the clasp and stitched through the holes and through the blue felt, using matching thread to hide the stitches. This method was really straightforward, so if you’re shopping for a kiss clasps I recommend this style. Here’s an example of a clasp with holes, but when I was looking for similar clasps it seemed like this was a common method of construction. However, there were some that were designed with a different construction method so just double check before ordering.
The finished coin purse is securely sewed to the clasp, and inside you can only see minimal signs of construction.
The beading looks really cute, but the plain blue felt one we made is equally adorable (especially if you’d prefer something more indestructible and want to avoid any type of embellishment). You could also embroider the wool felt or do some needle felted designs (here’s how to needle felt onto wool). And, as mentioned, you can make this DIY coin purse in any size or shape.
What is a Kiss Lock Clasp?
A Kiss Lock Clasp, which I’ve also seen referred to as a Kiss Clasp or Kissing Locks, is a mechanism for holding closed a purse that relies on a metal frame secured by two pieces of metal knobs/balls that overlap each other, thereby locking the purse closed, when shut. A kiss lock clasp snaps together when closed, and it sort of looks like the two knobs that hold it closed are kissing! It’s a very timeless clasp, which you’ll see on everything from antique coin purses to modern handbags. You can also find many styles, from sleek and modern to antique and ornate. You’ll also find ones that attach to a key chain or have loops for a longer purse strap, so you could make yourself a beaded evening bag!
Where Can I Buy a Kiss Lock Clasp?
You can find Kiss Lock Clasps at craft stores, fabric stores, Etsy and also Amazon. A lot of them come in multi-packs, which would make this a fun project for a group craft night with friends – or to give as a handmade bridesmaid gift, etc. The claps I snagged from my Mom are probably 30 years old, but here are some cute options:
- Mini Kiss Lock Clasp in Gold with a Key Ring Attached (super cute mini similar to mine)
- Bronze Kiss Lock Multi-Size Pack (if you’d like to experiment with different projects)
- Silver Kiss Lock with Pearl Knobs
P.S. Don’t Forget to Pin for Later!
