When I take this bag out, I get nothing but compliments on it.  I made it in about 12 minutes.

Here’s what you need::

  • A thrift store bag with bamboo handles kind of like this:
  • Strips of all types of coordinating fabric–I like stringy, imperfect textures, but I just used leftovers from my Ragamuffin Garland
  • Hot Glue Gun and Glue

Start at the bottom of the bag and start hot gluing on your fabric strips.  Work your way up.  I mixed up my fabrics so it would be all random.  Glue the strips close enough together to cover the bag fabric and then start a new layer above it working your way up to the top of the purse.  See in the photo the bottom of the green original bag?  Glue the strips on so they hang much lower.  It’s supposed to be really organic and imperfect.

At the top, line up your fabric so it just comes to the top of the original purse so you don’t see the old fabric.

Tie on a few extra strips to the handles to make it look extra poofy.

emily, rhoda, jen, sandy, melissa, kimba, nester, rag bag Blissdom ’09

I hesitated to write about this bag for two opposite reasons.

1. I thought maybe since it was hot glued it would fall apart and there would be riots.

2. I thought maybe since it was so cute I would go into the bag making business and make millions so I didn’t want to tell the world that I hot glued it or else I might get arrested.

Since neither one of those things happened {that photo of me holding the bag is from 2009 and it’s still held up}, and I saw that bag sitting around the other day, I remembered I had not ever written about it.  If you make millions selling hot glued bags come let me know so I can go into a deep depression!