Hula Skirt to Bag Refashion

I was touched when a coworker of mine brought in one of her old hulu skirts for me to refashion.

She said that she just couldn't throw it away.  I can see why - the fabric is so beautiful and vibrant.  I could tell right away that it meant a lot to her, and I decided to make her a keepsake bag.


Using a self drafted pattern, I cut out the bag and a lining (from my fabric stash). To give it some structure, I ironed on fusible interfacing to the bag fabric.

I then added darts to the bottom of the bag and lining pieces.

Every bag needs a good pocket, so I used some of the lining fabric to create a rectangle.  I ironed the edges down once and then folded them over again to get rid of any raw edges.  Before stitching the rectangle onto the lining, I stitched the top fold down.  Once that was done, I stitched the pocket on around three sides, leaving the top open.

 

To make the straps, I cut two long rectangles and ironed on fusible interfacing.  I folded the outside edges into the middle and then folded the strip over so that the raw edges would be on the inside.  I then stitched it down on the edges.  The straps were installed on the wrong sides of the bag before the lining was added. 

I stitched a box around the edges of the strap on the outside of the bag.

For the bag and the lining, I ironed the raw edges over to create a clean hem.  I pinned the button strap between the bag and the lining, and stitched around the edges, careful not to stitch the straps.

This project was super easy, and I think my coworker really likes her new bag!