DIY Purse Organizer

Today’s post is getting personal. I’m letting you peek in my purse. I’m going to show you how you can make an organizer for your purse that is customized for all the little things you carry with you. And it’s quick. And easy. And cheap! The trifecta!!!

Here’s my position on purses. I like small purses. I particularly like small purses that have a lot of built in pockets, like a place for your debit card and license, pen slots, a place for your phone and several zippered pouches. Until recently I carried a purse like that. I carried it so long that one of my daughter’s friends got in my car the other day and said she liked my new purse. I was surprised she even knew what kind of purse I had, but since I’ve been carrying it for a couple of years I guess everyone recognizes it. It was red after all.

With little purses you can’t carry a bunch of crap around. They force you to purge regularly. But, since I have started using essential oils, I have found that I need a bigger purse. It’s not that they are big, but I want them ALL with me ALL the time! I never get headaches, but I want my headache blend with me anyway, just in case! I guess you could say I’m addicted. (I wonder if I should use Black Pepper essential oil since it is good for addiction.) And I don’t want to leave them in my car because the heat could affect the medicinal properties.  So, I had to go to a bigger purse. (Kinda like when your husband has to play golf.) I didn't run out to the mall and pick up a new one. I went to my closet and pulled out an old one.

One that I had previously retired because it was too big and all my little stuff always found its way to the bottom and it got too heavy because I had too much stuff in it. I probably still had one in diapers the last time I used this purse. It isn't too messy yet because I haven’t been carrying it long enough to accumulate much junk, but I want to PREVENT the chaos that I know will come. Already I find myself searching for pens in the bottom. I've seen purse organizers you can purchase online like this one,

but right now I have other things to spend my money on. I decided to make something so I dusted off the sewing machine and got to work. I didn't come up with this idea on my own. There are several tutorials on Pinterest, but when I saw them being made from placemats I knew I had found a winner. You see, several years ago I got an embroidery machine and monogrammed everything my daughter owned at the time and also made millions of purses from placemats. I sold bunches of them and would look for placemats wherever I went. As is often the case with me, I soon tired of making the same thing over and over and packed up all those placemats in TWO boxes. I STILL have about forty placemats waiting to be transformed into something fabulous. It is shameful. Unfortunately, I only have one or two of most colors and patterns so they’re not going to be useful as placemats unless I get a whole lot less particular than I currently am and don’t care if they’re all different.

To get started, you will need two matching placemats. I have purchased this style of placemats at Wal-Mart, Target, Stein Mart, and TJ Maxx. They’re pretty easy to find and are only a couple of dollars each.

Start by sewing two of the short sides together so you have one LONG one.

Then you will fold the top part down about 1/3 and the bottom up over that. You want something that is about 4 ½ total inches tall with the top of your pocket being about an inch below the top fold. That sentence will make more sense if you look at this picture.

If you haven’t already, now is the time to consider what you want your purse organizer to hold. I have a bunch of cards that I am always searching for. I know there are Apps you can use, but a lot of them are punch cards and insurance and all that jazz.  I also wanted slots for pens, my lip balm, my phone, business cards. Consider all the little things you carry around. Think of the things you are always digging around the bottom of your purse for. Take a few minutes to lay them out and pin around them. Allow enough room to get the item in and out easily, but make the pockets small enough to hold them snugly.  You don’t want your smaller items falling out.

Also note if some items will need to be sewn across the bottom to shorten the length of the pocket. I did this with the card slots and lip balm. Otherwise they might slide all the way down and be hard to remove easily.

Simply sew straight lines where you’ve pinned and trim your loose threads when you’re finished. I used a contrasting thread so you could see my stitching, but I recommend matching your thread to your placemats so it will blend right in.

The advantage to this type of organizer is that it curves around the outer edge of whatever purse you’re using and can easily be moved from one purse to another if you change your purse more often than I do. It can overlap itself if needed, like mine does.

I also made an organizer to hold my essential oils using the same method. The only difference is that I only used one placemat. I cut it in half and then folded the half in half. I used the raw edge, as hemming it would have added more bulk than I wanted. I trimmed the loose strings off with a pair of sharp scissors.

Another idea is to use fabric instead of the placemat to make your organizers. With this one, I used a piece of fabric that was 12” wide and about 20” long. I ironed a 6”X20” piece of fusible interfacing down the center and folded it in half and then folded the outer edges in to the center. Then I sewed the vertical lines just like I did for the first one.

To hold these bottles of essential oils, sew your lines 1.5 inches apart. I was able to get ten pockets, and I put it in this old thirty-one pouch that I've had for several years. It was the right size, but when I put them in without an organizer, the bottles kept falling over and it was hard to find what I was looking for. Now I can easily take this bag in and out of my purse and have all of my favorite oils together.

I consider this project a beginner sewing project. It only took about thirty minutes start to finish, and I was able to use materials I already had so, for me, the cost was zero.

As always, if you attempt this, please let me know how it turned out or if you have any ideas to improve it. I would love to see pictures.

Kristy~