Blooming Coin Purse

A few years ago, I worked up one side of this coin purse, and fell in love with the flower motif, but I had no idea what I would do with it. The motif went into my WIPs bin, and sat… and sat… and sat until last year when I pulled it back out, and decided to make a bunch, and link them together to create a triangle shawl – one of my proudest moments was finishing that baby.

While I was working on the shawl, a bunch of ideas came to mind. I could use the motif to make a top, or rectangle wrap, or… a coin purse! And imagine in all yellow like a sun, or all white like a snowflake, or maybe a flower with a little lady bug or bee [button] sitting on one of the petals.

I specifically chose embroidery floss for the coin purse because it is 100% cotton, which is important for durability in something that will endure a lot sitting at the bottom of your purse.

You can substitute one strand of lightweight/sport weight yarn in place of the two strands of floss, but I recommend a 100% cotton. Gauge isn’t essential for this project, so if you are okay with a larger coin purse, you could also substitute for a worsted weight yarn.

Size

Before seaming, flower measures 3 1/8″ (7.95 cm) wide from tip of one petal to another. After seaming, purse measures 3 ¼” (8.26 cm).

Yarn

DMC Six-Strand Embroidery Floss (100 Mercerized Cotton; 8.7 yards [8 meters]/1.6 grams): Flower Center (CA), 2 Skeins; Flower Petals (CB), 3 Skeins

OR 45 yards [40 meters]/6 grams) of lightweight #3 yarn

Hook

H8/5mm Crochet Hook

Notions

Tapestry Needle

Size 4 [⅝” (1.6 cm)] Snap Button

Sewing Needle with Matching Thread

High Temperature Hot Glue Gun and Sticks, or Choice of Fabric Glue

Gauge

17 hdc = 4” (10.16 cm); 11 Rows = 3 15/16” (10 cm)

Abbreviations

Please see standard abbreviations.

Pattern Notes

Coin Purse Instructions

Flower – Make 2

With CA floss held double(12 individual strands total), ch 5. Join to the first ch to form a ring. Ch 1. Work 12 hdc into the ring. Join. (12 hdc)

R2: Ch 1. Work 1 hdc into the first hdc, 2 hdc into each of the next 11 hdc’s, and 1 hdc into the first stitch just to the right of the beginning chain 1. Join, and switch to CB. (24 hdc)

R3: In CB, ch 1. Sc into the first hdc, sk the next hdc, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) into the next hdc, sk the next hdc, *sc into the next hdc, sk the next hdc, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) into the next hdc, sk the next hdc, rep from * 4 more times. Join, and fasten off. (6 petals, 6 sc)

Finishing

Lay flowers down with WS facing, positioned so two petals are directly on top of each other. Cut a long piece of CB. Secure end of tail by weaving into the WS of the center top of a petal, then bring needle out of first dc to the left of the ch 2, and begin whipstitching through both layers. Whipstitch around the half of the first petal, then 3 full petals and then half of the final petal. Refer to the diagram to more easily envision it.

The remaining open part will be for the snap button and access to the inside of the coin purse. Weave in end.

Sew on Snap Button

Lay purse down with opening at top. Grab the fat part of the snap button, and position it at the center of the two petals at the top just where the color change is between the center, and petals with the nub facing down (and opening facing you). With sewing needle, and thread, sew in place.

Flip purse over. Grab the skinny part of the snap button, and mirror it with the nub facing you. Sew in place.

Lightly pull back at spaces in between snap button holes, and dab some hot glue for added security.