Coffin Purse

The question I am asked most often during the month of October is, "Where did you get your coffin purse?" When I answer that I made it, the second most asked question is "How?" So, I've put together a quick tutorial to make a coffin purse.

Items you'll need to make the purse are*: foam craft board, fabric (I used a faux leather because it is durable and the cut edges won't fray), a ruler, pencil, craft glue, craft knife and purse accessories. I ordered hinges, clasps and the handle from Light'n Up.

To start, I traced out the shape of the coffin in the size I wanted on the foam board. I drew a rectangle 7 inches by 11 inches. Starting from the upper left corner, I measured down 1.25 inches and to the right 3 inches. I made the same measurements from the bottom left corner. From the top right corner, I measured down 1.5 inches and measured up 1.5 inches from the bottom right corner.

Then, I just connected my measured marks to create the shape of the coffin. Repeat to create the lid for the purse.*

With a sharp craft knife and a straight edge, I carefully cut out the shapes. To make the sides of the purse, I measured the lengths of each side and cut out pieces 3 inches high for the base and 1/2 inch for the lid. With a bead of glue I attached the sides and secured them with duct tape.

Next, I traced the coffin on to my fabric. I measured perpendicular to each corner of the box and traced a rectangle large enough to cover the outside and inside of the box. I did this for both the bottom and the lid and cut the fabric with sharp scissors.

Using craft glue, I glued the the fabric to the box and covered the bottom of the box with a piece of fabric cut to size.

I attached the handle and clasp and then attached the lid to with the box with hinges. Since the screws are so small and the craft board is softer than the wood they were meant for, I reinforced them with glue.

In hindsight, I am not really happy with the fabric I chose for this project. It had a bit of elasticity that caused some buckling and wrinkling when I glued it. I might re-do this purse with some different fabric.

*cats not necessary to complete this project.

© 2009 Haunted Yard