I received the purse on the right from a friend. I loved the frame for sure. So I set out to remake it.
Deconstruction
This is how the purse came to me. Most of the lining and the outer fabric that held the beads was rotten.
One side was really bad and I could not even figure out the pattern.
The other side was not so bad. If I had wanted to restore it the the original beading patter I would have had to re-bead both sides, and the fringe.
This was the inner trim which I might have used if I had stayed in the same color range.
This is how the frame looked after I removed all the fabric, beads and trim and cleaned it. The filigree on the back side had come off.
I re attached the back filigree with metal glue.
Then as some of the stones were missing on the front I replaced all the round ones with pink crystals.
I saved this much. The frame (cleaned and crystals replaces) and the mirror. The fabric backing to the mirror was still in good shape. I did not save the mirror because it was badly foxed.
Rebuilding
Because I did not want to take forever to re -do this beaded bag, I looked for some beaded trim and found this trim. It was about 1 to 1.25″ wide.
I traced a pattern from the original purse onto paper and began fitting the sections of the trim onto it.
This hank of white seed beads was passed onto me. I think it was a kilo.
I carefully took it apart. These hanks are make of lengths of strung beads and if you can get them apart without tangling them your beads are already strung and you can couch stitch the strands onto the surface of the fabric. At the bottom of the picture you can see that not all the strands were removed in tack. So I have lots of single beads to use when I need to fill small places.
I found an embroidery hoop that was large enough to encircle the pattern piece/
I stretch a piece of white linen into the hoop. I wanted to work with the fabric front at the bottom of the hoop so they could make sides. That way strands and single beads could not escape.
The white linen was see thru enough so I could see my pattern thru.
That meant that I could transfer the outline, the center line and the seam allowance to the linen.
The first thing I wanted to do was to add a row of beads to the outside edge of the purse front.
Because this strand had ample thread I could sew the thread to the back and knot it off.
Back to the front I could not sew a couch stitch every two or three beads.
This is what it looked like from the back after the first row was couched down. The thread you see it the couching. thread not the bead thread.
This is what it looked like from the front.
Now was the time to transfer the pieces of the beaded trim to the linen.
I started be marking a spot for the two purple flowers that make up the clusters.
I tacked them down with a dot of glue.
Then built outward from them.
Until I had the entire set of beads tacked down with small dots of glue.
With matching thread I tacked down the motifs. This is how it looked from the back.
This is the back with all the sections tacked down and after some of the front white beads have been added.
This is the front with all the sections tacked down and some of the center areas and two rows around the outside tacked down.
Then it was on to filling in all the empty areas.
This is what it looked like finished close up.
This is the back with all the couch stitching.
After making two matching sides it was on to adding fringe before I could sew them together. I laid out as many strands of beads as I figured I needed.
I picked a length and removed as many beads from each strand so that they were all the same length. I used the thread from the strands to sew one then the other side of the strand to the back of the fabric. Then from the back I could tie the threads together with a surgeon’s knot the make sure they were secure. Then I could release the fabric from the hoop and trim it the seam allowance line. Then I could pin and sew the front to the back from the hinge edge down across the bottom to the other hinge edge. I did this by hand for sure and was happy that no fabric showed so no extra beads needed to be added in the seam.
I did add some seed beads here and there to fill out the motifs.
The purple and lavender beads were mostly added in the darker flowers along the edge not the center flowers.
Close up of those flowers.
After the lining was slipped inside the beaded outside of the purse with the seam allowances folded inside the combination was sewn onto the frame. I chose a strong matching color thread to the frame. You can find out lots more in my other purse articles.
The finished purse closed.
The finished purse hanging from its chain.
The stitching that holds the fabric to the frame is covered with this ribbon trim. There is a pocked inside the purse for me phone.
The mirror was replaced and added to the original mirror backing. There is also a pocket for the mirror. Very similar to this lining but without the pleating. But in that mirror I keep the mirror and replaces the backing. Laurie Tavan is modeling the bag which happens to go very well with her early Edwardian embroidered cape. The lining is the same silk taffeta.