Ethel Tote+ Secret Pocket= Purse Tutorial Post
*Nods towards my Phantom of the Opera loving readers*
As my friends will know, I have been scouring the internet looking for a good (free) CCW purse pattern for a while now, and so far, my searches have been fruitless. Unless one is willing to pay an arm and a leg for a pattern, the only other option was to pay two arms and a leg to order a CCW purse. Seeing as I need both arms and legs I currently possess, that wasn't happening, and I had to create a third option:
Altering a pattern.
Now, I love altering patterns, and though it gets frustrating, I enjoy the challenge. I had made Swoon's Ethel Tote before (though I hadn't made it exactly according to the pattern that first time) and really liked the pattern, and since finding free purse patterns I like is almost as difficult as finding a free CCW purse pattern, I decided to use it. I already had a basic knowledge of the pattern, it was free, and it looked easy enough to alter for my needs.
I made up a CCW purse for myself a couple weeks ago, and loved it! My mom also wanted one, so this week, I made one up for her. (Well, I'm almost finished with it, other than putting in the top zipper.)
Since some of my Instagram followers asked how I had made my purse, and since I found very little to help me covert a normal purse pattern to a CCW purse, I decided the best course of action was to make this tutorial.
Now, I will say, I did make some changes besides adding the secret pocket. Swoon's pattern calls for woven interfacing, and I felt like using craft weight, iron on nonwoven interfacing was a better choice given what I would be carrying in the purse. It's stiffer, more sturdy, and just felt more secure for this kind of purse. If you don't feel your machine can handle that, then go with what the pattern calls for.
I did not use interfacing on the straps, because I used the cotton duck and it felt sturdy enough on its own, plus I was using the rings and needed my material to be flexible. I cut the straps a bit longer than the pattern called for because I was using the rings, as well.
I also did not use interfacing on all the pieces that the pattern called for, simply because of the extra layers. My sewing machine is tough, but not that tough. Plus, I didn't think my inner pockets really needed that kind of stiffness, since I tend to pack them and I needed extra flexibility, haha!
I did not use interfacing on the straps, because I used the cotton duck and it felt sturdy enough on its own, plus I was using the rings and needed my material to be flexible. I cut the straps a bit longer than the pattern called for because I was using the rings, as well.
I also did not use interfacing on all the pieces that the pattern called for, simply because of the extra layers. My sewing machine is tough, but not that tough. Plus, I didn't think my inner pockets really needed that kind of stiffness, since I tend to pack them and I needed extra flexibility, haha!
I also left out the stabilizer in the bottom of the purse, because I wanted to be able to remove it when I needed to wash this purse (If I wash it, I'm still kind of iffy on whether or not I like the idea of sticking it in the washing machine) and it would have made it too difficult to turn the purse inside out with the extra layers. Instead, I sewed a little sleeve from my exterior fabric and added a square of plastic (cut from a plastic placemat I found on clearance), the same size as the stabilizer called for, in that, then pressed it down into the bottom of the purse. It hasn't moved around, and I think this works a little better for me. You can make your own decision on this.
Okay, ready to dive in?
Here's what I used:
Swoon's Ethel Tote pattern (Available here: https://swoonpatterns.com/shop/ethel-tote-2/ )
Swoon's Ethel Tote pattern (Available here: https://swoonpatterns.com/shop/ethel-tote-2/ )
1 yards cotton duck material (I wanted leftovers for matching wallets, etc) for the exterior, stabilizer sleeve and straps. Walmart's Waverly precut cotton duck pieces worked out perfectly.
1 yard of fabric for the lining pieces (100% cotton in a nice peachy pink on my purse, and poly-cotton in white for my mom's at her request)
1 yard of sew in foam interfacing
1 package of HeatNBond fusible craft interfacing (20 in. by 1 yd) but I recommend getting two packages since it's difficult to fit everything on the one piece.
2 nine inch zippers (one for the secret pocket, one added for the top of the tote, since I like to know my wallet is a bit more safe with a zipper rather than just an open top)
Thread
4 metal rings (for straps)
Thin, sturdy plastic (like I said, mine was a plastic placemat, but you could also use a plastic folder or something of the like. Would not recommend cardboard at all!)
1 package of HeatNBond fusible craft interfacing (20 in. by 1 yd) but I recommend getting two packages since it's difficult to fit everything on the one piece.
2 nine inch zippers (one for the secret pocket, one added for the top of the tote, since I like to know my wallet is a bit more safe with a zipper rather than just an open top)
Thread
4 metal rings (for straps)
Thin, sturdy plastic (like I said, mine was a plastic placemat, but you could also use a plastic folder or something of the like. Would not recommend cardboard at all!)
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| (I forgot to get a picture of the package the rings came in, oops.) |
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| (The small label at the top was from my lining fabric) |
If you don't like the idea of adding a top zipper, you can leave it open as the original pattern calls for or even add a flap with a snap or buckle to the top. Since I was using this as a purse and not a tote bag, I wanted the zipper for security.
You can add whatever elements you want to with this pattern. I messed up and cut my side exterior pieces too close to the edge and got those nasty little holes along the bottom that didn't cover up when I stitched it to the bottom exterior piece (oops) so I cut two strips of my lining and made pieces to cover the holes before I sewed the gusset to the front and back pieces of my exterior. They weren't really noticeable once the purse was finished, and my seams aren't straight (I was rushing) but it did make it look a bit fancy, which is not the worst that could have happened when I goofed up.
You can also take away the pockets, both inside and out, add welted zipper pockets (not to the secret pocket side, of course) or add side pockets. The next of these I make will probably have a side pocket on it, so I can tuck my phone in there and get to it easier when I'm carrying the purse. The Ethel Tote is a very customizable pattern!
Note: Make sure you wash and iron all your fabric FIRST. I don't care if it says pre-shrunk, just act like the package is wrong and wash it again. You'll be thankful you did.
Okay, now that all of that is out of the way, let's get to the tutorial. I'm going to be using a mix of pictures from my purse and my mom's, so don't let that confuse you.
(Wouldn't you know it, I forgot to get pictures of just the pieces cut out?)
I cut out:
3 exterior pieces (two with foam interfacing basted on, one without),
3 lining pieces (two with fusible interfacing, one without)
2 exterior side pieces (both with foam interfacing basted on)
2 lining side pieces (both with fusible interfacing)
1 exterior bottom piece (with foam interfacing basted on)
1 lining bottom piece (with fusible interfacing on)
2 pocket exterior pieces
2 pocket lining pieces (one with fusible interfacing, one without)
Note: You will have to do a lot of arranging and rearranging to fit all the lining pieces I cut out on that one piece of fusible interfacing, which is why I recommend getting two packages of it. It's possible but difficult to get to work. Looking back, I should have bought two packages of the fusible interfacing just to make it easier and have extra in case of goofs. If you use one, pin all your pattern pieces FIRST before cutting any of them out to be sure you can fit all of them on the interfacing.
Unless otherwise specified, all seam allowances are according to Swoon's instructions.
I also recommend using a zig-zag or overcasting stitch on all edges of all pieces, especially the ones with foam basted on. It makes it a little easier to line up edges if they're nicely mushed flat, rather than trying to work around thick, squishy foam.
Also, extra long quilting pins are not necessary, but a huge help when sewing with foam!
Sewing the purse:
Baste your foam pieces onto their matching exterior pieces, and fuse your interfacing to your interior pieces (make sure you follow my notes on this above, since it is important!)
Sew your straps according to either Swoon's pattern, OR by sewing two 24"x3" strips of fabric into straps (Either turning long tubes or pressing and sewing them with the edges all tucked in so the wrong side of the fabric isn't exposed) and making four 3"x4" mini straps to use to attach the rings to the purse in which you'll attach your straps.
Here's a picture of my unsewn straps and mini straps with the rings ready to be sewn into the purse:
Follow Swoon's instructions for making the slip pockets. Leave off the interfacing for your interior pocket, (unless you want to keep it stiff). Add the pocket without interfacing to one of your lining pieces and the pocket with interfacing to the exterior piece with foam interfacing according to the pattern. Make sure when assembling the purse later on that your pocket pieces are not both on the same side of the purse. My interior pockets are on the backside, and the outer pockets on the front (to help shield the secret pocket).
Follow Swoon's instructions to sew the side pieces to the bottom pieces (the exterior and lining gussets).
Creating the secret pocket:
Take the exterior piece with the foam interfacing and pocket basted on, and baste on your extra lining piece without interfacing to the back of this exterior piece.
Here's where it gets tricky. You're going to add your secret pocket zipper to this piece and to the interfacing free extra exterior piece. If you're making the pocket for CCW, choose the LEFT side of your front panel for right hand draw, OR the RIGHT side of your front panel for left hand draw. I'm right handed, so my zipper went on the Left side of my front panel so that when I carry the purse, I'll be able to unzip and reach in my pocket without having to turn the whole purse around.
Pin your zipper face down on outer side (the side with the pockets) 1/4th of an inch away from the edge of the front panel with the pockets/foam. Remember, there are those little metal pieces on the zipper that keep the zipper from coming off, and those must be half of an inch away from the top or else when you sew the lining to the exterior, your needle is going to break on the metal pieces. Be careful to watch your needle when sewing anywhere near the zipper at any point in sewing this purse so it doesn't break!
Stitch the zipper down about 1/4th of an inch away from the teeth and edge of the zipper using a zipper foot. Your stitches should be close to 1/2 an inch away from the edge of the exterior panel.
Now take your extra exterior piece without interfacing to sew the other side of the zipper to. It helped to pin the side without the zipper to match the edges of this piece, and then pin the zipper down, but it isn't necessary.
Again, make sure your zipper is pinned, face up to the right side of this piece, 1/4th of an inch away from the edge, and the metal piece is 1/2 an inch away from the top. Pull the exterior piece with foam away and pin it down so you don't accidentally catch it while sewing if you need, although at the bottom of the zipper you're going to be slightly overlapping this piece since you must match the rest of the edges to sew the gusset on.
Pin and sew the zipper, with your seam running 1/2 an inch away from the edge of the fabric.
Now, match the rest of the edge of the two panels, and stitch them. I didn't get a picture of the overlapping at the bottom of the zipper, so I'll explain it as best I can using the (poorly done) drawing below. Basically, you'll be taking and slightly folding the top (foam and pocket) piece under, and tucking the tail pieces of the zipper inside with that fold, then stitching them down when you sew the two pieces together. The other edges and bottom will all line up evenly for when you sew the gusset onto this piece.
Once they're sewn together, treat this piece as if it's the exterior piece the pattern uses. Basically, you've added a false front to the purse which creates a secret pocket once the lining is sewn in.
You will have to be careful to only sew the gusset to the back piece along the zipper side and not the false front piece (else you'll sew right over your zipper and it'll be useless) until you reach where the false front and back piece edges meet evenly but that shouldn't be too difficult. And like I said, make sure you're careful where your needle falls when sewing the rest of the purse together, so it doesn't hit the zipper and break your needle.
You will need to move around the false front (pockets and foam piece) from time to time to make sure it doesn't catch in a weird bulging tuck when sewing on the gusset, and when sewing the lining to the exterior. This wasn't too difficult to manage, though. I just pinned, pinned, pinned like my life de-pin-ded upon it (sew pun, sorry) and kept a close eye that it didn't add extra length to the top of the exterior (else your lining will be too small to fit when you sew them together.)
Be careful when adding the straps that you don't pin/sew the end of the strap (no matter which way you make your straps) onto and/or over the zipper. Pin it to the edge of the front (pockets and foam) piece where it meets the zipper.
You'll sew through both the false front and the foam-free exterior piece as if they are one piece when sewing the lining in.
The reason I didn't add foam to the extra exterior that forms the back of the secret pocket is that I felt like my machine couldn't handle that much foam, and with the extra stiff interfacing of the lining, it was already sturdy enough for CCW without more foam. If you want to use additional foam... well, I hope it turns out for you, but I won't risk that much thickness in my machine.
If you're using my method of the removeable stabilizer in the bottom of the purse, you'll need to make a little sleeve (think a teeny tiny pillow case) that will fit snugly around your plastic piece, and have that ready to go in the finished purse. It should nestle right down into the bottom and not slide back out of the sleeve (at least, mine hasn't).
Finishing:
Once you've complete the rest of the purse according to Swoon's instructions (sewing on gussets, pinning straps in place, sewing the lining to the exterior, turning it inside out, yada yada) and added the top zipper (you'll be able to find tutorials online for adding zippers to totes and purses, so I'm not going to write a tutorial just now for that, sorry) you should end up with a purse similar to these:
You'll notice my purse (the white floral/peach fabric) doesn't have a zipper that goes all the way up. Well, that's because I didn't think before merrily sewing my gusset too close and accidentally overlapping the zipper. It's okay-ish, but I like how my mom's goes all the way up. Yes, hers is a bit more obvious, but it also gives her more open space when unzipped, which for a CCW is nice to have.
I had also top-stitched over my false front piece where the zipper is and regret it. I don't care for that bulging little line on the front, hence why it isn't on my mom's. I may pick it out with the seam ripper later, but for now, I'll leave it be.
The zippers are pretty sturdy, and don't seem to slide down, but if you're worried, you could use a more heavy duty zipper (like the kinds sold for jeans) or even hunt down one of those lovely zipper-that's-a-lock zippers they use on commercially sold CCW purses, although I couldn't find one (and I really wanted one!)
You can also find patterns online for holsters which you could make from leftover material, and sew velcro into the secret pocket to hold it in place, but mine is that weird non-slip stuff that won't budge once it's in the pocket, so I didn't need that.
Like I said, you can customize this pattern pretty much any way you wish. You might even improve on my technique for adding the secret pocket (I'd love to hear from anyone who tries my tutorial, and will take any advice you have on perfecting this!). This was just my best attempt to find a solution for my fruitless search for a good free CCW purse.
Oh, and by the way, you don't have to use the secret pocket for CCW use. Maybe you want to hide some chocolate in there, or love letters, or your phone and earbuds, or a small book that's too important to lose. It's great for just about anything, including carrying around an opera written by a masked madman who strolls through opera houses, if that's what you want to use it for.
If you try my tutorial for adding a secret pocket to the Ethel Tote from Swoon, I'd love to hear about it. You can comment below or send me a message using the contact form here on the blog. I'd love to see pictures of your finished purse, and hear about any changes you made to this tutorial, as well as try to help answer any questions you might have!
Happy sewing, and may no chandeliers fall on your head!
You can add whatever elements you want to with this pattern. I messed up and cut my side exterior pieces too close to the edge and got those nasty little holes along the bottom that didn't cover up when I stitched it to the bottom exterior piece (oops) so I cut two strips of my lining and made pieces to cover the holes before I sewed the gusset to the front and back pieces of my exterior. They weren't really noticeable once the purse was finished, and my seams aren't straight (I was rushing) but it did make it look a bit fancy, which is not the worst that could have happened when I goofed up.
 |
| A goof up doesn't always mean an ugly project! |
You can also take away the pockets, both inside and out, add welted zipper pockets (not to the secret pocket side, of course) or add side pockets. The next of these I make will probably have a side pocket on it, so I can tuck my phone in there and get to it easier when I'm carrying the purse. The Ethel Tote is a very customizable pattern!
Note: Make sure you wash and iron all your fabric FIRST. I don't care if it says pre-shrunk, just act like the package is wrong and wash it again. You'll be thankful you did.
Okay, now that all of that is out of the way, let's get to the tutorial. I'm going to be using a mix of pictures from my purse and my mom's, so don't let that confuse you.
(Wouldn't you know it, I forgot to get pictures of just the pieces cut out?)
I cut out:
3 exterior pieces (two with foam interfacing basted on, one without),
3 lining pieces (two with fusible interfacing, one without)
2 exterior side pieces (both with foam interfacing basted on)
2 lining side pieces (both with fusible interfacing)
1 exterior bottom piece (with foam interfacing basted on)
1 lining bottom piece (with fusible interfacing on)
2 pocket exterior pieces
2 pocket lining pieces (one with fusible interfacing, one without)
Note: You will have to do a lot of arranging and rearranging to fit all the lining pieces I cut out on that one piece of fusible interfacing, which is why I recommend getting two packages of it. It's possible but difficult to get to work. Looking back, I should have bought two packages of the fusible interfacing just to make it easier and have extra in case of goofs. If you use one, pin all your pattern pieces FIRST before cutting any of them out to be sure you can fit all of them on the interfacing.
Unless otherwise specified, all seam allowances are according to Swoon's instructions.
I also recommend using a zig-zag or overcasting stitch on all edges of all pieces, especially the ones with foam basted on. It makes it a little easier to line up edges if they're nicely mushed flat, rather than trying to work around thick, squishy foam.
Also, extra long quilting pins are not necessary, but a huge help when sewing with foam!
Sewing the purse:
Baste your foam pieces onto their matching exterior pieces, and fuse your interfacing to your interior pieces (make sure you follow my notes on this above, since it is important!)
Sew your straps according to either Swoon's pattern, OR by sewing two 24"x3" strips of fabric into straps (Either turning long tubes or pressing and sewing them with the edges all tucked in so the wrong side of the fabric isn't exposed) and making four 3"x4" mini straps to use to attach the rings to the purse in which you'll attach your straps.
Here's a picture of my unsewn straps and mini straps with the rings ready to be sewn into the purse:
 |
| I used my lining material for the mini straps, because THAT COLOR, EEEP! |
Follow Swoon's instructions for making the slip pockets. Leave off the interfacing for your interior pocket, (unless you want to keep it stiff). Add the pocket without interfacing to one of your lining pieces and the pocket with interfacing to the exterior piece with foam interfacing according to the pattern. Make sure when assembling the purse later on that your pocket pieces are not both on the same side of the purse. My interior pockets are on the backside, and the outer pockets on the front (to help shield the secret pocket).
Follow Swoon's instructions to sew the side pieces to the bottom pieces (the exterior and lining gussets).
Creating the secret pocket:
Take the exterior piece with the foam interfacing and pocket basted on, and baste on your extra lining piece without interfacing to the back of this exterior piece.
 |
| My exterior with pocket piece basted to the extra interfacing-free lining piece |
Here's where it gets tricky. You're going to add your secret pocket zipper to this piece and to the interfacing free extra exterior piece. If you're making the pocket for CCW, choose the LEFT side of your front panel for right hand draw, OR the RIGHT side of your front panel for left hand draw. I'm right handed, so my zipper went on the Left side of my front panel so that when I carry the purse, I'll be able to unzip and reach in my pocket without having to turn the whole purse around.
Pin your zipper face down on outer side (the side with the pockets) 1/4th of an inch away from the edge of the front panel with the pockets/foam. Remember, there are those little metal pieces on the zipper that keep the zipper from coming off, and those must be half of an inch away from the top or else when you sew the lining to the exterior, your needle is going to break on the metal pieces. Be careful to watch your needle when sewing anywhere near the zipper at any point in sewing this purse so it doesn't break!
 |
| Measure... |
 |
| Measure... |
 |
| MEASURE! |
Stitch the zipper down about 1/4th of an inch away from the teeth and edge of the zipper using a zipper foot. Your stitches should be close to 1/2 an inch away from the edge of the exterior panel.
Now take your extra exterior piece without interfacing to sew the other side of the zipper to. It helped to pin the side without the zipper to match the edges of this piece, and then pin the zipper down, but it isn't necessary.
Again, make sure your zipper is pinned, face up to the right side of this piece, 1/4th of an inch away from the edge, and the metal piece is 1/2 an inch away from the top. Pull the exterior piece with foam away and pin it down so you don't accidentally catch it while sewing if you need, although at the bottom of the zipper you're going to be slightly overlapping this piece since you must match the rest of the edges to sew the gusset on.
Pin and sew the zipper, with your seam running 1/2 an inch away from the edge of the fabric.
Now, match the rest of the edge of the two panels, and stitch them. I didn't get a picture of the overlapping at the bottom of the zipper, so I'll explain it as best I can using the (poorly done) drawing below. Basically, you'll be taking and slightly folding the top (foam and pocket) piece under, and tucking the tail pieces of the zipper inside with that fold, then stitching them down when you sew the two pieces together. The other edges and bottom will all line up evenly for when you sew the gusset onto this piece.
 |
| (I may need to invest in hiring an artist for instruction illustrations) |
Once they're sewn together, treat this piece as if it's the exterior piece the pattern uses. Basically, you've added a false front to the purse which creates a secret pocket once the lining is sewn in.
You will have to be careful to only sew the gusset to the back piece along the zipper side and not the false front piece (else you'll sew right over your zipper and it'll be useless) until you reach where the false front and back piece edges meet evenly but that shouldn't be too difficult. And like I said, make sure you're careful where your needle falls when sewing the rest of the purse together, so it doesn't hit the zipper and break your needle.
You will need to move around the false front (pockets and foam piece) from time to time to make sure it doesn't catch in a weird bulging tuck when sewing on the gusset, and when sewing the lining to the exterior. This wasn't too difficult to manage, though. I just pinned, pinned, pinned like my life de-pin-ded upon it (sew pun, sorry) and kept a close eye that it didn't add extra length to the top of the exterior (else your lining will be too small to fit when you sew them together.)
Be careful when adding the straps that you don't pin/sew the end of the strap (no matter which way you make your straps) onto and/or over the zipper. Pin it to the edge of the front (pockets and foam) piece where it meets the zipper.
You'll sew through both the false front and the foam-free exterior piece as if they are one piece when sewing the lining in.
The reason I didn't add foam to the extra exterior that forms the back of the secret pocket is that I felt like my machine couldn't handle that much foam, and with the extra stiff interfacing of the lining, it was already sturdy enough for CCW without more foam. If you want to use additional foam... well, I hope it turns out for you, but I won't risk that much thickness in my machine.
If you're using my method of the removeable stabilizer in the bottom of the purse, you'll need to make a little sleeve (think a teeny tiny pillow case) that will fit snugly around your plastic piece, and have that ready to go in the finished purse. It should nestle right down into the bottom and not slide back out of the sleeve (at least, mine hasn't).
Finishing:
Once you've complete the rest of the purse according to Swoon's instructions (sewing on gussets, pinning straps in place, sewing the lining to the exterior, turning it inside out, yada yada) and added the top zipper (you'll be able to find tutorials online for adding zippers to totes and purses, so I'm not going to write a tutorial just now for that, sorry) you should end up with a purse similar to these:
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| Hello, Secret Pocket! |
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| I used exterior fabric for my interior pocket so I could see it easily. Also, this was before I added my zipper. |
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| (Ignore my odd choice of location for these. The porch had great sunlight.) |
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| Secret pockets, ready to hold secrets! |
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| And yes, Mom's has straps, they're just tucked in because I forgot to trim the threads, oops. |
You'll notice my purse (the white floral/peach fabric) doesn't have a zipper that goes all the way up. Well, that's because I didn't think before merrily sewing my gusset too close and accidentally overlapping the zipper. It's okay-ish, but I like how my mom's goes all the way up. Yes, hers is a bit more obvious, but it also gives her more open space when unzipped, which for a CCW is nice to have.
I had also top-stitched over my false front piece where the zipper is and regret it. I don't care for that bulging little line on the front, hence why it isn't on my mom's. I may pick it out with the seam ripper later, but for now, I'll leave it be.
The zippers are pretty sturdy, and don't seem to slide down, but if you're worried, you could use a more heavy duty zipper (like the kinds sold for jeans) or even hunt down one of those lovely zipper-that's-a-lock zippers they use on commercially sold CCW purses, although I couldn't find one (and I really wanted one!)
You can also find patterns online for holsters which you could make from leftover material, and sew velcro into the secret pocket to hold it in place, but mine is that weird non-slip stuff that won't budge once it's in the pocket, so I didn't need that.
Like I said, you can customize this pattern pretty much any way you wish. You might even improve on my technique for adding the secret pocket (I'd love to hear from anyone who tries my tutorial, and will take any advice you have on perfecting this!). This was just my best attempt to find a solution for my fruitless search for a good free CCW purse.
Oh, and by the way, you don't have to use the secret pocket for CCW use. Maybe you want to hide some chocolate in there, or love letters, or your phone and earbuds, or a small book that's too important to lose. It's great for just about anything, including carrying around an opera written by a masked madman who strolls through opera houses, if that's what you want to use it for.
If you try my tutorial for adding a secret pocket to the Ethel Tote from Swoon, I'd love to hear about it. You can comment below or send me a message using the contact form here on the blog. I'd love to see pictures of your finished purse, and hear about any changes you made to this tutorial, as well as try to help answer any questions you might have!
Happy sewing, and may no chandeliers fall on your head!
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