How to Stitch a 3D Purse (In-the-Hoop)

These designs have been specially digitized for either tearaway stabilizer or water soluble stabilizer. After the stabilizer is removed, beautiful fabric and embroidery remain.

Tearaway stabilizer is best if using fabric that cannot soak like suede or leather, but it will leave tiny pieces of stabilizer around the edges of your finished purse that need to be removed or colored. Water soluble stabilizer is nice as it won't leave behind pieces of stabilizer along the edges on the finished purse, but you can only use water soluble stabilizer if your chosen fabric can soak for a long time without being ruined.

When you download the 3D Purse, you will find multiple files. Some are the embroidery files, and the others are dieline files marked with the letters "DL". Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the correct shape and size.

Open and print each dieline file using an embroidery software. If you do not have an embroidery software, take a look at our helpful video on using dielines.

We also recommend Wilcom's Hatch software which comes in different levels depending on what you'd like to use the software for. Hatch Organizer works well to view your designs, print dielines and templates, change design colors, and create basic design layouts. (This is an affiliate link. We may earn commission on purchases made with this link.)

First spray one side of a piece of cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive. Smooth the stabilizer onto the wrong side of all the fabric pieces.

Then spray the backside of the printed dieline pieces with temporary adhesive, and smooth it onto the right side of the fabric. For this design, every fabric piece needs to have cutaway stabilizer on them.

Cut the dieline shapes out of the adhered fabric and cutaway stabilizer. Then remove the paper dieline.

Hoop a piece of tearaway or water-soluble stabilizer firmly. Make sure it is nice and tight with no wrinkles.

Attach the hoop onto the machine and load the first embroidery file "a" (not the dieline files). Use a 75/11 sharp sewing needle instead of an embroidery needle. The sharp sewing needle has a finer point, and it will make smaller perforations in the stabilizer. Embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be the "dieline" (or outline stitch). This marks the area on the stabilizer where the fabric piece will be placed.

After the dieline has sewn, remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Spray the stabilizer side of the outer fabric piece with temporary adhesive. Smooth the fabric piece onto the stabilizer inside of the sewn dieline.

Then, place the hoop back onto the machine and embroider the tackdown for the fabric piece. The tackdown will hold the fabric piece in place for the remainder of the design.

After the fabric piece is in place, the inner details of the embroidery will sew out. Stop before sewing the "lining piece tackdown".

Stop before sewing the "lining piece tackdown" step. Remove the hoop from the machine, and turn it over so the back side of the embroidery is facing up. Spray the stabilizer of the lining fabric piece with temporary adhesive, and smooth it into place on the back side of the embroidery.

As both sides of the embroidery will be seen for the rest of the design, wind a bobbin matching the thread colors remaining in the design.

Then, place the hoop back onto the machine and embroider the rest of the design. A tackdown will sew first to adhere the lining piece in place and then the finishing border will sew around the design.

Some pieces will have one edge that does not get a finishing border.

After embroidering, remove all of the tearaway or water-soluble stabilizer following the stabilizer's instructions.

The 3D Purse embroidery files are labeled with a letter. Now that file "a" is completed, repeat these steps to embroider the files labeled "b", "d", and "e".

Do not sew file "c" yet.

Make sure to place cutaway on the back of every single fabric piece as it will make the purse pieces sturdier.

File "c" is the file that sews files "a", "b", and "c" together. To start, hoop another piece of tearaway or water soluble stabilizer. Also cut out the front and lining pieces out of fabric and cutaway stabilizer.

Attach the hoop onto the machine, and load the embroidery file "c" (not the dieline files). Begin to embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be the "dieline" (or outline stitch). This marks the area on the stabilizer where the fabric piece will be placed.

After the dieline has sewn, remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Spray the stabilizer side of the outer fabric piece with temporary adhesive. Smooth the fabric piece onto the stabilizer inside of the sewn dieline.

Then, place the hoop back onto the machine and embroider the tackdown for the fabric piece. The tackdown will hold the fabric piece in place for the remainder of the design.

After the fabric piece is in place, the inner details of the embroidery will sew out. Watch your color change sheet closely, and stop before embroidering the "lining tackdown".

As the rest of the embroidery will be seen from both sides, wind a bobbin matching all the remaining thread colors and change them out as you go to match.

Before sewing the "lining tackdown" remove the hoop from the machine, place the lining piece on the wrong side of the hoop with temporary spray adhesive just like we did with the other files.

Then embroider the "lining tackdown" to hold the lining piece in place for the rest of the design.

When embroidering the "purse flap (a) placement line", we recommend embroidering the placement line step in a thread color that is very easy to see against the fabric and embroidery colors. For example, we sewed ours in red. Stop before sewing the "purse flap (a) tackdown".

Before sewing the "purse flap (a) tackdown", remove the hoop from the machine but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Take the flap (sewed with embroidery file "a"), and spray temporary adhesive on the lining side along the edge that was left raw fabric without an embroidered border.

Line the raw edge up with the embroidered "purse flap (a) placement line", and press it firmly into place. It should overlap the "c" file's fabric a little. For best results also tape the flap to the hoop and stabilizer to make it more secure.

Place the hoop back onto the machine and embroider the "purse flap (a) tackdown". This will hold the flap in place for the rest of the embroidery. Use a matching bobbin for best results.

When embroidering the "purse front (b) placement line", we recommend embroidering the placement line step in a thread color that is very easy to see against the fabric and embroidery colors. For example, we sewed ours in red. Stop before sewing the "purse front (b) tackdown".

Before sewing the "purse front (b) tackdown", remove the hoop from the machine but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Take the front (sewed with embroidery file "b"), and spray temporary adhesive on the lining side along the edge that was left raw fabric without an embroidered boarder.

Line the raw edge up with the embroidered "purse front (b) placement line", and press it firmly into place. It should overlap the "c" file's fabric a little. For best results also tape the flap to the hoop and stabilizer to make it more secure.

Place the hoop back onto the machine and embroider the "purse front (b) tackdown". This will hold the flap in place for the rest of the embroidery. Then embroider the rest of the design. Use a matching bobbin for best results.

Place the hoop back on the machine and embroider the rest of the design using matching bobbins. The last thing to sew will be the "finishing border" step that will sew nice borders along all the outer edges and the inner edges where the pieces connect.

Once the embroidery is completed, remove all of the tearaway or water-soluble stabilizer following the stabilizer's instructions.

To attach the first side piece (file "d"), line the top corner of the side piece up with a top corner of the front of the purse (sewed with file "b"). Make sure lining sides are together and clip or pin them together. The side pieces can be sewn onto either side of the front. Both side pieces are the same size, so it does not matter which side they are sewn onto.

For now, only clip them together along one straight edge of the side piece.

On a sewing machine, use a zig zag stitch and thread matching the embroidery border to sew the pieces together along the pinned edge. Stop once you get to where the side piece's edge starts to curve. Make sure to also match the bobbin.

If preferred, you can also hand stitch this edge.

The curved edge is too small to fit onto a sewing machine. For best results, carefully fold the main part of the purse so its edges line up with the curved edge of the side piece and pin or clip them together. Then hand sew them together along the curved bottom edge of the side piece.

Stop hand sewing when you get to the opposite straight edge if you want to machine sew it.

To machine sew the opposite straight edge, line up the pieces carefully and pin or clip them together.

Then sew the pieces together with a zigzag stitch and matching thread as we did earlier on the opposite straight edge. Make sure to also match the bobbin.

If preferred, you can also hand stitch this edge.

Repeat the previous steps to sew the other side piece (file "e") onto the opposite side of the purse.

Add a closure of your choice onto the purse. For example, we hand sewed a magnet wrapped in fabric onto the lining side of the flap of the purse and then glued a second magnet to the inside of the purse.

Also add a strap or wristlet to your purse as desired.

This completes the 3D purse. Experiment with different fabrics and colors to make your own beautiful purse that matches your wardrobe or give one as a lovely gift.