Woven Duct Tape Purse

I’m offering this tutorial for free. That doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want with it. But, I’m pretty easy going. So, you pretty much can :p Check the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.5 Canada. Basic rundown:

– Feel free to share. Distribute. Tell people about it. Change anything you want in it. However, make sure people know that it’s my original work. And don’t use it to make money. That includes using it to teach classes. If you do want to use it for a class of any sort, let me know. Preferably ask, not tell. We can probably work something out :D

Or small project holder. I’ve made mine big enough for a mitten-in-progress, camera, wallet and various other purse and knitting knick-knacks. I also took 51 pictures of it’s creation. Most of them are pretty crappy. Anyways, here is a visual walk-through in creating a woven duct tape thingie.

Supplies:
1 roll Duck brand tape in Main Color (black)
1 roll Duck brand tape in Contrast Color (pink)
1 roll Duck brand tape in Contrast Color 2 (green) (optional)
Unloved scissors (Don’t use ones you like; They’ll get tape-y and sticky)
Large stick resistant surface
Large Velco square
Ruler

Step 1: Make the horizontal strips

Measure out 12 inches of your contrast color. Fold it in half length wise.

Try to avoid doing this: That little bit of white there is sticky and not very pretty. But, don’t stress too much about it if it does happen.

Repeat 23 times. Yep, I said 23. Do a couple in CC2, if you want to shake things up a bit. Neatly line them up and toss a few textbooks on them to flatten them out. Leave the textbooks on for at least as long as it takes to do step 2.

Step 2: Make the vertical strips

Measure out 25 inches of MC. Fold that in half. Not too easy . . . but you only have to do it 12 times.

Cover at least the ends with a few textbooks for a while. I knew that psychology one would come in handy some day.

Step 3: Weave them together and line the purse

Once you figure they’ve flattened out, rip off a piece of MC about 14 inches long. Fold it in half, sticky side OUT to make a crease. Line all 12 of the long MC strips along the crease, all close and snuggly-like. Fold along the crease over the ends.

Then, using strips of CC, start weaving. Over one, under one, over one, under one . . .

All the way to the end.

Then, grab another strip and do it again. Except, this time start under one, then go over one, under one, over one, you get the drift. Throw in some CC2 if you want.

Every few strips or so, cover what you have done with a 12 inch strip of CC. Don’t worry, the weaving is still visible from the other side. This just acts as a liner for the inside, so things don’t poke out.

You should end up with something like this:

Yay! The basics of the purse are done! Now on to the fiddly stuff . . .

Step 4: (Optional) Inner Pocket

Measure out a strip 6 or so inches long. Fold it in half STICKY SIDE OUT . . . and lay another 6 inch strip touching the upper, sticky edge, sticky side up.

Unfold the bottom piece so that the two pieces are totally stuck together. Fold the top sticky part over the middle, so that there is only sticky on the bottom edge.

Flip it over, take another 6 inch piece of tape and cover that sticky edge, without covering any black. That way, the sticky edge continues. I’m losing you aren’t I? Basically, you halfway overlap pieces of tape, flip it, halfway over lap again and repeat until it is the size you want.
Then, with the last one, you fold it down so you have a sheet with no sticky band at the top or bottom.

Then, you add a sticky band to the bottom. Take a 6 inch piece and put it half on, half off the bottom of your little square. Trim it to an angle. CUT WITH THE STICKY SIDE OF TAPE UP. THIS WILL MAKE IT EASIER TO CUT AND LEAVE LESS RESIDUE ON YOUR SCISSORS. Don’t know why, but it works.

Add angled bands to the two sides, too. Flip over, and fold these edges in half onto each other.

Ending up with this almost envelope-like thing. Stick that onto the inner liner.

The envelope edges make it stick from the inside. Tack it down with some strips on the outside of the pocket, too, or it’ll end up falling off eventually.

I added a longer one in, too. I nestled the little pocket into the big one for no real reason. You can see in this picture how I added some tape on the outside part to stop the pocket from pulling off.

Step 5: Tidy up the purse before construction
Add a long MC strip along the longest edge, leaving half of the strip hanging off the edge. Flip the entire thing over, and fold the hanging edge over the inside of the bag.

If you have a pocket near the edge, like I do, cut the strip so that the pocket can still open. Continue folding after the cut.

Repeat for the other unfinished edge.

Step 6: Make the sides of the bag
The same way you (might) have made the pockets, make a long sheet, at least 8 inches tall and 4 inches wide.

Trim down the edges, and make it so that it is about 4 inches on the bottom, and 2 inches at the top. Like a wanna-be triangle.

On the outside, count down 8 strips. Tape the almost-triangle thing to the next for strips on the inside.

Put a strip halfway hanging off the 8 strips that you counted, so that it is touching the bottom of the almost-triangle and the top corner. Fold it in half sticky side out. MacGyver this sticky piece up the side of the triangle.

Repeat on all 3 other edges. The other side will be too long. That’s cause it is a flap-top! Just connect it as far as it will go. Cover all the edges with a strip of MC on the outside to hide the sticky white stuff.

Step 7: Make the handle
Cut 3 strips as long as you can stand, or a bit longer than half of the length you want the handle to be. Lay one down, sticky side up. Cove half of it with another strip, sticky side down. Fold one half over the other. Flip the piece and cover the now-exposed sticky edge half way with the third sticky piece. Flip over again and fold the edge down so there are no exposed edges.

Repeat! Tape these two pieces together, tape them to the inside of the bag. Attach velcro squares to center of the overhanging flap, and matching on on purse front, ant voila!
Le bag!