I created a pattern for the lining by hand using the knitted pieces of the purse before they were sewn together. I used a thin, soft satin for the lining and whipstitched the lining to the metal frame, tacking it as necessary to the sides of the knitted pieces where there were gaps.

The pattern suggested embellishing the inside edge of the lining to the frame so I found the perfect beads and sewed them on. However the purse wouldn’t shut because they were too bulky! So I used seed beads and created a new design to accommodate the closure. It is more delicate and Victorian-looking but I preferred the first design.

The purse was fun to make- the weight of the thing as it rests in your hand, the uniformity of the design, etc all appealed to me as it formed in my hands. The most fun was finishing it. I was pleased with the way it came together- thought it would be more difficult to put together than it was since I am not a sewer.