It’s been a busy year for me! My baby turns 1 in a few days and I decided this past year to take some time off from my handmade and pattern business and just enjoy life with a baby, three older kids, and no part-time preschool job. A few weeks ago my older three kids all started school and that made it much easier to finish up my most recent pattern, the Round the World Purse. This is a fun one! I first designed this nearly three years ago as Christmas gifts for my kids and nephews. They were heavily into Pokemon and I wanted little Pokeballs to put their toys in. As I developed the pattern, I started thinking of all the sphere-shaped items I could make and all of the uses of this unique pattern. There are so many possibilities! Thankfully my testers had fun and you can see through their creativity just some of the ways you can use this pattern.

The pattern comes in four sizes. You can find dimensions in the listing, but I’d say the smallest size is a little bigger than a softball and the largest is about the size of a basketball. The purse zips almost all the way around, and there are instructions in the pattern of how to add a wrist strap or purse strap. As an introductory sales offer, the pattern is on sale for $6 for the weekend, and then will return to full price on Monday, Sept 24th. This pattern would make perfect Christmas gifts!

A note on the difficulty level. I would categorize this pattern as Intermediate. Some testers found it fairly easy and straightforward, and some found it fairly tricky. I recommend this pattern for those who are comfortable with zippers, sewing precise seam allowances even with curves, and working with lots of small pieces. You’ll want a free arm sewing machine, a zigzag function, and some patience. And now, tester pictures.

The X-Small size is great for small toys and knick-knacks.

Credit to Genevieve Ouellet, Megan Koch, Jenny Gomez, Brenna Smith, Melissa Uhler

Next, the size Small. This is good for larger toys, candy, etc.

Credit to Rochana Jalan, Lori Peoples, Maxine MacNeill, and Sandie Larsen

The Medium is a great size for a small purse, with room for a phone and several other things. Or you can use it for a yarn project!

Credit to Ellen Berline, Glenys Binstead, Maria Davis, Reziel Jamero-Jacobs, Laura Hyder, and Janet Greenslade.

The large size is kind of huge, but that makes it more fun!

Credit to Christine Davis, Kirsty Bucholz, Kris McIntosh, Leanne Gibb, and Marie Biswell.

The instructions for adding a wrist strap or a purse strap are included in the pattern. I had some testers who went a little farther and let their imagination have fun.

Liz made hers in clear vinyl! She used only the exterior pattern piece (if you do this you’ll need to add some length to the zipper loop) and the result is an awesome clear purse. She also added pom poms and a tassel. Christine added a tassel as well on the bottom of hers. Leanne made hers into a Pokeball. Rochana used foam to make little ears for her Mickey Mouse purse. Kris used faux leather and rivets to make a really eye-catching design on the outside of hers. Leanne also made a clear vinyl version with decorative stitching.

Credit to Liz Gilmartin, Christine Davis, Leanne Gibb, Rochana Jalan, and Kris McIntosh.

I asked my testers what they had to say about this purse and here are some of their comments.

“What a fun pattern! The instructions were clear, and it was very enjoyable to make. I love how many sizes this bag has!”
“Fun sew and a cute item that can be made for any age just by changing the materials used.”
“A truly unique bag, this purse really got my creative mind working!”
“This was so much fun to create! Working with the foam was somewhat intimidating, but the final product was amazing!”
“Fantastic easy pattern despite looking far more difficult. Tori has written the pattern very well and is easy to understand.”
“I had never attempted a pattern with this type of structure before. The pieces all went together quite easily and it was so much fun to make. I see many more of these in my future!”

Don’t forget to grab your copy while it’s still on sale! And you can always head over to my Facebook group and show off pictures of your creations. I can’t wait to see them.

New Release: Round the World Purse