Purse Organizer experiment

So I got a wild hair and decided I was NOT paying $20 or more for a purse organizer that wouldn't fit in my smaller purses. Most of the ones I have looked at on e-bay are way too big to fit nicely in my purses. They are either too wide or too deep or both. And I admit, I am cheap if I have decided that I can make something myself out of my craft stash. So I picked out some fabric I thought would hold up well *note to self-really thick fabric was really unnecessary*
I pulled out my serger and my regular machine and set to work creating!

Basically, I eyeballed the most common purse width
I have and doubled it. Folded over my first piece of fabric and...

Serged the raw edges like nobody's business

Viola! That is the main piece that will form the pocket/organizer

I made 2 other versions of the same thing only shorter...
These will be the inside and outer pockets for cell phone and such.
Then I stitched them to the main section, up from the
bottom a bit so I don't have to stitch through such thick layers. I didn't
Stitch the edges yet, though...still thinking...

After I stitched all 3 layers together, I sort of winged it
to stitch lines up to make pockets for goodies. Some I left big,
some narrow for pens and lip gloss. I did stitch though all the layers
to make my pockets. In hindsight, I might do this part differently next time.



This was a fluke, but one just happened to be right smack in the middle,
Which I liked because it made it easier to fold and sew later...almost like a crease in paper.

 

This is what it looks like flat, after I decided which side was to
be the "outside" and which side would be inside the organizer.
I left the serged edges showing because after all. it's inside the purse!
But alsobecause that thick fabric was adding up
 and I was trying to minimize extra layers
wherever I could. I stitched the side and bottom up and
 turned it right side out.



This is what it looks like upright and empty. Too much fabric, I decided.
I could have gotten away with the thinner batik fabric I was thinking of using. All the pockets are double-thickness, folded over. Because I used my serger to finish all the edges, it is sturdy and won't fray. Also in hindsight, it does need to be wider, as once you fill those pockets, it "shrinks" lol. Give it a try with some scrap fabric, and if you don't have a serger, use bias seam tape to finish the edges instead!

Here's how it looks loaded before I swap over purses... see what I mean about space and shrinking?!