German Women's Purses 1500-1550
Pennsic 2012
Teacher: Amie Sparrow
amiesparrow.wordpress.com amiesparrow@yahoo.com
Class Objectives
In this class you will learn to:
 identify several styles of German women's purses/pouches from 1500-1550
 understand the tools and techniques used to make purses/pouches
 identify the materials used to create these accessories
 understand the basics of purse/pouch-making
Overview
There are not many extant purses remaining from the early 16th century in Germany for working-class women. Purses
were used by the working class, not created and put aside for safe-keeping, and thus most did not survive. We do have a
lot of pictorial evidence in the four volume set of Single-Leaf German Woodcuts.
1509 - Berlin
1530 - Stuttgart
1521 - Gotha
1531 - Dresden
German Pouches / Purses
1531 Dresden
1532 - Gotha
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Purse Vendor - 1539 Berlin
German Pouches / Purses
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Race for Purses
This woodcut shows young girls in a footrace at a country fair. Two of the prizes are purses.
Extant Purses
The odd thing about
researching German purses is
that the pictorial evidence
shows one type of purse. The
surviving purses in the
museums show differentlooking purses, most
noticeable ring purses as
shown by the two on the far
left and the purse on the next
page.
http://www.bildindex.de/bilder/MI02344d09a.jpg
German Pouches / Purses
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Goldilocks Experiment for Leather Purses
Purses in Pieces seems to be the gold standard in
documentation for German-style purses. In the book, the
author states that the leather is goat . However, leather that
thin would seem to not hold its shape very well.
I have experimented with different types of hides to see what
works best. I call it the Goldilocks experiment. Making an entire
pouch out of cow hide resulted in a bag that was too stiff. It did
not look like the woodcut.
The purse that I made from deer hide looked more like the
woodcut, but the belt loop was too stretchy. It would likely not
last very long holding a weighted purse.
Finally, I made a pouch with a cow hide back for strength in the
belt look and a deer hide front which gave the pouch a more
authentic look.
This is the method I used for stitching the leather pouches.
ledermuseum.de
I sewed with waxed linen and two needles.
Purse #1: Simple Leather Purse with one Pouchlet
A leather purse with a single pouchlet is the most simple pattern for a leather pouch.
Materials - Cow hide for back, deer hide for pouchlet, waxed linen, rubber cement.
Tools - awl, needle. The awl is used for punching holes in leather before you hand-stitch the pieces together.
Note: Don't use glovers needles. They are very sharp and unnecessary.
All leather pouches are a variation on this theme. A good youtube video on leather stitching is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRxMHPs6kMw&feature=related
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1. Cut out your pattern pieces. In this example,
there is a back, front and one pouchlet.
2. Glue the pouchlet to the leather with rubber
cement to hold it into place.
3. Punch a hole through the leather with an awl
(one hole at a time).
4. Thread a piece of waxed linen with two
needles, one on either end.
5. Stitch through the holes in the leather.
6. Make your next hole with the awl. Sew the
thread through the hole twice, one needle
coming from one direction, the other needle
from the other direction.
7. Repeat the sewing steps above until the
pouchlet is attached to the bag.
8. Attach the pouch front to pouch back with
rubber cement.
9. Stitch the back to the front in the same method
as described above.
10. When the front and back are sewn together,
bend the belt loop forward and glue it in place.
11. Sew the belt loop in place.
12. Add a button to the bag.
13. Cut a hole in the "lid" for the button.
You have completed your German leather purse. Most simple purses can be made in this way, varying the number of
pouchlets on the front.
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Note that all patterns were drawn on 1inch grid pattern paper.
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Purse #2: Leather Purse with two Pouchlets
Materials: Cow hide, waxed linen, antler button.
Tools: Scissors, awl, needle, rubber cement.
The purse body for the leather purse with two pouchlets is
based on a finding shown on page 41 of Purse in Pieces. The
pieces for the leather purse with two pouchlets are as
follows:
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purse back - Cut one from cow leather.
purse front - Cut one from deer skin.
pouchlets - Cut two from deerskin.
pouch tab - Cut one from cow leather. This will form
your belt loop, so it needs to be from sturdy leather.
lacing - Cut 2 pieces 18" long x 3/8" wide for the
pouchlets. cut 1 piece 28" long x 3/8" wide.
Instructions:
1. Cut the lacing holes in the
pouch front and two
pouchlets.
2. Sew the pouchlets to the
pouch front.
3. Fold the tab extension in half
along the fold line and sew the
tab to the tab extension on
the pouch back. the tab
extension should be
sandwiched between the
folded tab.
4. Sew the pouch front to the
pouch back.
5. Thread the laces through the
lacing holes.
German Pouches / Purses
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German Pouches / Purses
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Purse #3: Leather Purse with three Pouchlets
This purse is made the same way as purse #2, except there are
three pouchlets. Use all the same pattern pieces except for
one new pattern.
The pattern for center pouchlet is the same as the pouchlet
used for Purse #2. The pouchlets used for the pouchlets on the
left and right of the center is a slightly different shape. It is
provided below.
This style of purse seems to be the most-often seen in the
German woodcuts.
Three-pouchlet leather pouch. Machine-sewn.
Purse #4: Round Velvet Purse
The round purse is simple construction but the amount of buttonholes is somewhat time consuming.
Cut the pattern pieces
1. Cut a circle of velvet and a circle of lining 21" in diameter.
2. Cut 1 circle of plastic canvas 4 1/4" for the middle.
3. Cut the pouches and lining.
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Prepare for Sewing
1. Fold the velvet in half.
2. Measure 3/4" from the edge and mark for eyelets.
3. Flip over and make eyelets mark on the other side.
4. Make eyelets in the bag.
Mark the center circle for the plastic purse bottom insert.
1. On the lining, find the center.
2. Mark around the plastic insert. You'll need this sewing line when you insert the plastic purse bottom later.
Sew together
1. Sew the two large circles together, wrong side to wrong side, leaving a gap wide enough for the plastic purse
bottom to fit through.
2. Turn and press.
3. Insert the piece of plastic canvas.
4. Sew around the plastic canvas to hold in place.
Make casing for drawstring
1. Sew around the edge 1/4" from the edge. Sew
around 1 1/4" from the edge.
Prepare the pouchlets
1. Sew the velvet and lining together, right sides to
right side, leaving a gap for turning.
2. Turn and press.
3. Slip stitch the opening closed.
4. Mark the top edge for eyelets for lacing.
5. Make the eyelets.
Sew the pouchlets to the purse
1. For whatever number of pouchlets you have,
measure on the body where you want them to
go.
2. Make two eyelets in the body for the
drawstrings for each pouchlet.
3. Pin the pouchlets to the purse.
4. Sew in place.
Thread the drawstrings through the pouchlets and the
purse.
You're done!
German Pouches / Purses
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Purse #3: Smocked Bag on a Frame
Woodcuts show smocked bags, just as you would see in the collars and cuffs of German shirts. On page 56, Purses in
Pieces contains a drawing of a smocked leather purse from Collection Gemeente Amsterdam. I have made my purse
from cotton velvet.
Materials - Purse frame (half round, square), velvet, lining, thread
Tools - Pins, scissors, needle
1. Determine the width of fabric that you need
to gather into a smocked body in the final
purse.
2. Cut a purse body.
3. On the back side, make a series of dots that
you with gather.
4. Gather the pleats together.
5. Use smocking stitches to make a pattern on
the pleats OR just use a backstitch to hold the
pleats in place.
6. Prepare your pouchlets.
7. Make two eyelets for each pouchlet on the
purse body.
8. Add the pouchlets.
9. Line the front and back pieces with lining.
10. Sew the right sides to right side, leaving a gap
for turning.
11. Turn and press.
12. Sew the front and back together leaving the
top open for the purse.
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13. Insert the purse frame.
14. Sew the bag to the purse frame.
15. Sew a loop on the back of the purse and
you're done!
Please note that you should always adjust the pattern to fit the frame that you are using.
Think of the pattern in this handout as a guideline. Experiment with the construction before you commit to
expensive fabric.
Construction Notes:
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This pattern is for a 5" purse frame.
You can wait to cut the lining until you've already smocked the body of the purse. Use the smocked body
piece as a pattern for your lining.
I have not marked the eyelets on the pouchlet for this purse because it is up to you how many you want to
make. I have made 6 eyelets on the top of pouchlet.
Teaching smocking is outside the scope of this class, however, there are many good online tutorials. Google
"how to smock" and you'll find them. Youtube videos are also a good source.
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Bibliography
1. Anonymous. Augsburger
Monatsbilder paintings. 1530.
2. Geisbert, Max. The German
Single-Leaf Woodcut, 1500-1550
(4 Volume Set). Hacker Art Books;
Revised Ed edition, June 1974.
3. Goubitz, Olaf. Purses in Pieces.
Stichting Promotie Archaeologie,
2009.
4. Kurth, William, Albrecht Durer,
Campbell Dodgson. The Complete
Woodcuts of Albrecht Durer.
Dover Publications, June 1, 1963).
5. Rublack, Ulinka. Dressing Up:
Cultural Identity in Renaissance
Europe. Oxford University Press,
2010.
Sources
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Purse Frames. http://www.umx.info/purse-frame-s.htm
Cow Hide. Thurmont Discount Fabrics. 108 North Carroll Street Thurmont, MD 21788. (301) 271-2266.
http://www.discountfabricsusacorp.com/
Deer Leather. Kentucky Leather & Hides. 9210 Sonora Road, Sonora, Kentucky 42776. (270) 369-8474.
www.kyleatherandhide.com
Tools. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/
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