Mummy, I'm rich! - How to make a Hello Kitty coin purse

There's something about Hello Kitty that appeals to many little, and big, girls, including Angel.

From jackets, dresses, bags, shoes to stuffed toys, stationery and hair accessories, you name it, she's got it. Yeah, Kitty (Angel's pet name for it) seems to be her best friend on most days and she can never resist this I-have-no-mouth-but-I-am-just-so-cute cat.

Recently, Angel also developed a liking for coins. Maybe because she discovered they could be used to buy more Hello Kitty stuff? She keeps a handful of coins in her toy cashier and loves to take them out one by one, pretending to count them and use them to buy "groceries" in her make-believe supermarket.

So, I decided it would make her thrilled if she could have her own personalised Hello Kitty purse, one in which she could keep her coins, carry with her and make her feel like the richest kid in the entire universe.

See, you like it? I did it in a couple of hours once the inspiration hit me. What pleasantly surprised me was that when she saw the letters A-n-g-e-l, she shouted "My name, my name!". Yes darling, it's a purse meant for you and you only. And guess what? It has your favourite Hello Kitty on it.

If you are keen, learn to make this little coin purse here!

What you need:

1) 2 x felt squares of length 12cm (or fabric of your choice)
2) Zipper 10cm
3) Hello Kitty iron-on motif
4) Scissors/ design knife
5) Small piece of felt for the name
6) Sewing threads of matching colours/needles and basic sewing equipment

Firstly, using the small piece of felt, cut out letters of the alphabet that you wish to put onto the purse. You can use a sharp scissors and/or a design knife.

Hand sew each letter, using a matching thread colour, neatly onto the felt using the hand applique stitch.

Iron the motif onto the fabric in the desired position. Tip: Place a damp cloth on top of the motif, iron for 1-min applying pressure, then iron on the underside for another minute.

Cut rounded edges at the bottom corners of the squares. For mine, I measured, drew with chalk and cut to make one rounded corner, then used it as a template for the remaining three to ensure symmetry. Now, we are ready to sew together the front and back pieces of our purse!

Fold 10mm inwards at the top of the front piece and position it onto the zipper, just below the opening. Tack along the midway line of the fold to ensure a neat, straight line when sewing.

Using a sewing machine, sew a straight stitch line 2mm away from the zipper opening. Remove the tacking. Repeat both steps for the back piece.

Next, fold the front and back pieces such that they are facing each other and inside out. Pin them neatly together. Sew, leaving a 3mm border, around the purse except the opening. Tip: Ensure that your zipper is half opened before sewing.

Once done, turn the purse right side out through the zipper opening and ta-dah! You have just made your first ever personalised coin purse!

The one thing that motivates me in making craft is seeing the look of sheer joy on Angel's face and knowing that it was brought about by a handmade gift of love. So, she immediately put her coins into the purse, zipped it up, held it close to her and treated it like a gem. Well, at least for the first half an hour, before she forgot about it and ran away. Kids, whaddaya expect.

Nonetheless, hope you loved the present, my dear!

For more craft ideas and DIY tutorials, visit my gallery here.