The Quilted Handbag - A Purse of Many Stitches
You have Coco Chanel to thank for the quilted handbag she debuted back in the mid 1950s to wide acclaim. Now, many designers have created their own versions of it in a variety of colors, sizes, materials and even stitch patterns. Of course, a quilted handbag is also open to interpretation as it could refer solely to the stitching used on the handbag or it could be a combination of the stitching as well as the fabric.
When you think of a quilt, you probably think of a variety of different material scraps sewn together using special stitching into a specific pattern. Well, there are versions of the quilted handbag that resemble this concept just as there are handbags which are made of leather or some other strong material that is stitched up in a particular pattern.
Defining the Quilt Stitch
The basic quilt handbag consists of a several layers of fabric or some type of materials which are sewn together using a patterned stitch. It is the pattern of the stitch that makes a purse unique first, and then the type of material used to create it. You will discover that the tighter the stitch is on the quilted handbag, the higher the quality of it because of its increased durability and less chance of any stitches unraveling.
Your Options
While there are a variety of different materials you can expect to find in a purse, the two most popular options are cotton and leather. The cotton quilted handbag is more casual and reminiscent of the old fashioned quilting, using different scraps of materials sewn together with a common thread.
The leather option requires a tougher sewing machine which obviously the famous designers have access to through manufacturing plants. The leather material provides a sharper, more define stitching pattern that many people either love or hate. Of course, your preference would guide your decision when purchasing a quilted handbag.
The cotton quilted handbag lends itself to more charming touches and enhancements like ribbon, specialty materials, button enclosures, Velcro and more. However, with the higher end leather, the little extras are usually gold or silver tone enclosures and straps, zippers and even odd pockets to store things in.
The quilted handbag could be in the form of a clutch style purse, a hobo bag, a barrel shaped model or even a large tote size bag. No matter what the style is, you will want to inspect the stitching to ensure that the stitches are small and tightly placed so as to avoid any unraveling later on.