Miser Type Purses

While getting ready for the local, Genesee Valley Sew Along making pin balls, the topic of Miser’s Purses came up. Thinking this might be a nice Sew Along project, I started poking around.

Lady’s magazines and needle-work books from the first half of the 19th century were filled with illustrations and directions for miser’s purses, aka crochet purses, stocking purses, ring purses, long purses (or, so I thought.) I was saving directions/image combinations and pinning away, when I came across this goodie: A Thesis on Miser’s Purses: THE UBIQUITOUS MISER’S PURSE**, by Laura L. Camerlengo 2010. Squeee! (**Link updated to go to the abstract rather than the pdf that stopped working. Click on the second file, the PDF.)

Read, read, read folks!

I couldn’t possibly touch what Laura did in information collecting for a simple Sew Along option. Here is a dabbling of the image & directions I put together before finding the thesis.

Of course, the question is…. Do we want to do this as a sew along??? (I’ll confess, I am awful at following crochet directions.)

2016a

2016b

2016d

2016c

This last one, is technically not a “miser’s purse” per the perimeters in the above thesis. It is a very interesting purse though. (I may have to try to make it.)

2016e

An example at the MFA.

Additional Directions:

Long Purse in Crochet
Purse in Crochet Beadwork (page 112 5 pages of directions)

Additional Reads:

Published in:

SEW ALONGS

on December 14, 2015 at 4:30 pm Comments (5)

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5 CommentsLeave a comment

On December 14, 2015 at 4:49 pm Geri Royer said:

I have instructions for a simple knitted one, I think. While I would love to have one, I don’t think I’d ever get it finished. I’m very slow with crocheting and even slower with knitting.
On December 14, 2015 at 5:09 pm Anna Worden Bauersmith said:

Does that make it a good or bad candidate?
My chalenge is not knowing how to read crochet directions well.
On December 14, 2015 at 6:26 pm Jackie said:

Actually, I do crochet. The catch here is going to be using a very thin thread, probably a size 30 or smaller, and a small steel hook. The actual instructions are pretty easy, beginner to intermediate. I’d say the size of materials kicks it to intermediate or expert level.
On December 14, 2015 at 7:50 pm Darline DeMott said:

Thanks for sharing Laura’s research, I will read it! I flipped to the end and looked at the photos, there is one in velvet with beadwork. Maybe I could do that one, but not crochet or knit (I seem to come up with 10 thumbs when attempting…)
On December 16, 2015 at 5:42 pm Amanda Liskey said:

Sounds interesting. Beginner myself.