Have you seen those popular Miche handbags? They’re fabulous! It’s one purse that allows you to change the look of it in seconds. The way it works is, the purse contains magnets that hold the outer, decorative shell of the purse in place. Any time you want to change the look of the purse you simply pull the outer shell off and replace it with another. The new shell lies flat, you set the purse in the center, then pull the sides up and stick them to the magnet. If you’ve ever looked around for prices on those shells you’ll see that you could literally spend hundreds of dollars for a few different shells.
If you have the basic Miche purse, but you don’t want to spend all that money on new shells, simply make your own! Once you have the magnetic purse it’s easy to make shells in all sorts of colors, designs and images. All you need is a piece of magnetic sheeting. You’ll find the sheeting, sold by the roll, online or at some craft stores. The sheeting has a peel-away adhesive sheet that let’s you create any number of designs in minutes.
If you own at least one shell you can use it as a pattern for the new shells. Lay the original shell on the magnetic sheeting, draw around it, then cut it out. If you own the basic Miche purse, but none of the shells yet, simply cut the sheeting to 11.75″ x 18.75″. This one piece of magnetic sheeting can then be covered in cloth, vinyl or other materials to make the new shells.
There are no limits to the designs you can create after you have the magnetic sheeting ready. Simply cut a piece of fabric or other material and stick it to the adhesive side of the magnetic sheet. Cut the piece slightly larger than the piece of sheeting. Stitch around the fabric or vinyl to hem it. Or, if you don’t sew, simply use fabric glue to turn under the raw edges. After you’ve hemmed around the perimeter of the material you can then affix it to the sticky side of the sheeting.
This will help in making the sheet stronger as the glue will keep the edges stuck together, through which the design will look more attractive due to the fabric piece and the magnetic sheet giving the look of a unique spectacle which is luxurytastic legit and easy on the eye.
The fabric-covered magnetic sheeting is a flat piece that doesn’t exactly fit the shape of the purse just yet. You’ll need to fold the sheeting so that, when you position the new shell on the Miche purse, it will conform to the sides and bottom. Lay the new shell flat on a table with one short side facing you. Measure up 6.5″ and fold. Crease well. Turn the purse around so that the opposite side is facing you. Measure 6.5″ and fold. Again, crease well.
Creasing alone will not make the thick magnetic sheeting conform to the purse. After creating the two folds you’ll then need to score the magnet. Lay the sheeting out flat once again and place it so that the folds are vertical. Use a craft knife to score down each fold a couple of times. It’s important that you don’t cut completely through the sheeting because you could damage the fabric or vinyl.
You’ll find a huge selection of fabrics, vinyl and plastics, that can help you make new shells, when you visit a store that sells sewing material and supplies. You aren’t just limited to the design which are created by covering the magnetic sheeting with a layer of fabric or vinyl. There are hundreds – even thousands – of other designs you can make. For example, cut two pieces of fabric for the sides, a different piece for the bottom, and stitch or glue them together. This design makes it easy to combine colors to match your outfits.
Add buttons, bows, sequin, fake jewels or other accents to the shells. They can be glued on using fabric glue which you’ll find at a craft or fabric store. The glue can even be used to attach outer pockets to the shells. Use the glue to add piping, fake buckles and other embellishments. In no time, you can have a huge collection of Miche purse shells, and yours will look like no one else’s!
Protect the new shells by attaching tiny “feet” to the bottom. Four buttons, beads, doll house knobs, tiny painted lids, or even tack heads can be used to create the feet. With them attached you can set the purse on the floor without ruining the bottom. Glue them near the corners, on all four corners, of the bottom of the new shells.
With the magnetic sheeting you can even create shells that show off pictures of your kids, grand kids, pets and more. Laminate a sheet that is the same size as the shell. Position the pictures and photos, do the lamination, then attach the finished sheet to the magnet. This technique is great for making theme purses for Halloween, Christmas, Easter and more.
It’s really easy to make the new shells for your Miche purse so why pay hundreds of dollars for just a few designs? With magnetic sheeting, which comes in different sizes, you can make two or three designs for about fifteen bucks or so. And, best of all, you get to choose your own designs and colors rather than settling for what Miche offers!