Chica and Jo Chica and Jo

DIY tutorials, party ideas, recipes, crafts, and tips for everyday life

Chica and Jo Chica and Jo

DIY tutorials, party ideas, recipes, crafts, and tips for everyday life

Chica and Jo Chica and Jo Facebook TikTok Pinterest Instagram

DIY Retro Rotary Phone Purse

by: Chica
This page may contain affiliate links and we may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking them. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
DIY Retro Rotary Phone Purse
Facebook Pinterest Email
share it

I still have a vintage black rotary phone in my home, and I love it. It is fully functional, has the most amazing ring ever, and is a definite conversation piece with visitors. Adults wax nostalgic when they see it and kids are delighted and amazed that it's even a phone.

how to make a purse from a retro rotary phone

Jo and I were brainstorming a while ago about these old phones and wondering if we could upcycle one into something new and functional. I'm not exactly sure how we ended up there, but we decided it would make a great starting point for a charming, retro purse. Sound too crazy to work? Well, take a look... what do you think?

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

So chic, right? If you want to make your own, keep on reading, because I've got a full tutorial for you!

Salvaging rotary phone parts

First, let me assure you that I did not damage my working telephone. Instead, I sought out parts from another phone that didn't work. You can find vintage rotary phones on eBay or sometimes at local flea markets. Save yourself some money and buy one that doesn't work, because the only parts you'll need to make this purse are the handset, cord, and dial mechanism. You'll also need a 6" x 3" rectangular kiss clasp for the purse closure.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Download and print the pattern

To make it easy for you to follow along with making your own retro phone purse, download our free Rotary Phone Purse Pattern and print it onto regular paper.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

The first four pages are for the main shell of the purse. Cut out each piece and tape them together where indicated to make one large pattern.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Cut the fabric and cardboard

For the outer shell of your purse, we recommend you choose a really sturdy fabric. I used a fairly stiff, black vinyl that had a white fuzzy back. You want something with enough body so that the purse will hold its shape. You also want something that will not fray on the cut edges.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Use the template you just assembled to cut out a piece of the vinyl for your outer shell. Do NOT cut out the circle in the middle — rather just trace it onto the back of the vinyl with a marker.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Use the template one more time to cut another piece out of a coordinating fabric for your purse lining. I used a houndstooth-print satin. (You do not need to draw the circle on the lining piece.) You should now have two pieces cut — one of vinyl and one of the lining.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Next, cut out your two circle patterns and trace them on cardboard. I suggest that you not use corrugated cardboard here, because it bends too easily. Instead, choose chipboard or other stiff cardboard that won't bend.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Cut the circles out and take a moment to label them #1 and #2 (match them up with the numbers on the patterns) so that you won't get them mixed up later. They may look identical, but one is slightly larger than the other so you'll want to keep them straight.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Test fit before assembling

Before you start assembling the purse, it's a good idea to do a quick check to make sure your pieces are going to work together. Put your clasp on the top edge of the vinyl and make sure that the edges line up. The sides of the fabric will flare out wider than the clasp, but that's required to give the purse a big enough opening to be usable.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Also take circle #1 and put it on top of the dial mechanism. It should fit right into place and rest on the edge without falling down to the table.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Add the dial to the front of the purse

Grab your hot glue gun and put a line of glue on the back of the vinyl, all around the circle you drew, about 1/2" on the outside. Then press cardboard circle #1 in place, lining up the inside of the cardboard with the circle drawn on the fabric.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Put a self-healing cutting mat on your table and and use a craft knife to cut lines from the edges to the center of the circle, every 3/4" or so, until you end up with a sort of starburst series of cuts.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Fold each point of your star back and glue down with some hot glue.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

When the glue has cooled, use scissors to trim off the excess vinyl from each point.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Flip the whole piece over and stick the dial mechanism into the hole you just created. The dial should fit very snug and tight. Press down with your fingers all the way around to be sure you have a good fit.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Flip the piece back over and put a really thick ring of hot glue on the cardboard circle, all the way around. Grab cardboard circle #2 and lay it on top.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Press the two cardboard circles together really well and make sure they are stuck together all the way around. This is what's going to keep the dial from falling out of the hole, so you want to make sure you've got it good and secure. Pinch and press and let the glue cool completely before continuing.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Sew the bag's outer shell

With the dial in place, it's time to start sewing up the bag. Fold the outer shell fabric in half, right sides together, and line up the top edge. Use the sewing machine to sew up each side, from the point at the bottom right up to the top of the notch on the side.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Now grab one of the bottom corners of the bag and pinch it into a triangle.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Flatten it so that the seam runs right down the middle, then measure 3" from the point and mark a line.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Sew a row of stitches across the piece at the mark. Repeat the same on the other corner, resulting in a nice flat, rectangular bottom on your bag.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Use scissors to cut away the triangular portion of the points (on both sides) to get rid of the excess material.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Flip the bag right side out

Hey, it's coming right along! Unfortunately, the bag is inside out at this point.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

And even more unfortunately, it's going to be an absolute bear to flip right side out again, especially if you used a really stiff vinyl. Stick with it, though, and be patient. The dial WILL fit through the hole, you just need to move slowly and carefully so that you don't rip any of your seams.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

When you've finally got it flipped (and rewarded yourself accordingly for completing such a feat) you'll see that the shell of the bag is pretty much done.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Adding the lining

Time to pretty up the inside of the bag with a lining. Grab your lining fabric, fold it so that the right sides are together, and sew up the sides just like you did for the vinyl. Then flip it inside out so that the pretty side of the fabric is on the outside.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

To create a stable bottom, cut a piece of cardboard to 9-1/4" x 2-1/4" and stick it down inside the lining.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Arrange the cardboard inside the lining and hold it so that it's flat on the bottom. You'll see that each side has a point of fabric sticking out that looks a lot like the points you formed in the vinyl earlier.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Hold one of the points in place and use your sewing machine to tack it down with about an inch of stitches, making sure to go right through the cardboard. This may seem weird, but this is going to help us secure the bottom of the lining to the bottom of the bag in a minute, so trust me. Repeat for the other side.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Flip the lining inside out (so that the pretty side of the fabric is on the inside), revealing the cardboard on the bottom.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Put a bunch of hot glue on the bottom of the cardboard...

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

... then quickly and carefully shove it down into the vinyl shell of the purse.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Line up the cardboard on the bottom as well as you can, and use your hand to press it down in place. Like I said before, this will keep the bottom of the lining on the bottom of the bag, so that it doesn't come out with your wallet every time! When you've got it secure, you'll see that the top edges of the lining should line up with the top edges of the vinyl.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Those top edges don't really want to stick together, though, especially if you used a really lightweight or silky lining material. To make it easier to work with, put a tiny bit of hot glue around the edge of the vinyl and press the lining in place. This will really help a LOT when it comes time to add the clasp.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Attaching the clasp

The shell is attached to the clasp using glue, believe it or not. In particular, I used Gutermann glue, which is an amazing fabric glue that seems to be the standard choice among crafters who make purses. It sure did the job for us! Remembering that a little goes a long way, put some glue all down the channel of just ONE side of the clasp.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Then gather up all that patience you used earlier when flipping the shell inside out because you're going to need it again. Carefully work the edges of the purse shell up into the glued side of the clasp, optionally using clothespins to help you hold it in place.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

I also found that a half of a clothespin made a great tool for pushing the fabric up into the channel.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

When you've got one side of the purse in the clasp, let it dry completely before attempting to do the other side. I learned this lesson the hard way! It's very frustrating if you rush it and everything falls apart on you. When both sides are finished, you should have a nice puckered shell.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

I'm amazed by how well this glue holds and by how cute the purse looks with the clasp on!

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Attach the handle

All that's left is to add the handle, which is probably the most clever part of this bag. Start by unscrewing the caps on each end of the phone handset and feed a piece of thin black ribbon through the center hole on each cap.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Tie a knot in the ribbon and then pull it down tight.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Once you have a ribbon through each cap, you can screw them back onto the handset.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

To attach the handset to the phone, feed one of the ribbons under the hinge on the clasp and pull it back out to the side.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

With the purse and handset on the table, pull the ribbon until you have the length exactly how you want it for your purse handle, then tie it in a good knot.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Trim the excess ribbon and repeat the process on the other side, doing your best to keep the lengths even.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

To cover that ribbon and add to the authentic corded phone look, cut two pieces of the coiled cord to the length of your ribbon.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Then feed each coil of cord onto one of the ribbons by looping the end around and turning it until it corkscrews its way onto the ribbon, hiding it from view.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

The ribbon will support the weight of the purse but the coil will make it look authentic, without having to worry about it stretching out of shape.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

The finished phone purse

And just like that, you've got yourself a retro purse made from a vintage rotary phone!

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

My favorite part is the fact that the dial still works. I get nostalgic every time I hear the familiar sound it makes when I dial a number.

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

Just try and walk down the street with this purse in your hand and not get a comment or two!

Make a DIY retro rotary phone purse

DIY Retro Rotary Phone Purse
Facebook Pinterest Email
share it

21 comments so far:

  • 1
    Cindy G 01/04/2012 at 9:02 pm

    I love this! Sadly, money is tight right now and I can't splurge on the kit. So, I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for and old phone (I had one in my kitchen but I gave it away... silly me...) and a decent deal on a purse frame. I've bookmarked the tutorial for the day when all of the parts are in hand. Thanks for sharing such a neat idea!

  • 2
    tute-bot 01/05/2012 at 12:03 am

    This is such a cute idea! Just recently I was at an antique store and my niece who is 10 saw a rotary phone for the first time. She tried dialing her phone number and couldn't believe how long it took.

  • 3
    Pam 01/05/2012 at 9:23 am

    That's so weird... I recently ran across an old phone cord and had decided I was going to make a purse strap out of it! What a clever idea to use the whole phone!

  • 4
    niza 01/05/2012 at 5:40 pm

    Woow, loved it. thank you so much ill try to get an old phone and du the same. Thank you for shareing

  • 5
    Kristine 01/05/2012 at 6:53 pm

    Thank you for such a clever Tutorial!!
    This is the niftiest thing I've seen in a long while.
    Kristine :)

  • 6
    Jessenia 01/05/2012 at 9:28 pm

    Wow that is amazing. How you guys come up with these ideas, i will never know. This is very trendy and unique

  • 7
    Amy 01/06/2012 at 5:32 am

    This was a great idea of mine, to make this on my day off. I then went to pick the kids up from kindergarden and another parent said that she called my phone and i didn't answer, I then looked to my purse and realised that I no longer had a house phone. Thanks Chica and Jo!

  • 8
    Harrison~ 01/06/2012 at 5:36 am

    Oh what a lovely idea! Definately need to make this when I get home from a boring day at the office! I was going to make one out of my mobile phone but I realised this would not work as I actually need to use my phone!
    Chica and Jo, thankyou for inspiring me to make this!

  • 9
    Chica 01/06/2012 at 7:17 am

    So glad you all love this project!

    Cindy, you never know when you'll find an old phone. I actually found my working one in a pile of stuff headed for the neighbor's trash, but then when I went to find a broken one for the phone, it took me forever to find one that didn't cost an arm and a leg. That's why we wanted to be sure to offer the kit in our store for you guys, to save the hassle of trying to find the parts.

    Jessenia, I still can't remember how we came up with this idea. When Jo and I get our brains going, we end up thinking of such unusual things sometimes :)

    Amy and Harrison, with all the mobile phones nowadays, I suspect in another generation or two, people won't even recognize this as a phone. In fact, just last week, my friend's 11-yr-old daughter heard a busy signal on the phone for the first time and had to ask her dad was it was!

  • 10
    spikkelenstip 01/06/2012 at 5:25 pm

    Absolutely love this!

  • 11
    Lisa 01/14/2012 at 5:20 am

    I love this! So quirky and unique. I shall be keeping my eyes peeled for old phone parts

  • 12
    Debbie 01/20/2012 at 11:26 pm

    SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!! I love this and can not wait to make it. I am now on the look out at my local thrift store for old phones. Love, love, love that the rotary part of it still works. Great idea, thanks!

  • 13
    Anne Dial 01/21/2012 at 11:59 am

    This is the Coolest purse..My Daughter in Law would Love this <3

  • 14
    Isabel 07/08/2012 at 10:01 am

    Hello

    Iwas long been looking for something.
    'm Glad I've found this.
    And with so 'n clear explanation thank you very much
    Sorry my English is not so good hope you understand.
    I've just started cutting the pattern, now have to wait until I find a phone maybe in the cycle shop
    Thanx again

  • 15
    Chica 07/08/2012 at 8:53 pm

    Thanks for your comments, Isabel. Here's hoping you find a phone soon!

  • 16
    Karen 09/04/2012 at 6:06 pm

    Cute as can be--I have old phone parts and I am going to start this in the next few days. This is so novel and I can't wait to get comments once it is done. Directions look very thorough. Thanks so much.

  • 17
    Anood 04/04/2013 at 8:47 am

    I want to buy this retro phone bag, is it possible?!!

  • 18
    Chica 04/08/2013 at 7:49 pm

    Sorry Anood, but we are not currently selling copies of this bag.

  • 19
    barb tripi 10/24/2013 at 3:27 pm

    please tell me where to buy the kit, i have tried amazon with no luck

  • 20
    Chica 10/27/2013 at 9:18 am

    Barb, finding an old rotary phone to use for parts can be quite tricky, but there are lots of vintage rotary phones on eBay. Save yourself some money and buy one that doesn't work, since you're going to take it apart anyway. You can also might get lucky at a yard sale or Goodwill. You can find lots of great 6" x 3" purse clasps on Etsy.

  • 21
    Janie 09/23/2017 at 2:47 pm

    Thank you so so much for sharing I'm gonna start looking for a phone.

leave a comment:

submit comment

Chica and Jo

Hi there! We are Chica and Jo, best friends who love to create whenever we can. From fun DIY projects to elaborate parties to delicious recipes, you're sure to find ideas that will inspire you. Take a look around and follow us @chicaandjo to see what we're up to today.

shop our Amazon store
shop our Etsy store
buy us a cup of coffee

want to support us?

buy us a cup of coffee
Please visit Chica and Jo at http://www.chicaandjo.com for more DIY projects and clever ideas!