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Culinary

What is a Duct Tape Purse?

By S. Gonzales
Updated May 17, 2024
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A duct tape purse is a fashionable, do-it-yourself clothing accessory. Like the name implies, it is a handbag made out of duct tape. Many of the supplies required to create a duct tape purse are inexpensive and can be readily found around the home.

Making your own duct tape purse is easy. First, you have to gather your materials. Get scissors or a utility knife, a flat surface, a ruler and some duct tape. Duct tape comes in a variety of colors aside from the standard gray staple that's found in many hardware stores. Look for bright, cheery colors.

Set the piece of paper on a flat surface. Measure out eight 16-inch (40.64 cm) strips. For each strip, find another and stick the two together. You should end up with a flat duct tape sheet that is 16 inches (40.64 cm) wide and has a height of four duct tape strips.

Next, decide what shape you'd like your duct tape purse to be. Cut your preferred shape out of the duct tape sheet, making sure to keep the shape symmetrical for both sides. Keep the shape connected and avoid cutting sides of the purse separately. You should be left with one duct tape sheet now in the desired shape of your purse.

Bend the front of your purse to meet its back. Get two 6 1/2-inch strips (16.5 cm) of duct tape from your duct tape roll. Place each on a side of the purse so that it covers the longest openings of it. Get two 2-inch (5.1 cm) duct tape pieces. Put them along the purse's bottom edge so that they touch.

Cut the pieces you just attached to the purse's bottom in half. Get as close to the bottom of the purse as possible, and aim to make them look like tabs. Stand your purse up on a flat surface. Hold your entire purse so that it mimics the shape of the purse's bottom. Fold the tabs up onto the purse's bottom.

Retrieve an 11-inch (27.9 cm) strip of duct tape. Wrap it around the bottom of the duct tape purse so that it covers the uneven appearance of the tabs. You can use the same color of duct tape for this process or different on to give your purse a different accent.

Measure out and cut a piece of duct tape in the color of your choosing for a strap. It can be as long or as short as you desire. Once you've cut it, fold it in half so that no sticky edges remain.

Finally, get two 2-inch (5.1 cm) pieces of tape. Place your strap into the interior of the bag so that the strap is against its sides. Fasten the strap ends with the pieces of tape to ensure that the straps will not break away from the purse during use.

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Discussion Comments

By Wisedly33 — On Aug 25, 2014

@Scrbblchick -- I might pay $15 or even $20 for a well done version, but not $50. No way. I wouldn't buy one for myself, but I do have some friends who would think a duct tape purse is wonderful.

I knew a couple of guys in college who made duct tape wallets and carried them. They did a good job on them and said one wallet would last at least a year. They also said the wallets stayed in their back pockets easier than a leather wallet. I always thought they looked a little odd, but they were effective at what they did.

By Scrbblchick — On Aug 25, 2014

Duct tape purses are fairly common at craft fairs. I've seen them for sale for outrageous prices, considering the cost of the materials.

I was at this street fair and there was a huge crowd at one booth. I stopped to see what was going on, and people were watching a woman make a duct tape purse! I think it took her about 30 minutes to make it. She was selling them like hotcakes -- especially the ones made from camouflage duct tape. She wanted $50 apiece for them, and people were paying it! I couldn't believe it. There's a sucker born every minute, I guess.

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