Last fall I picked up a sashiko slide clasp purse kit from a vendor at International Quilt Festival. (That link takes you to the same kit available from an Etsy seller.) I thought it looked like a cute project, but what sold it was the slide clasp — I hadn’t seen a clasp/bag closure like it before! There’s a magnetic snap that slides along two metal bars which are attached to the top of the bag. When the snap is at the bottom, it holds the bars together and thus keeps the bag closed. Slide the snap up to the top and you can pull the bars apart to open the bag. Nifty!
I did all of the sashiko stitching shortly after buying the kit. I knew I only needed an hour or so to finish it off, but somehow never got around to doing that — so I added it to my list of UFOs for the 2025 UFO Challenge hosted by my guildmate Jandi Dean.
Motivation finally found me last weekend, and I was able to finish the purse! As a smaller bag, I think it will be great to corral items like chapstick and advil in a larger bag, or to organize charging cords and earbuds when I travel.
I’m happy to have another UFO completed from my 2025 list — two down, four to go!
