Coin Purse

or

Miser's Purse

A coin purse, also commonly called a Miser’s purse, was quite common and very fashionable at during the Victorian era.  Purses like this were easy to make and practical as well as beautiful which made them a favorite of Victorian women.

The instructions below were found in Lessons in Embroidery, 1899, published by Brainerd & Armstrong. They has been edited for this site.

Some items noted in the instructions may no longer be available. It will be up to the crocheter to substitute appropriate materials.

Making the Purse

Required materials for Coin Purse: One spool Corticelli or Brainerd & Armstrong Purse Twist; 1 Steel Crochet Hook, No. 10; 1 Brass or 1 Ivory Ring, 1 in. in diameter.

Abbreviations: Ch. means Chain; s. c. means Single Crochet; d. c. means Double Crochet; * sign of repetition.

This coin purse is worked up and down.

Ch. 112.

1st row — Make 1 d. c. in 5th stitch of chain, ch. 1, skip 1 chain, 1 d. c. in next chain, ch. 1, so on until you have 29 d. c. You will then have 50 chain left. Join the end of this chain to ring by the end you have left in beginning. Proceed by making a ch. of 50, join to ring.

2d row — Ch. 50, then put a d. c. on top, of 1st d. c. in 1st row, ch. 1, so proceed until you come to end of row. Finish by putting d. c. in ch. of 4, chain 4 and turn.

3d row — One d. c. on top of 1st d. c., ch. 1, so on to end of row, ch. 50, join to ring. Repeat 2d and 3d rows until you have 15 rows.

At the end of the 15th row (which will be toward the ring) ch. 25 for flap, turn, put 1 d. c. in 5th ch., ch. 1, skip 1 ch., 1 d. c. in next ch., ch. 1, so proceed until you have 10 d. c.

Turn this row over and pass spool between 1st and 2d ch. attached to ring, also take needle out of work and put it in stitch after passing between the chains.

Proceed on purse as before until you reach the chains, when you pass needle and spool between 2d and 3d chain; crochet down and back on flap and pass spool and needle between 3d and 4th chain, so on until you have completed the 15th row on this side.

This row will finish at bottom, ch. 1 and join up side with s. c. in each space, do s. c. down the side of flap, put 5 s. c. in corner, 3 s. c. in next space, 2 s. c. in next, so on across the flap; 5 s. c. in corner, put s. c. up side of flap and down side of purse; then join bottom putting 5 s. c. in corner and 3 and 2 in spaces.

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