Clutch bags are on trend. Like, REALLY on trend and the good news about this is that you can totally make your own easily and quickly thanks to this pattern and method by sewing blogger supreme Love Me Sew. Happy fashion DIY-ing...
YOU NEED:
- Fabric for your outer (here we've used Riley Blake's Promenade Yellow Floral)
- Fabric for your lining (here we've used Riley Blake's Promenade Yellow Flower)
- 50cm Coordinating Trim (here I've used ric rac...love a bit o' ric rac!)
- Wadding (19″ x 10″)
- Small piece of coordinating ribbon
- Coordinating thread
- Matching Button
- Chalk
- Scissors
- Sewing machine, pins and needles
- Iron
THE METHOD
1. Cut out your pieces
- From both your outer fabric and lining fabric, cut a rectangle 19 inches x 10 inches.
- From your wadding, cut three pieces of the following sizes: 9″ x 5.5″, 9″ x 6″, 9″ x 4.5″
2. Shape your bag top
- Miss this step if you wish to keep the flap of your bag straight. However if you wish to shape it into a curve like mine or another shape (scalloped for example)...
- Fold you outer fabric length ways, right sides together.
- On one end of the rectangle – this is the bit that is going to fold over to make your bag flap – using chalk, draw a semi circle on the corners to curve your edges. Pin and cut.
3. Attach your wadding to the fabric
- On the wrong side of your outer fabric, measure up from the bottom of the rectangle 6.5″ and make a small chalk mark.
- From this mark, measure up another 7″, mark.
- Repeat on the other edge of the fabric and draw faint chalk lines across so the rectangle has three sections.
- Repeat these marks, lightly, on the right side of your lining fabric – you will need these later!
- Position your wadding on the wrong side of your outer fabric so that: the medium size piece (9″ x 5.5) is in the bottom section, the larger piece of wadding (9″ x 6″) is in the middle section, and the smaller piece (9″ x 4.5″) is in the top section.
- Depending on the shape of your bag top, cut the wadding to match.
- Pin and tack the wadding to the fabric.
4. Attach your trim to the bag top
- On the right side of your outer fabric, measure from the top 5.5″ down, make a small mark on either side of the fabric; on either side of the bag top.
- Starting from one of these marks, approximately, 1/4″ from the edge, pin your trim around the edge of the bag top until you meet the other mark.
- The ends of the trim need to hang over the edge of the fabric – this is so they are tucked into the bag top when you sew the outer fabric to the lining
5. Attach your button loop
- Fold your ribbon (that is going to make the button loop) in half and pin to the centre of the bag top – on the right side of the fabric.
- Stitch in place.
6. Sew your bag outer and lining together
- With right sides togther, lay your lining on top of your outer fabric and wadding, so the sides and top match up. Pin
- Starting at the bottom of that bag, with lining side up, sew all around the edge of the bag.
- When you get close to where you started sewing, stop about 2 inches before the end – so you have a gap for turning the bag the correct way round. Stay stitch at the start and end.
- Turn the bag the correct way round through the little gap that you left open at the bottom of the bag. Poke the corners out with a pencil, and press.
7. Top stitch the edge of the bag
One the short straight edge of your bag (the edge with the gap), top stitch close to the edge, ensuring to close your gap.
8. Make the bag!
- Using the 'spaces' in the wadding as a guide, fold the bottom of the bag up to meet the middle – the chalk marks you made on the lining fabric in Step 3 will come in handy as a guide also to where the folds should be.
Pin – the bag top should fold neatly over the [now pinned] bag pouch.
- Starting on the top right side of the pouch, top stitch all around the edge of the pouch until you reach the top left side.
9. Final touches – sewing on the button
- Fold your bag flap over the pouch so the bag is closed, and mark a small chalk mark where you button loop meets the bag – here is where you need to sew your button.
- Congratulations! You have made a cute little clutch bag.
Ready to make you very own clutch? Here's some inspiration to get you started...
LOVE THIS IDEA? Follow Love Me sew on Twitter @lovemesew.