Cutest Crafty Clutch!
I've been engaged a grand total of two days and already I've got my shoes and my bag sorted! Now granted, I ordered the shoes with no intention of them being wedding worthy, but they'll match my dress so beautifully my heart is set. But anyway, this post isn't about the shoes. Its about the clutch that's so easy to make, you'll wonder why you ever thought of buying a bag. I'm using a nice soft, lightweight jersey - its the fabric I'm most comfortable sewing. If you love the look of the bag but don't think you're comfortable enough making one yourself, I'll be selling these beauties in my Etsy store.
Here's what we're going to need:
STEP ONE
Lay the interfacing over the fabric (either side will do as we're using a plain colour) and centre it so there are even amounts of fabric around the edges of the interfacing. Make sure the interfacing is shiny-side-down so it'll adhere to the fabric, and not the iron!
Place the iron on the interfacing, don't smooth it back and forth as you would as you usually iron. Hold for a few seconds making sure to cover the whole piece to it stays put. Once the interfacing has started to stick (and become more sturdy) you can run over the fabric smoothly as usual. Make sure the whole section of interfacing is thoroughly stable before moving on to the next step. We don't need a lining as the interfacing will act as one, whilst also keeping the fabric robust.
STEP TWO
Hem the long edges of the fabric, where the zip will go. Make sure to fold the hem down over the interfacing, not the other way around!
It doesn't need to be perfect, heaven knows I've made a mess of a lot of projects - as you'll see below! But as long as the hem on the outside of the fabric looks tidy enough, you're good to go. Do so for both long edges, and we're ready for the next step.
STEP THREE
Now it's time to make the bow. Take the 12x4" fabric and lay the lace over it, flush to the sides.
All you need to do now is sew each side down, I went for a long running stitch over the top of the more dense patches of the lace. Don't worry about sewing the shorter edges, we'll get to that in a bit.
Fold your scrap so that the edges meet the centre like so:
Do so for both edges, and you'll have a clean edge around the centre of your bow. It should look like a very small, very wide section of bias binding.
Wrap your binding around the centre of the bow, and sew the short edges together, et voilà!
STEP FOUR
Line the bow up with the front of the bag.
We want that little bit of overlap on each side of the bow, so that when we hem the edges of the bag, they'll be included in those hems.
Fold as above (and please disregard my awful hem on the back there, you can't see it on the outside of the bag so it's nothing to worry about!) and sew both sides together. Trim off the excess from the bow so you have clean hems.
Fold again - this time right-way-out - and marvel at the beauty of your homemade clutch bag!
FINAL STEP
See personally, I like to hand-sew the zip while the bag is right-side-out, as its the easiest to see how flush the zip is to the hem. A nice back stitch will add some sturdiness to the zip, so no worrying that it'll buckle under the stress of all your wedding essentials.
And there we have it! Your very own, homemade, personalised clutch bag.
Here's what we're going to need:
- 10x14" fabric in your choice of colour to match your theme
- 9x13" iron-on interfacing
- 12x4" fabric for the bow
- 12x4" lace to overlay onto the bow
- 10" zip to match the fabric
- 2x2.5" fabric scrap for the centre of the bow
- Scissors
- Sewing machine (or needle and matching thread)
- An iron
STEP ONE
Lay the interfacing over the fabric (either side will do as we're using a plain colour) and centre it so there are even amounts of fabric around the edges of the interfacing. Make sure the interfacing is shiny-side-down so it'll adhere to the fabric, and not the iron!
Place the iron on the interfacing, don't smooth it back and forth as you would as you usually iron. Hold for a few seconds making sure to cover the whole piece to it stays put. Once the interfacing has started to stick (and become more sturdy) you can run over the fabric smoothly as usual. Make sure the whole section of interfacing is thoroughly stable before moving on to the next step. We don't need a lining as the interfacing will act as one, whilst also keeping the fabric robust.
STEP TWO
Hem the long edges of the fabric, where the zip will go. Make sure to fold the hem down over the interfacing, not the other way around!
It doesn't need to be perfect, heaven knows I've made a mess of a lot of projects - as you'll see below! But as long as the hem on the outside of the fabric looks tidy enough, you're good to go. Do so for both long edges, and we're ready for the next step.
STEP THREE
Now it's time to make the bow. Take the 12x4" fabric and lay the lace over it, flush to the sides.
All you need to do now is sew each side down, I went for a long running stitch over the top of the more dense patches of the lace. Don't worry about sewing the shorter edges, we'll get to that in a bit.
Fold your scrap so that the edges meet the centre like so:
Do so for both edges, and you'll have a clean edge around the centre of your bow. It should look like a very small, very wide section of bias binding.
Wrap your binding around the centre of the bow, and sew the short edges together, et voilà!
STEP FOUR
Line the bow up with the front of the bag.
We want that little bit of overlap on each side of the bow, so that when we hem the edges of the bag, they'll be included in those hems.
Fold again - this time right-way-out - and marvel at the beauty of your homemade clutch bag!
FINAL STEP
See personally, I like to hand-sew the zip while the bag is right-side-out, as its the easiest to see how flush the zip is to the hem. A nice back stitch will add some sturdiness to the zip, so no worrying that it'll buckle under the stress of all your wedding essentials.
And there we have it! Your very own, homemade, personalised clutch bag.
xox Our Homemade Wedding xox
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