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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Mega Clutch Tutorial

I got to go home from babysitting early today and ended up pulling into the parking lot of Jo Ann fabrics, which is usually a mistake because I end up buying scrapbook paper (I've never made a scrapbook in my life) and sequined elastic and things of that nature that I really don't need. But while I was wandering up and down the fabric aisles, lamenting my lack of savings account, I came across the bin that holds their "remnants", basically the end of the bolt that didn't get sold at full price. I ended up buying a fairly large piece of camel-colored vinyl, raced home, and immediately began work on a GIANT CLUTCH.
It's unreasonably big, and I love it. My boyfriend always makes fun of me for buying bags that are disproportionate to my body size.This definitely falls into that category.
My baby hands are dwarfed by this bag. Ugh.


You'll need:
  • A large piece of vinyl or leather
  • Thread in a matching color
  • Scissors
  • Needle
  • Sewing Machine (Optional, but hand stitching the whole bag could get tiresome)
Cut your remnant into 3 identical rectangles. The size can vary depending on how much material you have, but mine were 12" x 6". 
Sew two of the rectangles together along the bottom edge, with the "pretty" sides of the material facing out. *Here's the other reason you probably want to use a machine; I redid all the seams twice to make sure they were secure, and it was very difficult to sew through 2 or more layers by hand.
DON'T sew the side yet, it'll make your life a lot more difficult later if you do. (Trust me, I didn't think it through and it forced me to do way more hand sewing later on.)

On the third rectangle, fold down the top third (2" on my scale) and secure it on both side and the loose edge.

Grey line represent where seams should be sewn
Attach the third rectangle to the back of the first two that you're sewn together, so that the flap can fold over the top of the bag to close it. This means you'll have to sew the "flap piece" two thirds of the way up the back of the other. This is really hard to explain but when you have the pieces in your hand it's pretty obvious that this is the only way to sew it. 
 NOW sew up the sides of the bag. You should be sewing through three layers at some point, and you'll be glad that you're not having to do this by hand like I did. Be sure not to sew the "flap" because then your bag won't open.

At this point you should basically have your bag finished. I added 2 dots of Velcro instead of sewing in a clasp. I also cut out a 1"x1" square from my scraps, and made a tiny "K" which I hand sewed onto the bottom corner of the clutch to personalize it a little.


I can't wait to carry this somewhere. My favorite part of making new pieces is getting to tell people "Thank you, I made it myself!" when they compliment it.
Margaery loves fashion. 
Drumroll, Please.
Final Price: $2.89


<3 Kat

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