The Envelope Clutch

Have you signed up the See Kate Sew's Envelope Clutch Sew-a-Long yet?  Better hurry.  After you sign up for the sew-a-long, you can find the free pattern here on Kate's blog.

I was a little hesitant to sign up at first thinking that I wouldn't have enough time to put a clutch together, but this bag super quick and easy to make!  Love it when a project is like that!  Don't you?

To make my Envelope Clutch, I used some fabric I had on hand.  The outer fabric is a heavy cotton denim that was a remnant from a pair of jeans I made my daughter a couple of months ago. I fused decor bond to the back of it to help the bag maintain its shape. The way I cut out the bag, the grain of the denim is on the diagonal and gives the finished clutch a little more visual interest.

The interior is a premium quality quilting cotton remnant I picked up at Joann's a while back.  Sorry I don't have the official name, but I think they still sell it.  (Update:  The fabric is a Keepsake Calico print called A Fuji Afternoon Umbrellas) I fused regular light weight interfacing to the back of the lining for a little extra support.  I find the colors and the umbrella pattern to be warm and fun, and it was a nice departure for me to use the print on the interior of the bag and the solid on the outside.  Here are some other purses and bags that I've made--Teardrop Bag, Steph in the City Bag, Emmaline Bag, Patchwork Purse, Charm School Handbag, and these three Sweet Pea Totes (1, 2, and 3).

For my Envelope Clutch, I did change up a couple of the details.  First, I used a magnetic snap in lieu of a button closure.  I avoid making buttonholes at all costs unless it is absolutely necessary!  However, the first time I put the bottom snap on, I measured incorrectly and had it placed way too high!  When I moved the snap down into the correct position, I was left with two small holes to cover up on the exterior--hence the sewVery label strategically placed!

Second, I'm really not a clutch kind of gal.  When I am out and about, I need both hands free in order to grab things at the store or to hold hands with my kids.  So, I added a gold metallic braided trim to the clutch as a purse strap.

To do this, I installed two large gold grommets on the back roughly 1" down from where the top folds over.  I ran the trim through the holes to the inside, zigzagged the ends individually and then seared them with a lighter before overlapping them and stitching them together again.

I'm very pleased with how the strap looks from the outside, but how the two pieces are connected on the inside looks real rough!  After consulting with some friends, I think I've decided to make a little fabric sleeve out of the lining fabric to wrap around the connection.  I just didn't get around to it before I took these pictures and wrote up this post!

Well, that's it!  Pretty simple even with my two slight modifications.  I've already added my photos to Kate's Envelope Clutch Sew-a-Long Flickr group.  Have you?