In my previous blog post, I wrote about the dress I made for the Frocktails event last month. Of course, the outfit would not have been complete without a handmade clutch, right?
When I made my very first Envelope Clutch (from Noodlehead) I was a very ambitious (and naive) sewer. I didn't really know what I was doing. It took me a whole day to make one clutch but I was so proud of the result.
I had no idea how to insert piping, and that part when you had to put it all together... putting the outside part inside the lining...what?? That really puzzled me. But I got there.
Now I have made so many bags it has become second nature. So making this one went a lot faster!
On a previous event (The Dressmakers Do in Melbourne), I won a voucher for Ink&Spindle who specialise in hand-printed homeware fabrics. Lucky me! Their textiles are stunning!
So now was a good time to use a piece of that precious fabric. I had cut a Kokka canvas fabric to make this clutch a few years ago but I never actually sewed it up, so that fabric served as the lining.
It did make a change to the pattern and extended the length of the closing flap, I just like it more that way.
I was going to use silver piping at first but I'm glad I opted for something a little bit bolder, and used yellow instead.
Now that very first clutch I made was very soft and floppy, so I never used it.
So to make it stiffer I did this:
- I applied Formfuse 1600 (from Spotlight) interfacing to the lining.
- Inserted pieces of L70 Sew-N-Shape from Legacy, which is an ultra-firm sew-in stabiliser (from Spotlight). I cut the pieces to size and inserted them before stitching up the clutch. This did make some of the stitching a bit tricky because of the added stiffness to the closing flap.
I totally forgot about pattern matching when I cut the fabric obviously but it doesn't really bother me.
A few years ago, I made a mini wallet out of the same fabric as the lining so this accidentally matched. I use this whenever I don't feel like lugging a handbag around and just need a credit card. So it was perfect to add to the clutch. It's got its own little strap that I can loop around a belt loop and then stick it in my pocket so it doesn't get lost.
And there you go, a sturdy clutch!
