DIY Easy Clutch Bag - Tutorial

DIY Step-By-Step Clutch Tutorial. DIY Easy Clutch Bag | How to make a  Handbag  

Dimenisions of final clutch are 12x7

Supplies
- exterior fabric, guessing 1/4 meter?
- contrasting 12x7 fabric for flap
- lining fabric, guessing 1/4 meter?
- magnetic snap
- snap
- 2 d-rings
- clasp for strap


Exterior
1.  Cut 2 rectangles 13x8.  This is the size of the finished clutch plus seam allowance of 1/2"
2.  Cut a semi circle that is 13 wide and lowest point is about 7"
3.  Sew the semi-circle to one of the rectangles, right sides together.  Press open the seam and top stitch on either side of the seam.

Take your two pieces and use them as a template to cut out your lining.

4.  Make the outside pocket.  Cut an rectangle 13x12.  (Note, after making this, I suggest making the pocket taller, see my aside note further below.  So maybe 13x14). Fold in half, wrong sides together and top stitch along the fold.

Fold is on top, topstiched across, all other edges are raw
 
 5.  Make strap attachment.  Take a 2"x8" strip of fabric and fold long edges to the middle and then fold in half so raw edges are hidden.  Iron and sew.  Cut the strip in half and put a d-ring through each piece.  Fold over and stitch across to get something like this.  I have used clips instead of d-rings, as this will be how it attaches to the diaper bag.  But you can use d-rings or anything similiar.

6.  Place the pocket piece on the back fabric sandwiching your strap attachments between, at the top of the pocket.  Sew within the seam allowance  along the pocket side, bottom and up the other side

Exterior piece with flap, strap attachment and pocket piece

Sew sides and bottom of pocket, WITHIN the sewing allowance
 

Aside - did you notice on the finished product my strap attacments are NOT in the pocket. Before doing this step I change my mind and put them in the seam, outside the pocket (at a later step).  I changed my mind because I thought they were too low inside the pocket, easy fix is to make the pocket a bit bigger, but it was too late for me.   I regret doing it the way I did as I don't like the way they stick out and made the finishing steps a bit harder.


7. Add a snap for your pocket. Make sure you know how to do so!   I screwed up my snap and it wouldn't close.. booooo!  So I sewed across the middle of the pocket to make it two pockets.  I also made a few stitches across the topstitching of pocket over the snap so the pocket didn't gape there and you can't see the messed up snap.  The snap couldn't be removed but it makes a nice decorative emblishment now right?  right..

8.  Place the front fabric on the back fabric (over the pocket), right sides together.  Sew along the bottom at the seam allowance.  ONLY along the bottom!

Sew along bottom only


9.  You wil know have one piece- Flap, back with pocket and front.

Note my non-functioning snap now know as an embelishment
 
10. Along the short end, fold back and press your seam allowance.  Pin if necessary

Folded seam allowance on bottom.

11.  Attach your magnetic snap.  The snap should go on the last piece above, about 4.5"-5" from the folded edge. (Mine is not attached in that picture, that snap you see there is for the back pocket.


Interior.

You should have the main pieces of your lining, that you cut out as part of step 3.  We are going to add a pocket to it in a similiar manner to how we added a pocket to the exterior.

1.  Cut out a piece of your lining fabric about 13x10.

2.  Fold, wrong sides together and topstitch along the fold

3. Place on the lining piece that has the semi-circle, opening towards the circle. Stitch along the pocket sides, bottom and up the other pocket side.  Just like you did with the exterior.

4.  Divide the pocket as you wish by sewing up the pocket.  I just did two pockets.

5. Place the other lining piece on top of the piece with the pocket we just atttached. Sew ONLY along the bottom. You should end up with a piece similiar to the exterior.

6.  On the short end fold back the seam allowance of the short straight end as you did for the exterior pieces.

Putting it together

1.  Take your two piece that each have the seam allowance of the short end  folded.  Fold each piece at the bottom seam, right sides together.  See below for picture of exterior, you can see magnetic snap placement.

2.  Place one on top of each other, the folded edges inside.  Make sure the folded edge is nicely lined up together.

Folded edge is inside around the blue clip


3.  This is the point I put the other side of the snap on the flap lining.  While the pieces are together I folded down the flap to see where it would meet other side of the snap on the exterior and install.  Remember it goes on the lining and make sure it faces the right way. The right side of the snap should be facing your exterior fabric.
 
3.  Stitch up one side, around the flap and down the other side.  DO NOT stitch across the bottom.  That white piece on the flap is the prongs of the snap on some interfacing.

 4.  Clip corners and curves
 
5.  Now through the hole in the bottom, pull through to turn right side together.  

Pull inside out through hole in bottom

You'll get this,  doesn't look right huh.. 

Just fold over the exterior piece the other side.  It will work!

Neaten the corners and curves.  Mine was very bulky on the corners, I turned it inside out again to clip more.
 
6.  Top stitch the folded edges together (where the clips are in the above photo) and pivot to topstitch the flap. My strap attachments were in the way, so I had to do this in two steps..  I had some tension problems along the flap.

Open

Front

Back


Now make a strap with clasps to have a removable strap.  I just used a chain strap I had lying around for photos.