Clutch Me

Every lady needs a clutch - a small "handbag without handles".  I love them, especially when painting the town red or having a glass of wine with my girlfriends.  For whatever reason, they make you feel dainty and more girly.  If you don't have one, make one!  I used the "It's So Easy It's Simplicity" pattern (to the right).  It's pattern #2906 and includes two skirts and one clutch pattern.  If you've never used this company for pattern ideas - I highly recommend them.  They're super affordable and for the most part, easy to follow.  

The first step is to cut your fabric according to your pattern pieces.  When you have more than one item in your pattern, remember to only cut the pieces you need.  For example, in this number I only needed pieces for the purse - so make sure you leave the other pieces for the skirt to use later, if you choose to dive into sewing a skirt! 


In this case, I needed to cut 1 piece for my lining, 2 pieces for the outside (the main color/pattern of your purse) and 2 pieces of the interfacing - what makes the purse tough to carry around those important things while you're out and about.  Make sure you mirror the triangles like you see in the picture above - this will come in handy when you have to match them up later.

The next several steps are outlined in your pattern directions.  The finished product is well worth the cutting, sewing, lining, matching, and hours spent.  I recently carried mine to a very important afternoon meeting.  It totally pulled my outfit together and was so handy.  So, whether you're out with your honey, or just want to add a little pizazz to any outfit - go with a clutch!  I promise you won't regret it, especially when you make it yourself.