Saturday, September 19, 2009

Divided Envelope Clutch

*the divided envelope clutch pattern has been fixed, sorry to anyone who was unable to download it previously*

Hello blog friends...
Happy first day of Fall.

I thought I'd send a little project your way in case your looking for something quick, simple and satisfying to sew.


This is my Divided Envelope Clutch.

I designed this simple clutch some time ago and the first one I made was used for housing a few diapers and a small case of wipes for short outings/errand running with little one in tow. It's my strong belief that stylish accessories make all chores more fun. The size is just right to be carried alone or slipped into a larger purse while running out the door.

Recently, I shared this project with a clever friend who adapted it to fit her own needs by simply changing the scale of my pattern. "Ahhhha" I thought.  The possibilities of this silly little diaper clutch suddenly became endless.  Its design would be great for all kinds of uses. Shrink it way down for a cute little wallet, or enlarge it for a laptop sleeve.  I made the one in this post to carry coupons and a grocery list. And I have another in pieces on my sewing table,  sized it specifically to hold scissors and combs. It's to be a gift for my hairdressing sister in-law.

The size is easily rescaled to suit whatever your use may be.

Here's what you'll need:

1/3 yard* of fabric for exterior - I used Alexander Henry's Apples & Pears in Brown
1/3 yard* of fabric for interior - I used Kaffe Fassett's Spots in Red
1/3 yard* decor bond
spool of coordinating thread
fabric marker on chalk pencil

*you will need more if you decide to enlarge your clutch.


Here's how it's made:



First open, download and print the pattern (and if you wish to rescale simply print or copy at whatever percent you like i.e. 50%, 75%, 150%...)

Next Cut all pieces.

First cut your 3 full pieces on the fold; one from exterior fabric, one from interior fabric and one from decor bond. Using a fabric chalk or marker, transfer dots onto large exterior piece.
Then fold pattern at dash-line and place on fold and cut one from exterior fabric, 3 from interior fabric and two from decor bond.

Iron decor bond onto wrong-side of both exterior pieces and one small interior piece.






Next with right-sides facing attach the small exterior piece to one of the small lining pieces (without decor-bond) by sewing across the top with a 1/4 seam-allowance. Press seam open, fold right-sides out and press flat.
Do the same with the small lining piece w/decor bond and remaining small lining pieces. This will be your interior divider.

Now with right-sides facing attach the two larger pieces. Sew across rounded top from one dot to the other with a 1/4" seam-allowance. Clip along this top seam-allowance every few inches, being sure not to cut into your stitches.


Turn right-sides out and press well. 



Lay out pieces (as shown bellow). Start with largest piece first, lay exterior side up, next lay smaller exterior piece, exterior fabric facing down, finally place interior dividing piece on top.

Pin together and sew around all three sides with a 1/4" seam-allowance. Carefully trim seam-allowance to 1/8th inch.
Turn exterior sides facing out. Press neatly.

Have fun choosing a button.  I couldn't choose so I combined two :)




 Finally, stitch your buttonhole and sew on your button.



Now go out and enjoy. 

Till next time - ;) April 

13 comments:

andrea creates said...

Neat! Thanks for the tutorial :)
I think these would make great presents~
andrea

Angela M. said...

thanks for the project! I like how you give little projects like this. I am going to try this at home this weekend!

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

Wow, that is fantastic! I just followed the Petite Pack link on Craft. I'm so glad I did, there are so many wonderful projects here! I would love to link to some of them if you didn't mind. I'm so excited that I found your blog!

AnnGirl said...

This is great. I was just thinking how I needed to make something to hold all my coupons. Perfect! Thanks!

acommonthread said...

cute! i actually have been making a smaller version of this, but never thought to make it a little bigger to hold notebooks! clever.

Regina Diniz Outeiro said...

Thanks for the tutorial!!!
I'm going to try this, so I will show you!!

Regina

Crystelle said...

This is really cute an d well done. Good description. Easy to understand. Nice work.

Anonymous said...

I just made this. Super quick and easy! Thanks so much!
I used velco to close instead of a button.

Anonymous said...

Help! I followed the instructions for this very cool clutch, but when I turned the right sides out at the end, the seam is showing in the rear part of the divide. What did I do wrong? Thanks for any help. Kate
katerig55@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Kate again. Sorry, I meant the exposed seam allowance is showing!!

LubbyGirl said...

I love this idea - I used it yesterday, but modified it to include a zip pocket in the middle instead of just a divider (love pockets!) and added card pockets to the front and back pieces. I don't think I'll keep the front ones, though, after trying it out. I also didn't sew the pocket into the bottom seam (didn't work when I did that, too bulky I guess). Thank you so much for the inspiration!

patricia white said...

I love the bag

Anonymous said...

Love the pattern, so easy but I noticed someone else commented on the exposed seams on the inside after turning right side out. Is that the way it should be?