Clutch Tutorial

After a little thinking, some technical difficulties with missing button parts, and a lot of seam ripping and re-sewing, I figured out how to make a simple clutch. And it's just that - very simple. Well, of course, after a lot of trial and error I can say it was simple! Here's a tutorial that hopefully clears up any confusion:

What you'll need:
2 fat quarters
1 magnetic snap (including the top and bottom of the snap, and 2 washers)
Interfacing
A scrap piece of paper
Basic sewing supplies

1. Start by creating a pattern for the clutch. I used a scrap piece of paper and a quilting ruler to draw mine. For the main part of the clutch, I drew a pattern that was 11" long on the bottom, and 10" long on the top.

2. To create a pattern for the top flap, start by drawing a 10" line. Go to the middle of the line and measure about 3" above that spot. Then freely draw a curve hitting the top of the perpendicular line.

3. Use the rectangular part of the pattern to cut out four pieces of fabric (two lining pieces, and two outer pieces) and 4 pieces of interfacing.

4. For the flap, cut out one piece of lining fabric, one piece of outer fabric, and two pieces of interfacing.

5. Iron on the interfacing to the fabric. The shiny side of the interfacing should be touching the fabric so it sticks when it gets hot (interfacing usually comes with directions).

6. Insert a magnetic snap into one piece of the outer fabric and the inner lining of the flap (this is where it got really tricky for me!). I found two tutorials that helped me figure this out. First is one on how to insert a magnetic snap. Another skill I tried to learn, but failed, was how to make a button hole. Combine these two skills, and you have yourself a fancy button! I skipped the whole button hole step, and it still turned out just as sturdy.


7. For the outer fabric, make a sandwich with the right sides together and sew around the sides and bottom edge (leave the top edge open). Turn inside out.






8. For the flap, pin the right sides facing each other and sew around the round edge. Turn inside out.







9. Pin the flap to the back of the outer fabric and sew the flap onto one side (where the pins are placed).







10. Make a sandwich out of the lining, with the right sides together. Sew only the two sides, leaving open the top and bottom.






11. Keep the lining inside-out and pin to the top of the outer fabric and flap. Sew around the top edge.







12. Turn the lining fabric inside out like so.

13. Fold in the opening in the fabric about 1/2 an inch, press, and sew. Stuff the lining into the clutch.






14. Done!

Handmade Nation

Last night, for a little inspiration, I attended a panel discussion with the authors/director of the new book and movie, "Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design." Faythe Levine travelled the country and visited 15 cities to document the growing craft scene throughout the country - it turns out that crafty folks are part of a movement!

The movie is premiering in NYC tonight at the Museum of Art and Design. Tickets are sold out for tonight, but available for Saturday and Sunday. Go check it out!

My Attempt at Making a Clutch

I bought a stack of beautiful, color-coordinated fat quarters last year at Purl Patchwork. Every couple weeks I take them out of my closet and stare at them, thinking that I'll come up with some fancy project to make, since I love the fabric so much. I finally got inspired this weekend and I attempted to make my first clutch purse with two of the pieces of fabric.

I searched the internet for a simple tutorial, but couldn't find one that worked. I vaguely based it off of this tutorial on U-Handblog (which is a great site for bag tutorials), but got lost on the directions. So I thought I would try and wing it and write up a tutorial from what I learned. But it didn't quite work out the way I planned! The lining was all out of whack and I wasn't quite sure how to secure the top part of the bag. But I think now I understand what I did wrong and am going to try again next weekend. Stay tuned...

Experiencing a moment in history

Ameet and I traveled down to DC this past weekend to take part in history in the making. Barack Hussein Obama is now our president! How exciting!! I am exhausted now after a weekend of waking up early and being in the cold, but so inspired by our country and my fellow citizens. The mood in Washington was something I have never experienced. Over 2 million people coming together for a common cause of celebration.

Some highlights from this weekend:

• At 11PM on Monday night my friend Ann managed to get me a ticket to the standing area of the inauguration! These tickets were harder to come by than Super Bowl Tickets. The only down side is that we didn't have another ticket for Ameet.


• Ann and I arrived at 6:00 AM to get in line with our tickets and waited in the cold for 4 hours before the event began. But it was so worth it.


• I got emotional after first realizing the enormity of people attending and celebrating Obama's inauguration. The crowds were so diverse in terms of being all different races and ethnicities, ages, and all from different parts of the country and world.


• I hugged a random stranger after Obama was sworn in. We were all so happy!
  
• I turned around at one point during the inauguration and saw the 2 million people waving American flags in unison.


• Obama's speech. What else can I say?


• Everyone was singing "Nah, nah, nah, nah, hey, hey, hey, goodbye!" as Bush was introduced at the inauguration. As his helicopter left the city, 2 million people waved in unison to say good riddance!

Back to sewing this weekend...

Etsy Craft Night - Making Your Own Sugar Scrubs

One of the things I love most about living in NYC is that anything you could ever dream of doing is right here. I found out recently that one of my favorite crafty websites, Etsy, happens to be headquartered in Brooklyn. Every Monday night they have a free craft night where volunteers teach a workshop on a variety of crafts. My friends and I decided to check it out last night and learned how to make our own sugar scrubs.

Who knew that the $50 sugar scrub you get at a fancy beauty store is really one of the easiest things to make!

Here's what you need:

A small jar
Sugar in the raw (about 1/2 cup)
Either coconut, grapeseed, or almond oil (or any other oil that you like)
15 to 20 drops of an essential oil (I chose peppermint, but there was also mango, grapefruit, and other scents that I can't remember)
A drop of Vitamin E to help preserve it

Mix all the ingredients together (measure the oil and sugar based on the consistency and smell you like) and voilà! Have yourself a wonderful, relaxing bath. I tried mine this morning, and my skin is loving it.

If you don't live in NYC, but want to check out the Etsy craft night - they have a virtual lab where you can ask questions and learn on your own. Hope to see you there soon...

My delayed hand-made Christmas present

My family was never much into buying presents for one another on holidays - so I just never gained any skills in knowing what to get for friends and family. Shopping for gifts gets me all nervous and frustrated.

This year, in an effort to avoid this frustration, Ameet and I decided to limit our gifts for each other to $20. My new sewing skills came in handy. Since he loves to cook, I made him this double sided apron, that I kinda just winged, and matching oven mits using a tutorial I found online. And he loved them!

Lavender Eye Pillow Tutorial

At the craft fair last weekend, my aromatherapy lavender eye pillows were a hit! I got the idea from my friend Diana for an easy first sewing project.

What you'll need:

Silk or soft cotton fabric, cut into a 4.5" x 19" piece
3/4 cup flaxseed
1/4 cup dried lavender (both flaxseed and lavender can be found at a natural foods store)

Step 1: Fold the fabric together lengthwise so the two 4.5" edges are alligned, and the nice sides of the fabric are touching each other.

Step 2: Stitch the two long edges on the side together allowing about a one inch seam allowance.

Step 3: Turn the fabric inside out.

Step 4: Mix the flaxseeds and lavender in a bowl.

Step 5: Using a funnel or something that makes it easier to pour, pour the mix into the pouch.

Step 6: Fold the top end of the pouch in about half an inch, and sew to close.

Step 7: Place over your eyes and sleep tight!