The clutch craze continues...

Awhile back, I posted a picture of my very first clutch that I learned to make at quilt group. Learning to sew on a zipper has totally transformed my craft making abilities! I think I watched several youtube videos on zippers and clutches in the week following that quilt group meeting. Anyway, I decided to make a bunch of clutches for birthday presents for friends out of the darling DS Quilts Collection from Joann Fabrics. My cousin Mary from Material Mary, mentioned it so I found the designer line at my local store and knew the prints would look great. I have a link to her cute blog on my sidebar.

Look familiar?

So, a friend of mine saw the clutch at one of our birthday dinners and asked if I could make a cute little one for her phone. So I checked out etsy to see what kind of ideas were out there and started working on my little prototype. :) I'm a little embarrassed to post my first phone clutch because I have used it so much that it's starting to look a little dingey. But here's one that I finally got around to making for my friend. My phone clutch is for a blackberry so it's a bit smaller, this one is for an iphone so it's a little taller.  I searched for a large lobster clasp and was totally surprised to find some at Joann's. It's by Darice Jewelry Designer and comes in a 2pk. I've seen these cute little clasps on clutches, wallets, and purses of all shapes and sizes.

And here we are! I'd love to make a contribution to the world of tutorials with this little one especially since I have benefitted so much from what others have put online. I'm sure there might be some tutorials already out there but I'm proud to say that this is one that I figured out on my own.

And lastly, here are the latest clutches I've made. These turned out much smaller that I was imagining. You'd think I would have realized that when cutting them out but still, they will be a fun little size for makeup, or whatever you might need in your purse. Here's the link to the tutorial. http://www.skiptomylou.org/2010/04/27/pleated-pouch-tutorial/
I did make a few changes as my experience with clutch making has evolved. I prefer a wristlet with my clutches and I like to use fusible interfacing to give the clutch some structure. You could also use a warm and natural type batting but I opted not to. Also, adding small tabs to the ends of the zipper improves the overall appearance of the opening.