Read Amy Butler's In Stitches: More Than 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects Online
Authors: Amy Butler
Amy Butler's In Stitches: More Than 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects (34 page)
FIGURE 10D
FASHION CHECKBOOK CLUTCH
FINISHED SIZE: 12″ WIDE × 6
1
/
4
″ TALL × 1″ DEEP
Maintain your polished, professional image, and leave that bulky purse at home! When all you need is the basics—checkbook, credit cards, pens, compact, lipstick, and driver’s license—this is your perfect fashion accessory! It’s feminine, sleek, and functional.
FASHION CHECKBOOK CLUTCH
FABRICS
•
2
/
3
yard (54″-wide) home-decorweight cotton for the exterior
• 1
1
/
2
yards (44″-wide) light- to mid-weight coordinating cotton solid for the lining
•
1
/
4
yard (44″-wide) cotton canvas or cotton duck cloth for the flap interfacing
• 1
1
/
2
yards heavyweight fusible interfacing (such as Pellon’s Craft Fuse)
•
1
/
2
yard (13″-wide) Timtex
*
or other extra-heavy interfacing
• 5″ (
3
/
4
″-wide) sew-on Velcro
•
1
/
4
yard (
1
/
2
″-wide) coordinating extra-wide, double-folded bias tape
*
See page 172
for an explanation of Timtex.
OTHER SUPPLIES
• Coordinating thread
• Button/carpet heavy thread
• 26″ coordinating heavyweight plastic or metal jacket zipper
•
1
/
2
″ zipper pull clasp for the handle
• Yardstick or ruler
• Chalk pencil or fabric marker
• Scissors
• Masking tape
• Straight pins
• Turning tool (such as a closed pair of scissors)
• Hand sewing needle
NOTES
• All seams are
1
/
2
″ unless otherwise stated. (The
1
/
2
″ seam allowance is included in all cutting measurements.)
• Preshrink your fabric by washing, drying, and pressing it before starting your project. To wash Timtex after completing your project, machine wash warm, then reshape your project and air dry. Your project will press back into shape with a steam iron. Once you steam the project, support it with wadded-up tissue paper or a folded towel while air drying in order to keep the shape that you want.
Step 1. Cut out all pieces from the fabric.
a.
Simply measure and mark the dimensions below directly onto the
Wrong
side of the fabric, using a yardstick and a chalk pencil. Then, using your scissors, cut out each panel following the marked lines.
FROM THE FABRIC FOR THE EXTERIOR
• Cut 1 front main panel with back flap: 13″ wide × 11″ long
• Cut 1 back main panel: 13″ wide × 7
1
/
2
″ long
• Cut 2 back pocket panels: 13″ wide × 6
3
/
4
″ long
• Cut 1 flap lining: 13″ wide × 4
1
/
2
″ long
• Cut 1 ruffle: 2″ wide × 44″ long (Cut across the width of your fabric.)
• Cut 1 handle: 2″ wide × 14″ long (Cut across the width of your fabric.)
FROM THE FABRIC FOR THE LINING
• Cut 1 lining panel: 13″ wide × 47
1
/
4
″ long
• Cut 1 pen holder tab: 3″ wide × 3
1
/
2
″ long
FROM THE CANVAS
• Cut 1 flap: 13″ wide × 4
1
/
2
″ long
FROM THE FUSIBLE INTERFACING
• Cut 1 interfacing panel: 11
1
/
2
″ wide × 45
3
/
4
″ long
FROM THE TIMTEX
• Cut 1 Timtex panel: 12″ wide × 13
1
/
2
″ long
b.
In order to keep your pieces organized, mark each piece by writing the name on a piece of masking tape and attaching to the
Wrong
side of each panel as it is cut.
Step 2. Make the back pocket and attach it onto the Timtex panel.
a.
Place the
Right
sides of the back pocket panels together, matching up each of the 13″-wide raw edges (to be used for the top raw edges), and pin them in place. Topstitch a
1
/
2
″ seam across this top raw edge, backstitching at each end. Then, turn the pocket panels
Right
side out, matching up the side and bottom raw edges, and press. Machine baste
*
a
1
/
4
″ seam down the sides and across the bottom raw edges.
*
See page 171
for an explanation of machine basting.
b.
On the
Right
side of the back pocket, measure 1
1
/
2
″ down from the top finished edge on each side of the pocket and make a mark. Using your ruler and chalk pencil, draw a guideline across the width connecting the 2 marks.
(
FIGURE 2B, C
)
c.
Then, measure 1″ in from the left side raw edge on the 1
1
/
2
″ guideline and mark. Place a 2
1
/
2
″ piece of the female half of the Velcro below the 1
1
/
2
″ guideline and to the inside of the 1″ mark and pin it in place. Attach by stitching completely around the edge of the Velcro, backstitching at each end. Repeat this step to attach another 2
1
/
2
″ piece of the female half of the Velcro onto the right-hand side of the back pocket.
(
FIGURE 2B, C
)
d.
Place the lining side (the side without the Velcro) of the back pocket onto the
Right
side of the back panel, lining up the side and bottom raw edges. Machine baste a
1
/
2
″ seam down both sides and across the bottom of the pocket.
e.
Place the Timtex panel onto the
Wrong
side of the back panel,
1
/
2
″ up from the bottom raw edge. Match the 12″-long cut edge on the Timtex panel with the
1
/
2
″ basting stitch, leaving
1
/
2
″ of the back panel exposed around the side and bottom edges of the Timtex panel, and pin it in place. (The back panel covers the bottom half of the Timtex panel.)
(
FIGURE 2E, F
)
f.
Then, fold the raw edges of the back panel and pocket over the cut edge of the Timtex and pin it in place. Machine baste a
3
/
8
″ seam down both sides and across the bottom raw edges on the back panel.
(
FIGURE 2E, F
)
g.
Then, turn the panel over so the
Right
side of the back panel (with the pocket attached) is facing up. Pin across the top raw edge on the back panel. Then stitch close to the top raw edge of the back panel, attaching it to the Timtex panel.
Set the Timtex panel (with the back panel and pocket attached) aside.
Step 3. Make the flap on the front panel.
a.
First, place the canvas flap onto the
Wrong
side of the flap lining and pin it in place. Then, machine baste the canvas by stitching a
1
/
2
″ seam completely around the flap lining to act as a reinforcement stitch
*
.
*
See page 171
for an explanation of reinforcement stitching.
b.
On the
Right
side of the flap lining, measure
3
/
4
″ up from the bottom raw edge on each side of the flap lining and mark. Using your ruler and chalk pencil, draw a guideline across the width connecting the 2 marks.
(
FIGURE 3B, C
)
c.
Then, measure 1″ in from the raw edge on the left side on the
3
/
4
″ guideline and make a mark. Place a 2
1
/
2
″ piece of the male half of the Velcro above the
3
/
4
″ guideline and to the inside of the 1″ mark and pin it in place. Attach by stitching completely around the edge of the Velcro, backstitching at each end. Repeat this step to attach another 2
1
/
2
″ piece of the male half of the Velcro onto the right side of the flap lining.
(
FIGURE 3B, C
)
d.
With
Right
sides together, match up the bottom raw edge (the edge with the Velcro attached) on the flap lining with the top raw edge of the front panel and pin it in place. With the
Wrong
side of the front panel facing up, measure 3
1
/
4
″ down from the top raw edge on each side and make a mark. Starting at the mark on the right side of the front panel, stitch a
1
/
2
″ seam up the right side, across the top, and down the left side raw edges, to the mark on the left side, backstitching at each end.
(
FIGURE 3D, E
)
e.
Using your scissors, trim the 2 top corners
*
of the flap in the seam allowance, making sure not to clip your stitching. Then, clip into the seam allowance
*
at the 2 side marks you made in step 3d.
(
FIGURE 3D, E
)
*
See pages 172
and
170
for explanations of trimming and clipping into the seam allowance.
f.
First, turn the flap
Right
side out, using a turning tool
*
to push out the corners and press. Then, topstitch
*
with a
1
/
3
″ seam around the finished edge of the flap, backstitching at each end.
(
FIGURE 3F
)
*
See page 172
for explanations of a turning tool and topstitching.
g.
Next, on the
Right
side of the front panel at the top finished edge of the flap, using your ruler and chalk pencil, match up the 2 clips on each side of the flap and draw a line connecting them. (You will stitch across this guideline in step 5b to attach the top of the flap onto the Timtex panel. This guideline will also be one of the folded edges to make the spine for the clutch.)
Step 4. Make the ruffle and attach it to the front panel and the Timtex panel.
a.
First, fold the ruffle in half lengthwise with
Right
sides together. Stitch a
1
/
2
″ seam across each short end of the ruffle, backstitching at each end. Trim the corners on each end of the ruffle and then turn the ruffle
Right
side out. Match up the raw edges of the 2 long sides of the ruffle and pin them together.
b.
To gather
*
the ruffle, place a length of the heavy thread,
1
/
2
″ in from the pinned long side raw edge of the ruffle, leaving 8″ to 10″ extra on each end of the ruffle strip. Then, with a large zigzag stitch, stitch back and forth across the heavy thread,
1
/
2
″ in along the edge of the ruffle strip, backstitching at each end. (The zigzag stitching makes a casing over the thread.) Be careful not to stitch through the heavy thread; otherwise you won’t be able to pull the thread to gather the ruffle.
(
FIGURE 4B
)