Chiffon Clutch Bag Tutorial ~ DIY Tutorial Ideas!

Here’ the step-by-step tutorial for my chiffon clutch:

MATERIALS
Purse closure
Fabric (size depends on purse closure): chiffon, matching polyester apparel fabric
Medium weight interfacing
Statement ring
Pearl beads
Needle & thread

Make a paper pattern that fits into your purse closure. I traced my closure and then made a wider bottom, carefully cutting until I had the perfect fit.

Pin the pattern piece to the apparel/lining fabric and cut out 4 pieces, leaving a 1/4″ seam allowance all around.

Cut two large rectangles of chiffon (I could have used less, but I wasn’t sure, so I gave myself lots of extra fabric).

Pull the chiffon through the ring so the statement ring is in the center of the two chiffon rectangles.

Center the ring over one of the lining pieces. Pull the chiffon out in an X with one piece going from top left to bottom right, and the other piece going from top right to bottom left. Take the top left piece of chiffon and fold the raw edges under by 1/2″. Pin it to the lining, covering about 1/4 of the lining (think of it as pinning from 9 o’clock to 12 o’clock). Then take bottom right piece of chiffon (this is the other side of the chiffon you just pinned) and pin it to the lining, covering about 1/4 of the lining on the bottom right side (pinning from 3 o’clock to 6 o’clock).

Pin each quadrant of the chiffon to the lining. Remember to fold raw edges in by 1/2″.

Now pin the other rectangle of chiffon in the top right quadrant and then the bottom left quadrant. Overlap the edges (you’ll have to remove pins and re-pin at the edges to overlap.

Sew all along the edge with 1/8″ seam allowance.

Cut off the extra chiffon.

With right sides together, pin the chiffon piece to one lining piece. Right sides together, pin the remaining two pieces (lining and outer fabic for the back of the purse).

Sew the front pieces together from the point shown in the picture all along the top, making sure the stitching line that secures the chiffon to the front piece is within the seam allowance.

Do the same for the back piece, stitching along the top.

Turn both pieces right-sides out. Slip a piece of interfacing between the exterior and interior fabrics.

Top stitch along the top curves, catching the interfacing in this stitch.

Place the front and the back of the purse together, right sides facing.
Now here’s where things get a little crazy. Stick with me!

Fold the top most and bottom most pieces of fabric up. These are the lining pieces. The right sides of the lining pieces should meet at the top. Pin the inner pieces of fabric (right sides facing of the purse exterior) together.

Pin the folded up lining pieces together, making sure you are not catching the top of the purse in your pins.

Leaving a 2″-3″ opening at the very top, stitch all the way around. It’s okay to catch some of the interfacing in your stitch. Make sure any other stitches are in the seam allowance.

Turn the purse right-side out through the opening.

Pull the bottom of the lining back up and stitch it closed (Note: if you want to be super neat, you can hand-stitch it closed with a ladder stitch. This will be the bottom of the inside of the purse, so I just folded it in and machine-stitched it shut).

Whew! All sewn up! Now it’s time to attach the closure. You can use textile glue and just glue the metal closure to the fabric. Or, if you want to be nutso about it like me, I used an Everything Mary brand metal closure, which has holes all along it so you can stitch the fabric to the closure.

To sew on the closure and pearls, settle the top of the purse into the closure and then baste the closure to the purse in a few spots.

Start a knot discreetly in a spot that will be covered by the closure.

Sew up though the first hole and add a pearl bead. Loop back down through the same hole.

Come up in the next hole. Add a pearl bead. Then loop back down through the same hole. Now go back up through the previous hole.

Go through both beads. Go back down again through the last hole with a bead over it. Come up through the next (empty) hole and repeat until you get to the end. Do this on both front and back of the purse.