Hexi Clutch Tutorial ~ DIY Tutorial Ideas!

How to make mini hexagrams and use them to embellish a metal frame purse. Free Tutorial.

I have a confession to make. I love little hexagrams! Have you noticed that “hexis” are all the rage these days? They are the perfect combination of whimsical and graphic. Lately, I’ve been adding them to every sewing project possible.
Today I’m going to show you how to make an adorable hexi-accent clutch! It’s so much easier than you might think, and after this tutorial you’ll walk away with a new skill you can to embellish almost anything. Clearly, little hexis aren’t just for quilts!

I love hexis yes I do, I love hexis how about you?

This tutorial will walk you through the steps for adding a hexi embellishment to a metal frame clutch, but it does not include a pattern for the clutch pictured here. You can use any metal frame clutch pattern for with this tutorial, or use the instructions on my blog to make your own pattern for ANY metal frame clutch.

Shall we get started? All you need to make hexis are:

    Fabric scraps
    Needle and thread
    Embroidery scissors
    English paper piecing templates. You can purchase these online or in quilting shops, or download a 1.5 inch hexagon template here. (Umm, don’t tell anyone, but you could actually just draw your own and cut it out of card stock. Just sayin’.)

For the actual clutch you will also need:

    Fabric for the outside (I used a linen from Jo-Ann’s)
    Fabric for the inside
    a metal frame
    a pattern (see my tutorial for making your own)

I purchased my metal frame from Jo-Ann’s Fabric & Crafts and used my own tutorial to draw a pattern.

OK, LET’S MAKE SOME HEXIS!

Please keep in mind during the following steps that you are basting the hexis before sewing them together, so yes, you will be sewing fabric to paper. The paper will eventually be removed and everything will work out beautifully, I promise!

    Cut out a piece of fabric that is 1/4″ larger than the paper template all around. Thread your needle and knot the thread.
    With the wrong side of the fabric facing you, fold one edge in and bring the needle in toward you from the back side. Pull the thread all the way through.
    Fold over the next edge and pierce the corner with the needle. Pull the thread all the way through to the side not facing you.
    Fold over the next edge and bring the needle back through to your side. Continue these steps until all the edges and corners are stitched down. Remember, these are basting stitches, so they don’t need to be pretty!

Your basted hexis should look like this:

Now it’s time to stitch them together!

    Choose your placing for each hexagram.
    Pick two to stitch together first, and align two of their straight edges.
    Place them right sides together with the edges to be stitched facing up. Use a slipstitch to sew the two hexis together along these edges.
    Open them up, and you won’t be able to see the stitches from the right side. Cool, huh?

Now add the third hexi to the bunch:

    Align the third hexi with the straight edge of one of the hexi’s you’ve already stitched. Make sure the right sides are facing, and stitch them together like you did with the first two.
    There is one remaining side to be stitched.
    Align the two edges that need to be stitched together, bending the other hexi if need be. Stitch them together, and you’re done!
    You did it!

Next:

    Clip the BASTING stitches.
    Press the hexis to keep the edges crisp.
    Remove the paper templates.
    Place the hexis on your clutch to determine the correct placement. PLEASE NOTE: my purse was not glued to the frame at this stage. I sewed the purse together before adding the hexis because I wasn’t sure what exact placement to choose, but you can always add the hexis to the front fabric before sewing the purse pieces together.