Versatile Zippered Clutch DIY!

Hello from Antarctica Minneapolis!  It's 1 single sexy little degree this evening here in the Twin Cities, well on our way to a balmy -17 for the night.... ahhh the splendor of the northern midwest!  I'm happy to report that I did in fact get my buns off the couch over the weekend for some DIY action!  I decided to tackle the DIY clutch bag idea first (link to inspiration here).

So glad I did!  How simple and cute is this little zippered clutch?!?!

If you have experience using a sewing machine, it's so SUPER easy to make one of your own!  I whipped one up in about 20 minutes..... sew easy, I decided to make two clutches!

All I needed was some leather or faux leather fabric, scissors, zipper, sewing thread, sewing machine and pins.  I cut the leather/faux leather to the size I wanted and found a zipper to fit.  The gold one above measures 8.25" x 11.0" (fits and iPad perfectly!) and the larger one I made measures 10.0" x 14.0, perfect for throwing a good amount of random crap in :)   Curious how to make one? Let's get to it!

Here's how I tackled making one of these versatile little clutch bags! 
Start by cutting two pieces of fabric for the front and back of your clutch.  The photos below are of the 10.0" x 14.0" clutch I made so I cut two pieces of my faux leather fabric, both 10.0" x 14.0" in size.

Then it's time to get the zipper stitched in place along the top edge/opening of what will be the front side of the clutch.  With this step, I pinned the zipper in place face down along the top edge of my faux leather then stitched in place.  Once that step was complete and the zipper was attached to the fabric, I turned the zipper face up and did another line of stitching on top of the leather 2mm from the seam where the leather and the zipper meet.

The extra line of stitching provides a cleaner look and allows the zipper to sit flat once the bag is finished :)

Next, you need to attach the back side of the clutch fabric/ faux leather to the zipper.  Take the second piece of faux leather and place it on top of the first piece and line it up with the zipper (make sure the right side of the fabric is faced down as shown in top right photo below).  Stitch the second piece of fabric attaching it to the other side of the zipper.  Then with the zipper attached, lay both right sides of the faux leather face up and stitch the back side fabric 2mm from the zipper & leather seam (top right image below).... You will basically repeat the steps you did for the front piece of fabric attached to the zipper.

Once you have the zipper completed, place the back fabric piece on top of the front so the wrong sides of the fabric face out and then pin together.  Next simply stitch along the three outer sides 0.25" from the edge of the fabric.

That's pretty much it!  Then turn that sucker right side out, situate the zipper a bit and you are done!

Super easy if you know your way around a sewing machine right?!?!

I have to tell you that I've been calling the larger version my "work clutch" and I LOVE IT!  It's totally useful for the office- Instead of carrying a big ol' purse around or stacking little random stuff on my laptop when I'm on the go to meetings, I've been stashing all the goodies I like to keep on hand in my new little "work clutch"....  (cell phone, pen, pencil, measuring tape, iPad, mints, credit card, etc.) 

The Work Clutch idea is pretty b*tching right?  (sorry I am obsessed with b*tching lately for things I love)!

Aside from the DIY clutches, I tackled one more little DIY project during the Arctic Vortex :)  The second coat of paint on project #2 is drying and then I'll get it all gussied up to share!  Stay tuned for more DIY action!


What do you think of the DIY clutch?!? What color fabric and zipper would you use if you made one?
What project do you think I tackled for DIY #2?!?!
Did you tackle a fun DIY while you've been stuck inside due to the nasty weather?