DIY Denim Clutch

Hi guys! I still had a ton of left over material from some of my previous DIY's so I decided to make myself a Denim Clutch! I know there are a lot of templates online, but most of the ones I found only had one pocket, where I like the functionality of a two pocket clutch. I didn't find a template so I just came up for one myself! I used a Denim Bow from a previous post to make it a little more "pretty" and I think it came out pretty nicely. I hope you like this post and that you feel inspired to try it for yourself!


Materials:
- Denim, or any kind of fabric really... (mine are from a pair of old jeans)
- Pins
- Ruler or measuring tape
- Velcro square
- Shears
- Needle and thread (I chose a blue that kind of matched my fabric)



Steps:

1. Cut out your fabric/template. I realize mine looks pretty uneven, but I was using the the leftover material from my other projects so I had to improvise. Ideally you'd have square corners and straight lines! The length of mine at the longest point was about (since it's not really straight) 15 inches, the middle length was about 8 1/2 inches, with the width (or height?) was around 15 inches (from top to bottom) and at the shorter part 5 inches wide.

 

2. Now I highly recommend taking the time to plan for your next couple of steps by pinning your hems down. Use a measuring tool to make sure the top and bottom of your clutch are the same width while you pin. Fold those flaps in to make what will be your first pocket! In this step, you can kind of start to see the size of your clutch (especially in terms of width).

3. Once your got your hems in place, sew the flaps together. Make sure not to sew this part all the way through. Now, sew across the purse going all the way through to the other side to make your pocket. This should be going through the middle of your clutch with the pocket opening downward. Be careful sewing this part because you will be able to see the thread on the outside of the purse.

*I don't have a sewing machine, so I sewed everything by hand (obviously you can use your machine if you have one). I'm saving up for one!*

 4. Next, I hemmed the sides above the pocket you just made. As your hemming, take your pins out. Again, keep in mind that your thread will be seen on the outside of your clutch. Once you've finished hemming that part, fold your first pocket up to create two pockets! Before this step, your pocket should have opened facing downward. Now those two sewn-together-flaps will be the divider between your two pockets.

In the third picture below, you can see how I sewed my two pockets. I used an "invisible" hem technique, sewing in between the pockets on the outside. You can choose to sew this the same way you did the other hems if you find it easier or if you want your thread to show. This entire step is long one so when you get through it, give yourself a little pat on the back!

 5. I used Velcro as a "clasp" for where the top of my clutch will open and close to. You can use other buttons, zippers or magnets to do something similar if your prefer (Velcro isn't exactly glamorous!). I made sure to sew both pieces in the middle, one on the top flap, one on the outside pocket. Just make sure you line it up right beforehand!

6. Here's where I attached my DIY Denim Bow! I just simply sewed it in place, making stitches until I felt like the bow was really secure. Not only is it cute, but it also covered my threads from the Velcro patch! ^.^ At this point you can go back and trim some of those loose threads if you haven't done so already!

Congratulations! You just made your very own DIY Denim Clutch!

What I've learned:

- When hemming, you can make smaller stitches for those on the outside of your clutch and larger ones facing the inside of your clutch so the thread isn't as noticeable. 

- Measuring and pinning everything in place is really important. Stop every once in awhile and make everything is in line to see if you need to make any adjustments.

- Try not to stab yourself when pinning your hem line... 

- A two pocket clutch is way better than a one pocket clutch!

Here's what I'm going to wear with my new clutch, when I go out for an iced coffee (love iced coffee)! I like that this clutch is super casual and its great to just carry your essentials in when you're on the go! I love that I can take this bag anywhere, even if it gets dirty because:

     1. Isn't a big deal because you didn't spend a ton of money on it,
     2. It's totally machine washable! 

What you thought of this DIY post! I hope you try it, and let me know how your clutch turned out!

Also... I am considering attaching some kind of strap, maybe make it into a wristlet, or a cross body bag. What do you think?



Alison :)

Braided Denim Bracelet

Hey there! I just wanted to tell you that I've developed on a slight fixation to find uses/projects from the leftover denim material from my Old Jeans to New Shorts post. While the bows were really fun (from my DIY Denim Bow post), I have a lot of fabric left over and I fully intend to use all of it! This brings me to today's project. I will be constructing a Denim Bracelet! I really like my Button Bracelet which was very girly and cute... so this time I wanted to do something that had a little more "edge" to it. Keep reading to see what I did, and how it turned out!

Materials:
- Denim scraps (I have 4 strips shown but I sewed them so that I ended up with 2 long pieces of denim and one long chain)
- Chain
- Shears
- Needle and thread

 If don't have the same exact materials on hand, don't worry! You can substitute the chain for anything (another strip of denim, ribbon, yarn etc.). If anything, try something new to personalize it!



Steps:
1. First cut your fabric into strips. I used one chain and two pieces of denim but if you only have three denim pieces (or whatever you decided to use) that's totally fine too! Anchor these three pieces to braid (I just used the heel of my foot >.<), and start braiding! As you can see, my denim started fraying all over the place as I was braiding it, but don't worry! You can clean up stray ends (and your carpet) later.


2. When you're done, just tie the ends of your braid into a simple knot. On the anchored end, I didn't want to have two knots and have to tie them together into this huge, massive knot... I just used a needle and thread to sew together the pieces.


3. After that part is secure, I sewed that end of the bracelet to the knot, to make a circle just big enough to put your hand through. Make sure at some point in this step, you sew right through the knot to keep that from coming undone later when you're showing it off to your friends! ;)


 4. Great! Now you're pretty much done. I just went back and pulled out loose thread, trimmed the ends of my knot and snipped off the frays a little to keep the bracelet looking a little more polished. You can opt to tuck in the ends of your knot and leave the frays as they are. Leaving the frays will give you an even edgier look. I hope you like your new bracelet as much as I like mine!



So here it is! I think having the ends of the knot showing is pretty cute! What do you think?

What I learned:

- Cut your strips as evenly as possible. If you can do it with the "grain" or threads in your fabric, there will be less fraying later on.
- When you're braiding, check a few times to make sure the length matches the length needed to go around your wrist.
- Also while you're braiding, make sure you don't pull so tight that you don't get to see each piece, especially if one is smaller than the others (ex. my chain).


I decided to wear it my new bracelet out for the day and I actually wore it along side my Button Bracelet! How are you planning to wear yours?

This was an easy, fun and quick project that looks pretty good (if I can give myself a little pat on the back) when you're done! I hope you liked this post and that you try it out!

Alison <3