A friend of mine bought a clutch at Anthropologie a few months ago when we were shopping around in Chicago one weekend. I saw her take it to the register and asked her how much it was, and she didn’t want to disclose the price for a such a small clutch (it was $30 ish.) I thought it looked easy enough to make, and with my supply of fabric scraps, I knew I could do it. With my luck I came across the tutorial thanks to Pinterest about how to make the exact one I wanted.
Here’s one of the Anthropologie Clutches mentioned. Adorable, but no longer available.
Here’s another Anthropologie clutch. Very glamourous.
This is the amazing knock off from the tutorial I found on Pinterest. The tutorial is HERE from Flamingo Toes. I don’t have a tutorial myself, because the one she gave was so good, there was no way I could replicate it. I would check the link and follow the instructions given there. Here’s what I came up with:
This little clutch is made of ALL recycled and found materials, minus the key ring I bought to attach the leather to the zipper. It will be for sale once I open my Etsy store this spring, of more items made of recycled materials.
I bought a bag of zippers at a thrift store that I have been finding small projects for since high school. I thought the blue matched the outer fabric nicely.
I got all of the fabrics from work, using ALL discontinued samples. I used a discontinued piece of leather to make the tassel on the zipper, and super glued a piece around the tassel to hold it all together.
Here’s one side
Here’s the other side.
If you follow the tutorial perfectly, your inside and outside will be seamless. It was a little difficult at times understanding how to attach the zipper, but once you do, and flip the piece right side out, it’s almost like watching a magic trick. I strongly recommend using fabric that’s pliable, not too thick, and easy to sew many, many (a minimum of 8) layers together. I didn’t use the thinnest fabric for the ruffles, and broke a few sewing needles in the process.
I love the finished product! And I love the fact that it’s 90% recycled materials. It would be perfect for a summer wedding, night out, or luncheon with friends, where all you need is some money, your phone, your Driver’s license to get you a martini, and some sunglasses. Happy Sewing!
