As I mentioned in my last post, I also made a clutch to go with my dress, using leftover scraps of fabric!
As silly as it sounds, this is something that I have been needing – particularly for this dress, but also in general. See, I own a very nice leather purse – but it’s brown, and it’s a decent-sized handbag (it is actually quite small as far as most handbags go, but it’s bigger than one would need for an evening out). I have been wanting a black bag in a smaller size, something big enough to just hold the essentials (wallet, keys, lipstick, gum, phone). While I normally find clutches pretty silly (you mean I have to HOLD my purse wtf), I think they are fine for evening wear. Gives me something to do with my hands that isn’t smoking a cigarette 😛
Anyway, I decided to make a small bag after I cut my dress and realized I had quite a bit of yardage left over – both with the outer and the lining. I also chose to use this opportunity to try out the fabric cutting function on my Cricut Maker!
Using the Maker to cut my purse was pretty straightforward. I looked through the available projects on the app and decided to make Simplicity 8028, which is a simple clutch with a zippered top. After purchasing, I changed out to a rotary blade on the Cricut and started loading up my fabric mats.
In addition to cutting, the Cricut Maker also marks your pattern pieces using a water soluble marking pen (both the actual pattern markings and it also numbers the pieces so you know which one is which). The notches are cut in outward triangles (the old school way). One thing I didn’t notice until after the fact is that the screen before you start the project labels all your mats with pieces + fabric (i.e., “Mat #2 will cut pieces 2 and 3 out of lining fabric” or whatever). This is not anywhere in the app once you start the project, so I would recommend writing them down so you know which piece gets cut from which fabric. I was losing my MIND trying to figure out which fabric to load on which mat and ended up cutting a few pieces from the wrong fabric (fortunately, I had enough to re-cut). Learn from my mistakes!
FYI, I was unable to use the pattern marker with my fabric, since it is so dark (it’s one of those light blue marking pens). This was not a huge problem – the pieces are basic shapes, and the app actually shows you them on a gridded mat so you can easily figure out where, say, the strap marking is based on the size of the pattern piece + the measurements on the mat behind it.
After everything was cut, I downloaded the PDF instructions and sewed up my bag! That part was pretty easy. If you’ve sewn up any sort of zippered pouch, this bag goes together in a similar way. It took me about 45 minutes to sew, start to finish!
I debated on using the other side of the fabric for this clutch, but in the end – I decided the predominantly black side would work better with the rest of my dresses, should I need a black clutch for any of them. The leather piece + wrist strap is leftover from my Pulmuu skirt kit, and the bag is lined with black silk charmeuse.
The clutch is basically a long rectangle pouch with a zipper at one end, that folds in half and closes with a magnetic snap. The snap, zipper, and gold D ring were all sourced from my local fabric store.
The pattern calls for a swivel hook to be sewn into the wrist strap, so you can remove it if you want a plain clutch. While I loved that idea, I couldn’t find a swivel hook in the correct size (my fabric store only had really big ones in stock, plus, the were silver and I wanted gold). So instead I used my industrial snap setter to put a snap in the wrist strap; now it just snaps on or off. Easy!
Overall, I think it turned out quite nice! It’s the perfect size for the handful of things I need to carry when I go out, and easy to hold (it also fits in the giant pocket of my faux jaguar coat, so that’s pretty rad haha). Not to mention, it feels good to use the last scraps of something – especially when it’s an expensive fabric!
Ok friends, that’s all for this project! I will be back in a couple of days with my year in review post 🙂
** Note: Cricut generously sent me the Cricut Maker machine + a bunch of supplies at no cost to me, in exchange for writing about my experience. All opinions are my own! Also, FYI, this blog post contains affiliate links. That is all!
LLADYBIRD 
The perfect companion to the perfect party dress! I have just one question. Does anyone use the wrist strap? (I get the “hands free” idea but I’ve never seen it in action.)
haha I do! I keep it around my wrist – makes it easier to hold a drink 😉
Thanks for this detailed rundown on the Maker. I am still excited about this machine. There would be quite a bit I could do with this one since it cuts more than paper. Are there how to books out on this or is it just too new for that.
I haven’t seen any books, but there have been quite a few blog posts about the Maker. Might be too new for books just yet!
That is a very cool clutch. Thanks for sharing your creativity!
Beth
Of course! 🙂
I’ve had clutches in the (long) past and loved them, but I don’t think I’d ever want one without a wrist strap. Just that addition makes them so truly “handy.” 🙂 You may find yourself making more than one of these little helpers!
I could totally see that happening!
That is the perfect little bag both for your new dress and any evening out. Very nice!
Thank you!
Like you, I scratched my head when you said they sent the cutter to you. I’m certain it would have been easier to cut the fabric with scissors or a rotary cutter. You might think about using the Cricut to cut out some rad design in Fabric and use your sewing machine to applique it to your jeans jacket or shorts.
Oh, no question this bag would be easier to cut myself. I just wanted to try the Cricut on an easier project (no fitting) before I jump into more complicated cutting – like bras!
I love your bag – a perfect accessory to go with the super dress, Very interesting to hear about the Cricut Maker – I was thinking it could be good for bra cutting – all those fiddly pieces.
That’s what I am hoping I can use it for! That would be awesome!!