Sewing Challenge: Clutch Bag

Our latest sewing group challenge (the group consisting of myself, Jenny of Bluefinch Boutique, Carolyn of The Glass Lantern, and new members Jem of Beautiful Clutter and Anna of Skin and Blister), was to make an envelope clutch bag. I think we were all a little dubious as the photo inspiration made it look complicated, but after all, where is the improvement without challenge?

Here is my finished bag:

My sewing skills remain basic but I actually had no problems with this project, as once I had cut out and ironed my fabric I could see how it was going to come together. Sometimes when I'm using instructions to create a sewn project I'll be blindly following the steps and can't envisage the result of each, so it was refreshing to feel in control and able to make tweaks where I wanted in this case.

I really like how much it actually looks as though it's made from newspaper! No doubt I'll be getting some comments when I'm out and about with it, and next time I'm in the cinema waiting for the film to start I'll have something to read! I finished off the bag with - you guessed it - some spray starch to give it a little more structure, but the fact that it's made from thick linen meant that I didn't need to bother with iron-on interfacing. 

Overall I'm very pleased with this latest challenge, and can see myself making more clutch bags as Christmas and birthday presents. 

Here it is as the latest entry in my sewing journal:

What do you reckon - perhaps I should whip it out next time I indulge in a portion of fish and chips?!