Designing a Vinyl Clutch

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CraftStylish Editors, contributor

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Pieces of vinyl billboards and wall decals come together to create an unforgettably hip clutch.

Sloan Howard

Sloan Howard

Step 7

Tim Voytek

Pieces of vinyl billboards and wall decals come together to create an unforgettably hip clutch.

Photo: Sloan Howard

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by Christina Loff
excerpted from CraftStylish Restyle, p.78

There’s no better way to make something unique than using recycled materials — you spend (and waste) next to nothing. So, when a friend who knows of my love for reusing gave me some leftover vinyl that was on its way to the dump, I jumped at the chance to fashion something out of those old banners. After all, it just takes a little sewing-machine know-how and a few simple instructions to whip up something fabulous and help make our world just a bit greener.

I used wall decals to adorn this project because the images and texture match the clutch material nicely and give the finished product a gritty, urban feel.

What You'll Need:
• Hook-and-loop tape
• Measuring tape
• Scissors
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Vinyl from an old billboard, banner, or street sign (ReadyMadeMag.com, UrbanOre.ypguides.net, Scrap-sf.org)
• Wall decals (WhatIsBlik.com, One-UpDesigns.com)

Stuck on Vinyl? To find vinyl, ask local shops or companies if they have any billboard or other vinyl-like material they’re no longer using.

Clutch construction
Sew using 1⁄4-inch seam allowances unless otherwise specified.

1. Cut the vinyl. You’ll need four rectangular pieces of vinyl: One that’s 13 inches by 21 inches for the body; another that’s 7 inches by 4 inches for an inside pocket, and two that are 6 1⁄2 inches by 5 inches for the sides.  You’ll also need two, 3-inch-long pieces of hook-and-loop tape.

2. Sew the border. Fold over 1⁄2 inch all around the edges of the largest piece of vinyl. Use clips of any type to hold the fold closed. Then sew the border down, starting with the long sides. This creates a finished edge.




3. Fold the clutch. Fold the largest piece of vinyl in equal thirds. This gives you a back, center, and front flap. It should look like an envelope.

4. Create the inside pocket. Place the inside-pocket piece in the center of the section that will be the inside back of your clutch. To attach it, edgestitch around the bottom and sides of the pocket.




5. Close the sides. With wrong sides together, align one side piece with the back edge of the clutch, and sew. Align the free edge of the side piece with the front edge of the clutch, and sew. Repeat on the other side. Note: You won’t be able to sew all the way into the bottom fold.




6. Reinforce the corners. Sew two inches in from the edges where you just attached the sides to close the bottom corners of the clutch.




7. Finishing touches. Attach the hook-and-loop tape to the center front of the bag and inside the flap to match. Then fold the front flap over, and apply the wall decals. Topstitch designs onto the front of the clutch if desired.

CraftStylish Restyle
From the editors of CraftStylish How to turn old, tattered items into stylish new gems $6.99 more info...

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Comments (4)

RedJar writes: This is a very creative project. Thanks for posting instructions. I can't wait to make one myself.
Posted: 9:22 pm on January 14th

sassysewer writes: I didn't have any trouble following the directions, especially with the pictures. I like the size of the clutch and especially like the re-use of the vinyl. Maybe you could also use an old vinyl raincoat, or a heavy duty vinyl tablecloth for this project. If you enlarged the design to be large enough to hold documents, this could also be a nice portfolio - maybe using vinyl wallpaper, which would be more lightweigh - that stuff's indestructible, it seems.
Posted: 12:50 pm on February 26th

tracy writes: I think I'd line this and sew the pocket on the inside to the lining so that the stitching won't show on the outside of the purse. Also, not quite sure what the author means by the "border." Are these the edges of the purse? Also, the author didn't really explain which direction to fold the purse when she said to fold it into thirds. It's probably obvious, but the instructions could be more complete with this information.

I can't believe this is from one of the Craft Stylist publications. The instructions aren't very complete. A beginner might have a hard time reasoning out how to make this clutch.

~Tracy
Posted: 7:43 pm on January 27th

LisaHandmadeEvo writes: Great clutch! And thanks for the tip on finding vinyl to reuse... I don't have any handy :)
Posted: 6:32 pm on January 27th

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