Thursday, January 17, 2013

Have you made these clutches??

So yesterday I found that I am in need of some cute adorable thank you gifts for 4 amazing ladies.  And I figured this was the perfect opportunity for me to attempt to conquer my fear of zippers and make 4 cute gathered clutches. I have had this super popular tutorial done by Noodlehead bookmarked for years to make and this is where I finally make it!!  So I ask, have you made it before??  Any pointers for someone attempting their first zippered pouch??

Oh and while we are at it, what do you think of the 4 fabric pulls?? I have a few of my own opinions but I want to hear yours.   So, what do you think??


24 comments:

  1. Actually I have made those clutches and I LOVE them... I might have made more than one... or two... lol.

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  2. Yep! I loved the look of that pattern too! (mine is here: www.flickr.com/photos/woodsroadave/4770427768/in/set-72157629754406141)

    I struggled with the lining. It seemed like it was too big so I kept having to fold the whole thing inside out again to adjust it so it fit it better without any bunching. So much of that could have been my sewing though, not a fault of the pattern.

    I like your fabrics, too! Especially the lower left hand ones!

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  3. I've never made a clutch, but it looks interesting. I like all your fabrics except the top left one, it needs a darker color or a pop of color I like all the fabrics but together they are a little bland to me. But that is just my opinion and it really isn't worth much. :)

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  4. I've made a couple of these :) Probably the only thing I would suggest is to do with the outer main fabric. I found that when I gathered and then interfaced it, it seemed to 'shrink' slightly in its measurements, even though the fabric was prewashed. I've found that happens when I interface for some reason? So when I make another I will cut the main outer fabric maybe 1/4" bigger on each side, so make it 1/2" wider and taller, to allow for the shrinkage and then just trim it down. I have to trim the interfacing overlap off the edges anyway, so doesn't create any extra work :) I used a lace trim on one of mine instead of a fabric strip on the outer and that looked cute too.
    I like the two left hand pulls the most, top left is probably my favourite :)

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  5. The clutch looks great. I just read through the tutorial and it is not the clearest one I have seen. You might want to have a look at some of the other zippy tutorials out there just to get a clear picture of the basic method. Getting the zipper to sit right is everyone's bugbear. After looking at the tutorial I am going to go and try the bit where she doesn't sew through the ends of the zipper tab pieces when she sews the seam around. Your fabrics look great. I do agree that the top left one needs a darker piece probably for the purse outer rather than the lining and it helps if the pocket pieces stand out against the lining. I look forward to seeing your finished clutches.

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  6. I made a ton of her "big mouth" zipper pouches for Christmas gifts and thought the tutorial was great. These clutches are super cute! I read somewhere the tip to use light fabrics for inside lining so you can see everything in your pouch - and have found that always works well:)

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  7. I love your fabric choices. I have not made this clutch yet but have made other zipper pouches. Using a zipper foot is key, they are really not that scary to do. I've put in tons of zippers, don't necessarily LIKE them but they are just a part of sewing.

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  8. For my first one, I had the same problem as Shannon, but it wasn't a big deal to fix and I was still new to sewing at the time (so, likely user error). Rather than sewing the credit card pocket(s) to the side of the clutch the way she has in the pattern, I just leave it alone so that my clutch has a total of three pocket compartments (two dividers) rather than two compartments (one divider) and two credit card slots. It works better for me personally. Love it, it's my daily wallet and it is long enough to hold a checkbook easily!

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  9. I've made this pattern quite a few times, and love it. The instructions are easy to follow for the most part, but when I got to the zipper end parts I had to keep looking at it to make sure I was doing it right. The first few ended up with the end fabric piece not being long enough. I've adjusted the measurement on that a bit by cutting the piece larger than listed. That seems to help. The end results, though, are great. It is a really cute clutch. I love your orange choice of fabrics. You can check out the ones I blogged about here http://creativemomentsbycary.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-swap-apron-and-other-things.html and here -- http://creativemomentsbycary.blogspot.com/2011/02/show-tell.html. There may be a few more examples on the blog. I only included the card holders on mine and did attach it to the side as the pattern shows. Look forward to seeing pictures of yours! Have fun!

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  10. I agree with Shauna...that upper left group needs a bright "pop" of something...good luck!

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  11. I made about a million (actually 12) of these to give out as mother's day and teacher gifts back in South Bend. I loved the tutorial, but I think Sarah_L_N's tip is a good idea. Cut the main outer fabric just a titch (that's a technical term) big and you can cut it down after you've gathered and interfaced. It will make things easier and more accurate. (And I know you'll love the "more accurate" part of that.)

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  12. Do I need to know how to work with ruffles on this? Are you going to do a tutorial? Maybe something we can all do together? A Google+ hangout on video where we can try it all at the same time. It records somehow too so others who can't join live can watch the recording. (Apparently). :)

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  13. I made this once. My problem was with the gathered material. It did not end up the size that it needed to be. I had no trouble with the zipper. Good luck

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  14. It's on my to-do list for this year, so I'm eager to see how it goes for you! :)

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  15. I love them all, but I think the top right pileis my favorite! I want to make one of these for the first time, too, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes!

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  16. Oh yes, I've made a few. It's a wonderful tutorial and very cute gift to give. I think you'll be just fine.

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  17. I just made two for Christmas. The tutorial is mostly great, but like another poster, I had trouble where the ends of the zipper tabs didn't sit quite right. I'm not sure if anyone besides me noticed, though! I like all if your fabrics, except the purple floral one in the upper left pile doesn't seem to go as well with the other two you have it with.

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  18. I haven't made this clutch, but maybe I will have to try one. My first experience with zippers was about 1 1/2 years ago on a prototype of a small coin purse. I had no trouble and ended up making about 50 of them for a swap. Good luck!

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  19. My Daughter made one for me. She used a linen/osnaburg for the body of the clutch and did scrappy piecing for the middle band. She made a little zipper pull to attach to the zipper, which is the best! Your choices look like you've covered different personalities, which is great. I'd do a darker zipper color for the bottom right one.

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  20. I think that was the first pouch I made and the instructions were great :) And I love the brown choices! (my favourite colour LOL)

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  21. I don't make any kind of purse or clutch or tote. It just doesn't interest me, though I'm always happy when someone gives me one they made. =) The colors go together for each set. I'm more of a traditionalist, but these seem great for those who like modern fabrics.

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  22. I bought this pattern and made one for a Christmas gift in just a few hours. I used strips of fabric and added a pocket inside. The pattern was a well-written and I thought the clutch turned out wonderfully! My daughter loved it when she unwrapped her package! I have added several more to my list of "To Makes"!

    Yours will turn out great!

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  23. I made one a while back when I was fairly inexperienced, and it was even easy for me then and turned out so cute. Love your fabric choices!

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Thank you so much for your sweet comments. I just love hearing from you!!
Have a Happy Quilting Day :)

Melissa